Zina has a Master’s degree in Art Education, 25 years teaching experience, and is certified to teach K through adult.  She is a former art teacher in Baltimore County Schools and is currently teaching children in her home teaching studio and adults privately and in group classes through Howard County Recreation and Parks. 

After School Art

Fees and Schedule:  $25 per 1 hr. and 15 min. class for small groups of children.  Classes ongoing from September through June.  Seven children maximum in a class. All supplies included.  Parents are requested to pay for one month in advance. 

Adult Classes

Fees and Schedule:  $75.00 per 1 ½ hr. sessions privately, or group classes as listed on Howard County Recreation and Parks' website (type "drawing" into the Search bar). 

Teaching Style and Curriculum 

Zina concentrates on age appropriate art and design concepts and vocabulary using art history prints (when applicable) to instigate discussion concerning the particular art element.  Motivation includes group discussion, brainstorming, directed inquiry aimed at achieving a specific goal, and demonstration of techniques and materials.  Most of the session is work time with evaluation and clean up at the end.

Drawing, painting with tempera, watercolor, or acrylics, printmaking, sculpture, and crafts are part of the regular curriculum throughout the year.  All materials, art concepts, and techniques are carefully selected according to the ages of the children.

Sample art concepts regularly discussed include line, shape, form, color theory,  pattern, detail, sculpture, drawing techniques such as contour, gesture, tonal, cross-hatching, value, composition, repetition, etc.

For more information or to register for classes, contact Zina.

Eleven Tips for Artists and Art Students or The Eleven Things I Say the Most To My Classes

First and foremost, remember that every painting is made up of design elements, like composition, positive-negative space, color, line, shape, texture, detail, pattern, foreground, background etc. whether it is realistic or abstract.

With that said, here are my tips:

Fresh Paint. If you work with watercolor, adding fresh paint to your palette every time you paint will strengthen color. Every time you add water to old paint you are weakening the color.

More Paint, less water for stronger color.

Global to specific. Paint the big picture first then do the details. Right brain thinking is global to specific.

Paint Globally. Work on all parts of the painting, foreground and background. Do not finish one area and then move on to the next. Working on the whole painting keeps it unified.

3-4 Thumbnails to nail the composition.

Off The Edges. Go off the edges of the picture plane on at least three sides for a strong, tight composition.

Value Study. Pick one thumbnail to slightly enlarge and do a value study using black, white and grays of it with graphite pencil.

Create Depth in a landscape using overlapping and aerial perspective.

High Contrast and Complementary colors make a painting pop.

Diagonal Lines lead the eye into a painting and around it.

Large and Small areas of color, shape, line, and texture, create interest and variety.