Process Art Classes: Nurturing Creativity and Emotional Growth in Kids

Last September 2024, marked a major milestone for me: 1 year of teaching weekly art classes, creating a total of 35 lesson plans! Reflecting on this journey fills me with so much gratitude.

A decade ago, I left my role as an art instructor at a studio, thinking it would be nearly impossible to teach art without a formal space. But life has a way of surprising us. Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of both entering the homes of incredible families and welcoming their children into mine. The trust these parents placed in me made this journey possible, and for that, I am deeply thankful.

Watching the kids’ creativity unfold week after week has been nothing short of magical. From exploring paints and textures to sculpting, printmaking, and more, I’ve witnessed not only their artistic growth but also their social-emotional development. These classes are about more than just creating art—they’re about fostering imagination, risk taking, curiosity, meaning making, and self-expression in a safe space.

Expanding Our Process Art Classes

Building on this incredible year, I’m excited to announce that we’re expanding our Process Art Classes! 🎉

If you’re a parent or educator looking to make art and creativity a regular part of your child’s or student's life, we now have new time slots available:

• Weekday: 9 AM – 2 PM

• Locations include Toa Payoh, Bishan, Upper Thomson, Novena, Newton, Marymount, Woodleigh, and Bartley.

  
  

Why Process Art?

Our classes focus on process art, which prioritises the creative journey over the finished product. Through these classes, children not only develop artistic skills but also gain valuable social-emotional learning tools such as self-awareness, emotional resilience, and empathy. These sessions are perfect for children aged 3 to 10 years old and can be incorporated into both homes and preschools.

Make Art a Part of Your Routine

As I look back on this past year, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement for what’s to come. If you’d like to bring art and creativity into your home or school routine, I’d love to hear from you! 💌 Email me at cartwheelssg@gmail.com for more details about classes or workshops.

Here’s to many more art-filled days ahead! Thank you for being part of this journey.

Pocketful of Love: First-Day-of-School Traditions

The first day of school is always a special milestone. Do you have a first-day-of-school tradition? Each year, I prepare a small surprise gift for my kids, accompanied by a handwritten note. It’s my way of adding a touch of love and encouragement to their big day. In the past 2 years, I've made gifts like notebooks and softies for them.

Funny enough, this tradition has become such a cherished ritual that my Secondary 2 kiddo once asked, “Where’s my surprise gift?”—and this was after the June mid-year holidays! I had to remind him that this treat is reserved for the first day of school. It’s heartwarming to see how much they look forward to these small gestures.

This year, I made heart pockets for each of my children. It’s not Valentine’s Day, but these soft and cozy creations serve as both a keepsake and a practical little gift. Each pocket holds a tiny family photo and an encouragement note—something personal to remind them of home while they’re at school. Behind the heart, there’s a secret compartment—perfect for tucking in a few pieces of their favourite candy.

Creating these heart pockets was such a meaningful experience. I followed a simple sewing tutorial by Sew A Softie, who teaches kids to sew but is also wonderful for sewing beginners and busy parents. (Check out the tutorial here).

If you’re looking for a way to make your child’s first day of school extra special, consider creating a tradition that reflects your family’s values and love. Whether it’s a heartfelt note, a handmade gift, or even a simple ritual like a favorite breakfast, these small gestures leave lasting memories.

Tips for First-Day-of-School Traditions

1. Keep it Simple: A handwritten note, a small treat, or a tiny keepsake can go a long way.

2. Personalise It: Include something that resonates with your child, like their favorite snack or a family photo.

3. Add a Touch of Creativity: Handmade items like the heart pocket make the gift extra special.

   
   

Happy creating traditions and memories!

Self-Publishing Journey: Borrow My Books at the National Library Singapore!

I’m excited to share that two of my self-published books are now available for loan at the National Library Singapore! You can borrow "Creative Art With Siblings" and "I Hear You", the latter of which I co-created with a friend (Valerie Oh) by illustrating the book. These books have been close to my heart, and I’m thrilled they are now more accessible to everyone.

Discovering Self-Publishing

When I was choosing my university major, I never imagined I would end up publishing books. I majored in Social Work, not English or Literature, but I always enjoyed journalling and occasionally writing for magazines and church projects.

It was thanks to Pauseability, that I discovered the world of self-publishing. With the support of my dear friend Wendy and my sister Sarah, who helped with editing, I took on this challenge, and it’s been an incredible learning journey ever since.

Why I Chose to Self-Publish

Self-publishing allows me to have full creative control over my work, and it's a perfect fit for anyone looking to publish without securing a traditional book deal or incurring huge costs.  While I don’t aspire to become a famous author or illustrator, I hope my books can inspire someone, somewhere. Self-publishing is a great option if:

• You want to bring your book to life even without a publishing company deal.

• Budget constraints mean you don’t want to pay a company to edit or market your book.

• You want full creative control over your book’s content and design.

• Small print runs of 1000 copies or less are what you’re aiming for.

• You’re comfortable managing sales through your own website or social media platforms.

The Process: From Writing to Printing

From editing photos and learning Procreate to handling layout and printer communication, self-publishing has been a self-taught process. For those new to this, here are a few essential steps:

• Layout: Mimic the layout of similar books, but make sure to include basic sections like an ISBN number (which you can get for free through NLB’s Legal Deposit), acknowledgments, content page, and copyright statement.

• Photos & Images: Keep image resolution high at 300DPI, especially if you’re using Procreate for illustrations. When capturing images, it is advisable to refrain from excessive zooming in on the subject or making extensive crops during the editing process.editing.

• Keynote for Layout: If you’re using Mac, I found that Keynote works best for maintaining high resolution in the PDF format needed for printing. This website, https://www.caseyprinting.com/blog/how-to-get-a-print-ready-file-out-of-apple-keynote provides guidance on preparing your Keynote document for printing, including instructions on setting bleeds.

• Printing: Use local printers like Ho Printing for larger quantities (500 copies and above), or Gogoprint for smaller print runs, though they may require extra steps with file conversionsn (see tip below).

*Procreate Tip: If you're printing your book, Illustrations done with Procreate have to be set to CYMK colours. If you still find your image looking dull, then adjust the ‘hue’ and ‘brightness’. Also, always set the size of your image canvas size at least twice the size of your book. For example, A4 canvas for A5 books. 

*Gogoprint Tip: Gogoprint does not offer editing services, so the files you provide are printed as is, and the quality may not be as good as Ho Printing's. Recently, it's customer service informed me that I needed to use Canva to convert my files and resend them as PDFs. I don't understand why they couldn't work with the original PDF file. Ultimately, I had to save each page of my Keynote file as a PNG image, upload all the images to Canva, and then download a print-ready PDF from there.

Sharing My Journey

Self-publishing has been a rewarding journey, even if the profits are minimal. It’s about the joy of seeing my ideas come to life and sharing them with others. I hope my journey encourages others to explore this creative path!

Visit your nearest National Library Singapore branch and borrow “Creative Art With Siblings” and “I Hear You” today! And don't forget to check out my other self-published works:

• Creative Art With Siblings (paperback)

• Slow Looking at Birds (paperback)

• I Hear You (ebook)

• Creative Art for Toddlers (ebook)

• Meaningful Play for Toddlers (ebook)

• Building Faith Pictures (ebook)