Inside a Montessori Art Workshop in Darwin: Trace, Line & Paint
- Maria Grujicic
- Jul 28
- 7 min read
Beginning a Montessori Art Workshop in Darwin with Storytelling
What happens when a picture-book story becomes the starting point for close observation, drawing, colour exploration and imaginative artmaking?
This Montessori art workshop in Darwin combines picture-book storytelling, nature observation, line, colour and Montessori-informed sensorial learning.
In my recent Trace, Line & Paint children’s art workshop in Darwin, children moved through a carefully sequenced creative experience beginning with storytelling and a sense of place.
From there, we explored the element of line through leaves, frottage, traced shapes, concentric circles, colour relationships and watercolour pencils.
I have created the video below to offer parents, educators, arts organisations and potential workshop partners a glimpse into the way I teach.
Watch: How I Taught Trace, Line & Paint
Beginning an art workshop with literacy and storytelling
I began the workshop with an illustration from my Darwin-based picture book:
Mystery Plants & Trees: Adventures in the Ludmilla Bushblock
The illustration shows a character exploring a paperbark tree.
I asked the children:
What do you think the character is doing?
“Exploring,” they answered.
I explained that this was exactly what we would be doing during the workshop. We would explore by looking, noticing, imagining, drawing and experimenting with materials.
Together, we observed the illustrated paperbark texture, the paperbark flycatcher within the tree and the leaves growing in that particular environment.
Beginning with literacy gives children an imaginative point of entry into the art experience. The story helps us establish a sense of place before we examine the smaller forms, colours, textures and living things that belong within it.
Once we had entered the place through the story, I held up a real leaf and invited the children to look more closely.
Helping children focus on one element of art at a time
An important part of my teaching approach is helping children focus on one central idea at a time.
For this workshop, our principal element of art was line.
A leaf contains many different kinds of lines. Children may notice:
the strong central vein
smaller branching veins
curved edges
fine repeated marks
lines that appear symmetrical
irregular natural patterns
By isolating one element, children have time to observe it closely, understand it through direct experience and then apply it within their own artwork.
This does not limit imagination. Instead, it gives children a clear foundation from which their ideas can grow.
Frottage as another way of observing nature
We then explored the leaf through frottage, commonly known as leaf rubbing.
As the children rubbed over the leaf, lines and raised textures that had previously been subtle became much more visible.
Frottage was not presented only as an art technique. It became another way of looking.
Children could compare:
the leaf they held
the lines they could see
the lines revealed through touch
the marks transferred onto the paper
This slow process supports close observation and encourages children to notice that natural objects contain structures, textures and patterns that can become starting points for art.
Tracing found objects and creating concentric circles
The children then traced a series of found circular objects.
We began with the largest circle and gradually placed smaller circles inside it, creating a concentric design.
The activity included several interconnected learning experiences:
tracing around an object
coordinating the eyes and hands
comparing large and small
finding the centre
estimating distance
visually measuring the spaces between shapes
controlling pencil movement
planning the placement of each new circle
Children were using early mathematical and spatial thinking, even though they were not measuring with a ruler.
They were learning to judge size, proportion, position and distance through their eyes and through the movement of their hands.
We also explored opposites such as:
large and small, inside and outside, near and far, light and dark
These comparisons help children organise and articulate what they observe.
Transforming observed lines into an original design
I demonstrated how the branching lines observed in the leaf could be introduced into the spaces between the circles.
The purpose was not to make every child reproduce the same leaf or finished picture.
Instead, the natural object became a source of visual information.
Children could draw:
curved lines
branching lines
repeated lines
enclosed shapes
patterns
imaginative details
I showed my teaching example as well as an example of a child’s work.
This helps children understand that we may begin with shared materials and ideas while still arriving at many different artistic outcomes.
The demonstration provides structure, but it does not prescribe one correct finished product.
Learning colour theory through direct artmaking
We also looked at the colour wheel and discussed the relationships between colours.
Children observed that colours positioned opposite each other on the colour wheel are known as complementary colours. When placed beside one another, these colours create a strong visual contrast and can appear to “pop.”
Rather than learning this only as a definition, children experienced the effect through their own artmaking.
We also looked at an artwork created with yellow and orange.
Yellow and orange sit beside one another on the colour wheel. They are warm, closely related colours that can blend into a more unified and gentle colour arrangement.
By looking at different children’s artworks, we could see how colour choices changed the feeling and visual effect of each composition.
There was no requirement for every child to choose the same palette.
The children were introduced to colour relationships and then encouraged to make individual decisions.
Experimenting with how pencils and brushes are held
As we worked, we also discussed the different ways artists hold pencils and brushes.
Children naturally approach art tools in different ways. The position of the fingers, angle of the tool and amount of pressure can all affect the resulting mark.
We experimented with:
holding a pencil close to the point
holding it farther back
using firm or gentle pressure
changing the angle of the pencil
holding a brush upright
lowering the brush to create a broader mark
This type of experimentation helps children understand that drawing and painting tools are responsive.
A pencil or brush does not produce only one kind of line. The movement of the artist’s hand changes what the tool can do.
Montessori sensorial learning through colour grading
Toward the end of the workshop, I presented a group of green watercolour pencils.
We observed the differences between the greens and arranged them from the lightest value to the darkest.
The organisation of materials is part of the learning experience.
When children compare and grade colours, they practise:
visual discrimination
comparison
classification
sequencing
concentration
orderly thinking
noticing subtle differences
This part of the workshop is informed by Montessori sensorial education, in which children compare and arrange materials according to a particular quality.
In this case, the children focused on changes in colour value from light to dark.
The pencils were also placed in an orderly arrangement so that children could see the choices available and return each tool to a clear position.
A carefully prepared art environment helps children work with greater independence and purpose.
From observation to imaginative artmaking
The final robot-like critter drawing brought many of the workshop experiences together:
story and place
observation of a natural object
the element of line
frottage
traced circles
large and small shapes
visual measurement
repeated patterns
colour relationships
watercolour techniques
grading colours from lightest to darkest
The children followed a considered sequence, but their final artworks remained imaginative and individual.
This balance is central to my approach.
Children benefit from clear demonstrations, carefully selected materials and an understandable progression. They also need room to interpret the experience, follow their curiosity and create something that belongs to them.
What children learn through Trace, Line & Paint
Through this process-led children’s art workshop, children can develop:
close observation
fine-motor control
hand–eye coordination
visual discrimination
spatial awareness
concentration
creative problem-solving
understanding of line, shape, colour and pattern
confidence using drawing and painting tools
independence in making artistic choices
These skills are not taught in isolation.
They grow through looking, discussing, comparing, experimenting and making.
A Montessori-informed approach—not a prescribed craft activity
A Montessori-informed art workshop is not about asking every child to copy one identical model.
The environment and lesson are thoughtfully prepared, but the child remains an active participant.
I provide:
an engaging starting point
real objects and visual references
carefully organised materials
clear demonstrations
precise artistic language
time for observation
opportunities to compare and experiment
support when it is needed
The children bring their own ideas, interpretations, decisions and discoveries.
The result is a workshop that is purposeful without being rigid and imaginative without becoming directionless.
Continuing the exploration through Watercolour Critters
My next workshop, Watercolour Critters, extends this approach through a new creative focus.
Children will use Montessori Metal Insets as starting points for drawing.
They will trace, position and combine geometric shapes before transforming them into their own imaginative critters. They may discover eyes, bodies, wings, shells, feet, tails or entirely unexpected characters within the shapes.
We will explore:
careful tracing
shape recognition
line and composition
character development
pattern
watercolour pencils
brush and water control
colour choices
imaginative transformation
Every child will begin with access to the same thoughtfully prepared materials, but I expect the completed critters to be wonderfully varied.
That variety is one of the most exciting parts of teaching art.
Children’s art workshops in Darwin
Maria Grujicic Studio offers Montessori-informed, place-based and process-led creative workshops for children and families in Darwin.
My workshops bring together:
storytelling, nature observation, sensorial materials, visual art skills, imagination, independent creative thinking
The aim is not only to produce a finished picture.
The aim is to help children look carefully, work with intention, develop artistic understanding and discover where their own ideas can lead.
Observe. Respond. Imagine. Create.
The Trace, Line & Paint workshop, teaching sequence, original examples, video and written content are part of the creative and educational practice of Maria Grujicic Studio.
© 2026 Maria Grujicic Studio. All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish this workshop content, imagery or written material without permission.
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