Based in Ayrshire, Joanne Robinson is the founder of The Little Art School Charity, a much-loved creative space that has quietly woven itself into the local community. Built on the belief that creativity should be accessible, joyful and free from pressure, her classes welcome both children and adults to explore art in a relaxed, inclusive way. Joanne’s approach values curiosity and confidence over polished outcomes, encouraging a slower, more mindful relationship with making. In this Q&A, she reflects on the beginnings of The Little Art School Charity, its place within the local creative landscape, and why investing in creativity matters more than ever.

Heather McLeod. - age 15 - Children's studio class — Heather McLeod, age 15 - Children's Studio Class

The Little Art School has become such a beloved creative hub in Ayr. What first inspired you to create it, and what gap did you feel it could fill in the community?

We started the first Little Art School class for children in 2013. It was a class of 10 kids around my dining room table. I remember seeing the astonishment on those faces when they were taken, step-by-step, through a process and realised that drawing and painting was a ‘learned skill’, not something that a select few were granted as a magical power. That’s the gap we fill. There are many classes teaching children how to play musical instruments or how to learn a sport or learn to act etc but no other classes teaching a structured, progressive art course. From the very beginning we have always funded free places (and continue to do so) for children who can really benefit from our classes: young carers, children struggling with trauma and loss and others. Within 12 months we saw that what we did with kids could be used to build self-esteem in other demographics and we launched our Dementia Arts Project in 2015. For the last decade we have reached people of all ages, building self-esteem through our art classes. The key to our sustainability is that from the start I had a founding partner, Melissa Haddow, who had experience of how a business works. Together we have built the Little Art School charity as a structured organisation that can grow and thrive.

Your mission centres on making art accessible to everyone. How do you design classes and programmes that feel welcoming to complete beginners as well as more experienced students?

At the Little Art School we start with how to hold a pencil, and we move from there. From the very beginning our core mission has been to build self-esteem. This isn’t a tag line, it truly lies at the heart of everything we do, from how we recruit staff, train our team, work with our artists and talk to each other. It has meat that the Little Art School is an organisation which is about encouragement and kindness. The courses we teach are very structured. We use a tried and tested scaffolded approach to teaching, helping our students to move through each lesson step by step as we offer encouragement every step of the way. It’s been amazing for us to see students start age 5 with us, drawing simple pictures and then leaving us at 18 with their final painting, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring in oils. Adults have done the same over 6 years, again starting with a line and ending with a complex oil painting. Seeing people’s faith in themselves, children and adults alike, grow and blossom is what makes it all worthwhile.

Learning to paint the face - structured course — Learning To Paint The Face - Structured Course

You’ve worked with children, adults and older learners, including those living with dementia. What have these different groups taught you about the power of creativity?

We’ve learnt the creativity has true power to bring great joy and to help people connect. Our form of teaching focuses on drawing and painting, but you see through music, drama and other forms of creativity that you can help people feel better about themselves.

Running an art school is as much about building confidence as teaching technique. How do you encourage people who arrive saying, “I can’t draw”?

If I had a pound for every time I’ve met someone who says ‘I can’t draw I would be able to put pots of cash into the charity! I always answer in the same way: ‘if you are taught HOW to draw and paint and you practise frequently you will be able to become someone who can draw and paint’. I compare it to learning to play the piano. If you are taught to read music and how to use the keys and you practise, you will be able to play the piano. Drawing and painting is exactly the same thing. My own story is one that I often hear reflected in other people’s stories. I gave up art at school when I was 14, my art teacher was very dismissive, he said I couldn’t do it. I loved to draw as a child and found at school (way back in the 80s!) that the attitude was that you could either do it or not, unlike other subjects where the aim was to TEACH you! My art journey began when I was 29, I had broken my back and was signed off work for months (at the time I was an RAF Officer, nothing to do with art!) I saw a poster for a class ‘Drawing and Painting for those who think they can’t’. I signed up and never looked back. I still remember the ‘penny drop moment’ when I realised that drawing and painting were taught skills, I remember thinking that I could really enjoy learning; and I did! After that first adult class in a village hall I developed my skills reading books and making lots of mistakes, within a decade I was selling portrait commissions and then I met Melissa, my founding partner, and the Little Art School story began. Our course is so structured that we take you through step by step starting so simply. It’s amazing how quickly people realise that they can draw and it’s wonderful to watch people’s confidence and self-esteem build.

Mel Williams - Online Course - from Lesson 1 to Lesson 90 — Mel Williams - Online Course - From Lesson 1 to Lesson 90

Could you tell us about a moment or student story that’s stayed with you and captures the spirit of The Little Art School?

We shared a beautiful moment with a lovely lady who attended one of our Dementia Arts Project classes during our 10 year anniversary celebrations. We were teaching a simple drawing of a tiered celebration cake. The design had a love heart on the top, but instead of a heart, this lady, Isobel, drew a dolly’s face. She then began to draw dolls’ faces all over her paper. As tears streamed down her cheeks, with her face wreathed in smiles she said ‘I used to draw dolls with my girls, with my daughters! We drew dolls all the time, and we went on the beach and had picnics’ and then the memories began to pour from her. As she smiled and cried and laughed, we all smiled and cried and laughed with her. It was a powerful moment, when the act of drawing can open up such happiness.

Anke Baillie - Her Beloved Dog In Pastel - Adult Online Course

Your team has grown over the years. How do you approach nurturing the teachers and artists who deliver your vision every day?

Like every organisation, we have been through big changes since the Pandemic. Joining our organisations together to create one single charity in August 2025 has given us the opportunity to define what we do and to bring the 4 different strands of the organisation together. We get our teachers together regularly to share best practise and to share the joy of what we do. We have a very clear set of values which we all follow, these include looking out for each other and caring for all the members of our team.

What does a typical day look like for you as founder, if such a thing exists?

I genuinely don’t have a typical day! For the last 5 years about half of my week has been spent designing, filming and editing our Online Drawing and Painting Course. This is 180 lessons which take a beginner from drawing a line to painting a Vermeer in oils. It’s been a mammoth undertaking, one which started in lockdown and has led to thousands of people learning to draw and paint with us, right across Britain and beyond. I am about to finish this project and my week will look very different in the summer as I move my focus 100% to growing the reach of the Little Art School Charity. I’m really looking forward to working with the rest of the team on this.

Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of The Little Art School, and how do you see it evolving within Ayr and beyond?

Our plan in the next five years is to grow the reach of the Little Art School Charity. Currently we have adult artists with our Online Course across every part of the UK. We also have artists learning with us in different parts of Europe, the USA and even Australia. We will be continuing to build that growth. Our children’s classes are based out of our studios in Ayr and in Centrestage in Kilmarnock. We will be aiming to grow this area of the organisation with more children benefiting from our self-esteem boosting art classes. Our Little Art Stars project reaches vulnerable children across Ayrshire and we are in the process of adapting this project so that we can reach more children in a wider area. Our Dementia Arts project is set to expand across the UK, with artists from our Online Course hoping to take our unique approach to those living with dementia and to isolated individuals in their communities. As a charity we see the great joy that our classes bring and our focus is on growing the reach so that more people can benefit.

To learn more or to take a class, please visit: littleartschool.co.uk

A Q&A with Joanne Robinson, Founder of The Little Art School Charity