Hi, I’m Ana.
I’m an artist, designer and founder of Ana Tozge Creative Studio in Meerbusch.
I’ve worked with art, design and visual communication for more than 20 years and have a Master’s degree in Design.
Today, I use this experience to help children to learn artistic techniques and become more observant, confident and independent in their creative decisions.
For me, the goal is not to teach a child to copy a beautiful picture. It is to help them discover what they can create themselves.
I don’t want five children to make five identical pictures.
This is probably the simplest way to explain my approach.
Of course, children learn real artistic skills: composition, colour theory, watercolour, acrylics, graphics and different drawing techniques. But technique is only a tool. Sometimes I set a specific task because I want a child to understand a certain technique. Other times, I give a theme and let them decide how they want to interpret it, which materials to use and what their own artwork should become.
We look at references, discuss ideas, experiment and solve problems together. I guide the process, but I try not to take over the child’s work. The goal is for children to gradually move from
“I don’t know how”
to
“I have an idea.”
Artful Thinking
Part of my approach is inspired by Harvard’s Artful Thinking methodology. We often look at artworks together and instead of immediately explaining what they mean, I ask questions:
What do you notice?
What makes you say that?
What might have happened before?
What could happen next?
There is often no single correct answer.
Children learn to slow down, notice details, make connections, imagine possibilities and explain their own ideas.
Then we bring the same way of thinking into their own artwork.
A small studio on purpose
Art Camps and in-person lessons take place in my home studio in Meerbusch-Büderich, near Düsseldorf.
The studio is located in the house where I live. On the ground floor, there is a spacious living area with a large table and everything needed for comfortable art lessons. The room opens directly onto the garden, and when the weather is nice, children can spend their break there and relax between creative sessions.
We also have two friendly Italian Greyhounds, Luna & Picasso, and a cat named Winnie. They love children, and the children are usually delighted to have the chance to play with them or simply give them a cuddle after the lesson.
Of course, contact with the animals only takes place with the parents’ permission and if the child has no allergies. During the main part of the lesson, the animals stay in a separate area and do not have access to the workspace, so the children can focus calmly on their art.
