Elly Lavoie may not have studied art in school, but that hasn’t stopped her from sharing her passion for painting with others.
The 30-year-old has been working with children for the past nine years as an early childhood educator in Greater Sudbury. One summer, she was asked to plan an activity for her older daycare kids.
“I came across this paint social entertainment night for adults and thought ‘how great would it be to do this with the children I work with?’” Lavoie said. “I asked my supervisor and got everything prepared and lined up for the activity and it was a hit.”
From there, the self-taught artist was asked to do more paint socials at different daycare sites in the city. But after the pandemic hit, Lavoie was no longer able to visit the students from other sites.
“The children were missing out and I felt horrible,” Lavoie said. “So I decided to make a video and email it to my supervisor in order to distribute it to the other sites.”
The videos were well received and the children wanted more. So, Lavoie started posting paint tutorials on her YouTube channel named The Art Social.
Every Friday, she releases a new video with a list of supplies so parents can gather the materials for a weekend activity with their kids. Although the videos are geared towards children between the ages of four to 12, Lavoie said it’s a fun experience for all ages.
She also takes requests from the viewers on what they would like to make come to life on a canvas. Watch her latest tutorial video below.
“I think that in the midst of this pandemic I had to act and do something to help out the children of the community and what better way to do it than to help them experience something that can be done from the comfort of their own home with their friends and family.”
Click here to visit Lavoie’s YouTube channel and participate in her paint tutorials every Friday. Follow The Art Social on Facebook.
