About Paintikido
Paintikido is a creative educational platform for children, focused on nurturing imagination, creativity, and self-expression through storytelling and visual art. The program offers creative drawing classes and workshops for children, alongside the development of original educational content and children’s stories that encourage curiosity, imagination, and artistic exploration.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Paintikido designs and delivers art programs for libraries, community centres, schools, and cultural spaces for children. Its approach emphasizes hands-on learning, participation, and building confidence through art and narrative.
Our Mission
Paintikido’s mission is to create a safe, inspiring, and creative environment where children can explore their imagination, express their ideas, and build confidence through storytelling, drawing, and play.
We believe that art is not simply a skill, but a powerful language for thinking, communicating, and supporting children’s emotional and creative development.
Workshops
Our workshops are one-session creative experiences built around a single original story and rooted in interactive storytelling. Each workshop combines theatrical narration, music, and hands-on visual activities such as drawing and creative art-making. Children actively participate in the storytelling process, using imagination and visual expression to explore the story and turn it into a shared creative experience.
Stories
The Drawing Ville stories are a collection of original children’s stories by Arash Badrtalei, centered on imagination, creativity, and visual thinking. Each story explores a unique theme and world, ranging from animals and nature to a whimsical city called Drawing Ville.
Originally written in Persian, selected stories are gradually translated into English and published on this website. Audio versions of the stories are currently in development.
School & Libraries
Paintikido offers creative workshops for children aged 5 and above, based on interactive visual storytelling. These workshops are designed for libraries, cultural centres, and schools, combining storytelling with hands-on artistic activities that encourage imagination and creative expression.
Kids Art
Paintikido’s creative art classes for children aged 5 and above invite kids to imagine, explore, and create. Through hands-on artistic experiences, children are encouraged to discover their individuality, express themselves freely, and grow their creative confidence through art.
Gallery
Moments and artworks from our creative classes and workshops.
Adult Art
This workshop is designed for adults who want to explore painting as a form of personal expression, with no prior experience required. The focus is on creativity and individual exploration rather than complex techniques.
The course includes 10 sessions of 1.5 hours, guiding participants to create meaningful and cohesive artworks based on their own feelings and ideas, using fundamental painting principles.
Who is Arash?
Arash Badrtalei is a visual artist, writer and storyteller (creator of the Drawing Ville story series), and a children’s art educator. He has over 15 years of experience in illustration, narrative, and visual arts education, with a focus on nurturing imagination, self-expression, and creativity in children.
Arash is the founder of Paintikido and has led workshops and educational programs in schools, libraries, and cultural centers. His approach combines drawing, storytelling, and play to help children build confidence, explore ideas, and express themselves creatively.