For more than 30 years, our studio has helped young artists develop strong drawing and painting skills through a structured studio program that balances fundamental training and creative exploration. Many of our long-term students have continued on to study art in college, with more than 50 receiving art scholarships.

Over time we have found that three things help students reach their artistic potential:

1. Interest or natural ability in drawing
2. An open mind — learning to draw realistically involves new ways of seeing
3. Persistence — improvement comes through focused effort and practice over time

Our goal is to help students develop both technical drawing skills and creative confidence.

Art is taught differently than most academic subjects. Students learn best by seeing a concept demonstrated and then practicing it, while receiving individual guidance from the instructor.

A typical two-hour class includes the following:

Creative warm up (about 30 minutes) Students arrive, gather their supplies, and work on personal creative projects. We encourage students to explore their own ideas, and we occasionally feature student work on our Student Project page.

Art History Introduction (5 - 10 minutes) Students are introduced to an artist from the past and the historical context of their work. When possible, we include a short documentary clip

Demonstration (10-15 minutes)  The instructor presents a live demonstration introducing the drawing concept or technique for the week. For newer students these concepts can be very different from how they are used to drawing. Learning to draw realistically begins with learning how to observe and truly see what is in front of us.  View our 6 month curriculum.

Guided Studio Practice (about 1 hour) Students spend the remainder of the class applying the concept while the instructor works individually with them at their workstation.

This studio format allows students to receive personalized instruction and critique, which is essential for developing real drawing ability. Because of this structure, students spend most of the class actively drawing and practicing rather than listening to a lecture. This is the standard approach used in serious art schools.

We are not a craft program where the instructor walks students step-by-step through the same project each week. Instead, we focus on helping students understand the fundamental principles of drawing and painting so they can apply those skills creatively in their own work.

Each week students are introduced to a new fundamental skill, technique, theory, or principle such as:

• measuring techniques
• light and shadow
• linear perspective
• cartooning from memory and imagination
• drawing basic forms such as cubes and cylinders (useful for future architects and engineers)
   

Students develop two important types of drawing ability:

Perceptual drawing skills – learning to draw what we actually see

Creative cartooning drawing skills – learning to draw from memory and imagination

Many exercises are repeated over time so students can fully understand the concepts and build confidence.

All art materials are provided, including:

• newsprint and bristol papers
• watercolor and tempera paint
• chalk and oil pastels
• graphite and colored pencils
• charcoal
   

Students also have access to iPads for research and digital art using apps such as Procreate and Sketch Club, including animation apps.

Class demonstrations are recorded and posted online so students can preview or review exercises if they wish. This allows students who miss a class or are traveling to continue practicing and stay connected to the program.

Our intention is to keep art fun, creative, and intellectually engaging, while introducing students to the fundamental skills that strengthen their ability to express ideas visually. As students develop stronger technical skills, their creativity naturally expands.

• 3 hours (2 hours is an option)
• Bring your own supplies to class.  Click here for suggestions.
• High School Students... We are authorized by the College Board to offer AP Drawing and AP 2-D Art and Design.  We taught six ap students in the 22-23 school year. Two seniors, 3 juniors and one sophomore.  We scored four 5s, two 4s and one 3.
• There are 3 things needed for a young student's to reach their artistic potential, 1. Some natural ability, 2. An open mind. Learning to draw "realistically" involves  challenging concepts  3. Persistence, a focused effort over an extended period of time.   
• One-to-One Instruction 20 - 25 minutes each class.  
• If you have no supplies, we can set you up with drawing or acrylic painting supplies for a reasonable fee.
• If you are interested in learning the fundamentals, we offer a series of carefully designed exercises for drawing and painting skills.
• We have 13 iPads for research, digital art (with ProCreate and Sketch Club) and animation apps.    
• Many of our students  are here because of the relaxed atmosphere where they can paint, and get  assistance when needed.  We can do that!
• work on your own projects at your own pace.
• Many of our high school students get credit for attending our school.  See "Credit Flexibility" at the Ohio School Board.
• "The Course" (12 weeks) is a comprehensive series of projects, and exercises, for ages 16 and up, that introduces students to the fundamentals of drawing, color mixing, color interpretation, and painting.​  Download The Course outline.