Frequently Asked Questions

No prior experience, training, or portfolio is necessary to enroll in our programs. Art Academy studios have an inclusive program with a curriculum that is designed around the needs of the beginner artist. Though experienced artists join our program to further develop their skills and understanding of the core fundamental principals, the vast majority of students who enroll have little or no formal training.

Regardless of what style or genre of art you are interested in creating, there is no learning to paint skillfully without realism as a starting point.

A teacher can not know the intent of a student if each student is simply painting in their own style. Realism is used as a standard for quality control. If the student endeavors to faithfully paint what they are seeing, the teacher can clearly see where gaps in knowledge, understanding, and control over the materials exist. Once skills and quality controls are fully developed, an artist can then create anything they envision with confidence.

There is a common misconception that knowledge and skill will make an artist less capable of communicating their ideas creatively — this could not be further from reality. Mastering the tools of the craft is the foundation upon which all of your creativity will be unleashed. Art Academy studios provide its students with rock-solid foundations while not imparting any particular style. Once trained, you will be able to confidently take your work in any creative direction you desire.

Picasso famously said “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” The Art Academy studios teach the rules.

Since the programs founding in 2012, dedicated Art Academy students have enjoyed a 100% acceptance rate to the art university of their choice. In addition to this, the average scholarship these students have received is at the presidential level, averaging more than seventy five thousand dollars ($75,000).

For college bound artists, Art Academy studios has shown itself to offer an incredible return on investment.

We do not offer a class specifically for the purpose of building a college portfolio. A successful college portfolio is one that is filled with quality artwork and does not require a dedicated course if a student is being properly educated in regular classes.

Once trained, Art Academy students produce portfolio worthy art every time they work, so we focus on the training and allow the rest to just fall into place naturally.

Youth Pastel is the entry point into our programs for children and these classes run one hour long. This class focuses on the application of values and the crafting of clean edge work. Developing a quality controls and patience when at work are a cornerstones of progressing through this aspect of the education.

Once a youth student has progressed through pastel, they will be invited to advance to the youth oil painting class which is 2.5 hours long. There they will apply the lessons of pastel to oil paint and begin further developing their skills.

Teen & Adult Classes work exclusively in oil paint and run 2.5 hours per class. These sessions are designed to develop concrete foundation upon which all other skills will be built.

The key to our educational process is that training is kept simple. Information is disseminated in small, manageably sized portions and each new piece of knowledge is built upon the one that came before it.

If you look through Our Curriculum in order of the training is offered, you can see the baby steps our program takes from remedial exercises through to museum-grade paintings. There are no big jumps from painting to painting. All growth is incremental and it is these baby steps that contributes to the success rate of the training.

Everyone is different and there is no set timeframe for being trained. That said, we have found that it typically takes teen and adult students 200–250 hours to complete the Foundation Curriculum (Blocks 1–4 in Our Curriculum). For students who attend a single 2.5 hour class per week, this would require a little over two years.

Turning the corner from exercises and studies, to professional level work occurs in Block 4. Summer intensives can significantly expedite the training as they compress more than a year of training into a single 100-hour month.

Although high-quality artist materials will not make you a better artist, poor materials can severely hinder your growth. With this in mind, Art Academy studios use only the finest materials where possible. Additionally, the majority of these material are given to students at no additional cost above tuition.

We are very proud to have a close relationship with Old Holland which enables our students to work with — what is undeniably — the finest paint in the world.

Check out the video at the bottom of The Art Academy Difference to find out a bit more about Old Holland.

We don’t subscribe to the idea that talent is a prerequisite for becoming an exceptional artist. Anyone who is willing to be trained can learn to create beautiful art. Great artists are not born that way, they are trained.

Youth classes begin at age 7. Teen & Adult classes accept student at 13 years of age and up.

There is open enrollment for all classes as long as there are available seats. Training at the Art Academy Studios is individual in nature which allows students to start at any time, even in the middle of a month.

You can either call your local Art Academy studio directly or fill out the trial form on the local home page and someone will get back to you to set up your free class.

Check out Locations & Schedules to find a school near you.

Enrollment is on a month-to-month basis with no commitment beyond that. This allows our students to enjoy the flexibility to come and go as their schedules require.

Check out Locations & Schedules to find a school near you.

Though not affiliated with the Art Academy Studios, the online program Evolve Artist offers the same training as our brick-and-mortar schools, just done from the comfort of your home.

The Evolve Artist program is currently studied in 48 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.evolveartist.com.