Jeanne Hougen Painting And Drawing Lessons

As a painting and drawing teacher I first ask my new student questions to better understand where they are currently at in their own painting journey, and what they are hoping to learn from me. I proceed from there, and particularly like to teach my students visual painting concepts including, line and drawing, color and color mixing, understanding and using values, edges, texture, and composition. 

I have been teaching oil painting classes, as well as one on one private lessons for 10 years, and have been a professional artist for 15.  I have learned my craft through attending classes and workshops, as well as through extensive reading.

I charge $40 per hour for private instruction. Depending on the class and its length of time, my classes run on average $30 per lesson.

I began teaching students whom I would meet at art shows and events.  I quickly found that I had both a knack and a love of teaching others to paint and draw. About 5 years ago I began to teach classes at pARTiculars art gallery and Teaching studio where my love of teaching has continued to grow.  I have many students that I have been working with for many years, and have dozens of others who have taken classes and lessons from me on a shorter term basis. I now also teach at Tinker Art Studio in Boulder.

I have worked with students of all levels from beginners to intermediate, and even advanced.  I have worked with students who are more realistic, those who are wanting to paint impressionistically, and even some who are wanting to paint more abstractly.  As a believer in teaching art concepts vs. specific techniques, I have been delighted that my students are not mini versions of me, but have become artists with their own unique styles.

Recently I have had 3 students whom I have been working with for the past few years begin to develop their own art careers. One recently won best of show in a national art show. One entered 4 paintings into a local show and was the only artist there to sell 3 of their pieces.  One was recently accepted into a national as well as a local show, and has begun to sell her work.  I love the frequent comments I get from students telling me how much they have learned.  A recent comment that tickled me was "You are such a good teacher, you should really think about writing a book".  Maybe someday!

New students should ask about a prospective teachers philosophy of teaching art to see if they have one, and if it will work with your own learning needs. Another thing you can do is to show a prospective teacher a painting that you have done, asking for a critique.  Look for a teacher who is able to give you a constructive critique in a way that connects with you and leaves you inspired about both personal strengths as well as ways that you could grow in your artistic abilities.

You should think about why you want to take art lessons, and about what you would like to learn.  Do you want to learn a new skill? Develop a new hobby? Take your current paintings to a new level?  These are all valid reasons, and will help you discern if a particular teacher will be right for you.