About
More than 15 years of teaching experience with amazing results.
Formal fine art education starting from 12 years old (from our experience 12-13 years of age ideal to start)
We have academy approach for every age, level and experience!
The classical high quality visual Art program (5-6 years) is created from the best and most effective traditional methods and techniques used in 19th-century by European academies and ateliers-the apprentice system of the Renaissance. The program teaches techniques that developed over the more than 600 years; it is the complex system that created many masters: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, Caravaggio, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Bouguereau and many others.
Students of any age do not need to have a portfolio of finished art-work to enroll! Our teaching program is unique, and all students will start with the fine art fundamentals.
The program is designed as a systematic progression, which breaks down the altogether complex and intimidating challenge of learning to draw and paint realistically from life, into practical stages.
Each level requires that the student acquire and demonstrate specific skills before advancing to the next and more challenging level. The speed at which a student advances through the program is directly related to how much time and effort they invest. Students will receive personalized critiques and instruction during each training session.
This time-tested program gives students a high degree of skills. Drawing is the foundation of everything we do at school. Our graduated students have a wonderful opportunity to receive scholarships/grants into prestigious Colleges and Universities not only in IL but in the whole US. We are serious about Classical Realism and we make a difference!
RENAISSANCE CLASSICAL ART SCHOOL GOALS:
to develop critical thinking skills
to cultivate in the students the sense of beauty
to teach them to see the harmony
to teach Academy artistic skills to enable them to reflect the beauty of the World
to enrich and widen the talent of each one (probably, the most important one)
to develop the sense of a composition, proportion, interaction of color and light
I love to see progress in my students, see their satisfaction with every step up they do. Look at hard work and results of it. My goal is to help my students to reach their goals!
Specialties
Student age(s)
Experience level
Drawing style(s)
Photos and videos
Reviews
Natasha
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
We are taking seriously the art education. We evaluate every new student and work closely with his/her specific needs.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Instructor is professional artist with MFA (PhD) in art education.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Yes, we do.
$40 - 2 hours group instruction,
$60 - 3 hours open studio group lesson.
We take kids from 12 years old. We don’t offer early children’s lessons and we do belief that kids till 12 years of age don’t need academics with rules and structure. They have to grow until they will understand the concept and will be ready for formal instruction.
Serious adults are always welcome to the studio. But they have to understand that learning process will take years and be ready for that.
How did you get started teaching?
Few years ago I did a big research and realize that nobody wants to teach kids formal art approach anymore - just few ateliers left for adults in Chicago... why realism died? Why formal art education forgotten? That is another story...
Kids basically have no place like art school to go and learn in one location: art fundamentals, develop their artistic skills, to learn color theory, to learn sketching from life, animal anatomy, human anatomy, learn painting technics in various mediums, drawing technics in various mediums etc.
So I decided to open formal art school here in Wheaton, IL and developed my own method which combines all above skills in 5 years program.
What types of students have you worked with?
All ages, but I prefer to work with kids 12 years and up.
I’m very honest with adults who comes to me, Adults have a very busy life and the formal approach which requires some spare time to be dedicated to art is not the best option for busy adults. Students must have at least 4 hours a week for homework, 4 hours in the studio min. I always tell if you want to paint, you have to learn to draw because drawing is the foundation of everything. But people are always search for shortcuts... there is no shortcut in learning process. You can not be a doctor in 1 day, 1 week or 1 year, you can not learn musical instrument in 1 year and play complex music pieces,
why people want to learn drawing, painting in 1 week, 1 month or 1 year? Impossible.