SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPS

I attended the Beginner's for adults class and loved the experience. I had no prior experience in art and was very worried at first if I could keep up but our instructor Masha did an awesome job on teaching us. Kudos to her!! More about the Beginner's course: It is the perfect course to explore art as every class is about a different topic: acrylic, water color, abstract among others. You can explore every one of them and find out what you like the most. The course is very well curated in that sense.

Tharun T.

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I have taken 3 adult art classes here over the past year or so (Beginner, Watercolor and Soft Pastels). I have always wished I could be better at art but found it hard to even know where to begin. More than the specifics of what we learned in each class (how to draw a nose, petals of a flower, etc), I really am grateful for how we were taught the general process of starting and completing a piece. More than anything I think that has enabled me to go off on my own, practice more and have a framework of where to begin and not feel intimidated.
Masha taught all the classes I took and I specifically picked the ones she taught. She is fantastic, a great balance of helpful critiques while not overwhelming you. I know I can sometimes feel really subconscious of how bad my art is, but I think her style really helped me grow while not getting dejected. I will almost certainly be coming back to take more classes.

Carly W.

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Maria is a great teacher. She always helps students with their projects, encouraging all the time and giving tips. At her classes I learned how to paint oils in classical technique like old artists did.

Alevtina B.

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I have taken five adult classes with Masha in the past 18 months and just signed up for my sixth. I have taken acrylic, soft pastels, oil pastels and watercolor. I enjoy the classes so much that I have taken some of the courses more than once. Each time I learn something new and feel like it helps me improve as an artist. Masha is able to teach individual students at their own skill level whether they are a beginner or more advanced. Regardless of skill level she is able to help each individual grow as an artist while all in the class together. Masha is very helpful in having students think about the composition of each piece. I have been very happy with my experience and will continue to take classes.

Kelsey R.

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My daughter has been taking teacher Maria's online class since the pandemic. We live in the east bay and it's not easy to take her to the San Jose area every week. Since that time everywhere was closed for in-person classes and we were lucky that we could join Maria's class. I'm very satisfied with teacher Maria's class. My daughter took all about the drawing and then has been taking advanced teen classes. Once my daughter finishes the sketch, Maria makes corrections on her iPad several times going back and forth. Maria is a terrific teacher and I think her standard is very high. She doesn't compromise the student's work until she thinks it's good enough. Her online classes are as good as in-person classes. I highly recommend Maria's classes.

H K.

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My son (who had no previous art training) started at their mountain view studio with Teacher Svetlana in October 2020 to prepare for his portfolio for college application. Time was tight for my son. He devoted most of his time doing homework for his Junior and Senior years. Teacher Svetlana has gone out of her way to help my son by taking him with her to her other studio, so my son could work on his art portfolio last summer. In the end, my son produced an impressive art portfolio (I was amazed !!!) just in time for his college application last fall. He still goes to her art class (until he goes to college).

Q A.

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For years I had been putting off attending an art school to learn how to draw, sketch and/or paint at a novice level. The Art School of SF Bay in Mountain View was the perfect class for me. The instructor Masha is great at explaining technique, color and perspective. Her encouragement along with my fellow students made coming to class an enjoyable experience. Although I have quite a ways to go, this class has given me a starting point on my artistic journey. I will definitely be signing up for more classes here!

Russell J.

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This art school is absolutely fantastic! My kid has been going there for 3.5 years and I can see a huge progress in the technic! The ideas of the classes, the exposure to different art styles, the way the teachers (all of them are awesome!) direct the children, all in all is absolutely high class! I have just checked the topics for Winter-Spring semester and I am sure that my kid is going to be thrilled! Thank you, Art School of SF Bay for your dedication!

Elizabeth F.

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Maria is awesome. You should go take a demo class because it is awesome. Everything I ever learnt in painting basically came from here. The basic adult class is structured based on fundamental concepts like mixing color, silhouetting, proportions, composition, perspectives, anatomy and so forth.

Wei Bing K.

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I took a 12 week beginner adult arts course with Maria and highly recommend it. I have no prior art training (except for random doodling in my notebook during office meetings). Maria however did a fantastic job explaining the basic concepts, overseeing all of us and bringing out our individual talent. Each week focusses on a different technique and the last 2 weeks are sort of a 'final project' where you pick your own theme and incorporate everything you learned. The best part was the 'no judgement ' attitude - all ideas are your own and Maria just helps you achieve it, with some really good suggestions from her experience. The first class is free so you know what you are getting into before making the commitment. The schedule is also very flexible and you can make up for missed classes. This was overall a really relaxing yet challenging experience for me and I plan to continue drawing and painting whenever I find the time.
If you are like me and want to level up your doodles while having fun doing it, take this course. You will not regret it.

Meghna G.

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Our son attended Art School of SF Bay's Art Camp online for the last 3 weeks. He really had a great learning experience and during this period of Sheltering in Place, was an activity that he very much looked forward to each day. He had Katerina as his teacher. She took a very challenging task of teaching online and did a fantastic job. She provided patience and encouragement, both of which our son really responds to at his age. But she also provided discipline when necessary to ensure he was listening to her and paying attention to the lesson (again very difficult to do via Zoom). We can see the change with our son as he is much happier and has much fewer negative episodes compared to before he started Art Camp. We feel his confidence has greatly improved with his Art and he's learned techniques which has resulted in Art being much more satisfying for him. Most important of all, he is much more confident with himself. We are looking forward to him continuing with Art School of SF Bay and when conditions return to normal, for him to benefit by being able to take lessons at their Art School location.

Steve L.

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My daughter took classes here for 2 years, and she liked it very much. She liked the projects and her teacher. She was in the 8-12 class, so she has done acrylic, pastel, clay, sketching, etc. They have a different theme each week, so she was able to try landscape, animals, human figures, etc. Usually, the teacher will start the lesson by introducing the theme, showing some examples, then asking each kid to choose or think of a design. Then they will draw and work on it. The quality of her art was good overall, although sometimes she was really slow when she wanted to be slow and meticulous....
It was good overall ! :) (BTW I have tried drawn2Art before as well, but it was a little too far for me and also not that easy for me to get the class time I wanted. The method was different too. Drawn2Art has like a curriculum thing, and kids "copy" or "learn" one drawing each time. Anyway, we moved on afterwards.)

Amelia W.

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My daughter loves loves loves the manga summer camp. The teacher is extremely young but very talented. My daughter just adores her. This is my daughter's first manga experience and she learned the basics, including anatomy, proportion, various styles, tools, materials, etc. Every day she came home with a fantastic picture. The new location (they moved from Palo Alto to Mountain View before the summer) is farther from us but very convenient. Instead of packing a lunch for my daughter, I just gave her a few bucks and she can go to Subway right next door. Of course she also picked up a donut for $1 two shops down. She enjoyed this part of the day almost as much as the class, I think.

Amy S.

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Took the digital painting course with Ali and it was great. It's designed for adults and everyone brings their own technology (iPads or drawing tablets connected to a laptop). Ali goes over fundamental concepts and how they can more easily applied on a digital platform. I came in with little to no experience in traditional art, yet still learned a bunch and had fun. Ali's really knowledgable. I find it really useful when he gives feedback on our pieces, points out the most common mistakes when drawing characters, and provides easy tricks to avoid them.

Jeffrey C.

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My daughter had a great experience with the Manga camp here. Even though she is only 11 she was made to feel like a full member of the teen class! She's been practicing manga on her own for years, and can be reluctant to take direction from others, but she participated eagerly and learned a lot of great new techniques. She felt it was a good balance of instruction and time to practice, and she appreciated the freedom to work at her own pace on projects of her choosing. The class started the week after in-person classes were permitted again, and I appreciated the way the school communicated with us about our options. They adapted very quickly to a changing environment and provided a procedures that made us comfortable with a half-day in-person class. Our friend's daughter took the online Manga class and loved it too. We'll definitely be back for more classes, either on-line or in person, in the future!

Tracy P.

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My daughter went to their morning session sewing camp and really enjoyed it. The studio is a bit small but all the teachers are very friendly and kids seemed to have fun.

Liz D.

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This is according to my son , 11 yo : It was a really fun week . We get to do different project ( animation) daily . At first it was a bit hard to remember all the terms and I had to be patient with my self, and kept asking questions to the teachers . Mika and Katherine are great teachers and super patient with me.

Ans G.

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My daughter (6 yr old) attended sessions/weeks during her summer vacation. She had a great time and learned a lot in art, creation, computer, and tree climbing :)

Max Z.

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Last year, I started to look for adult painting classes in the Bay Area and stumbled upon the art school of SF Bay. I had no prior experience and didn't know what to expect going in. Our instructor Maria surpassed all of my expectations. While Maria definitely taught us some painting techniques, she more importantly gave us overarching concepts for how to create beautiful art (teaching us perspective, shapes, colors, composition, etc). I definitely have a better understanding of art from both an artist and viewer standpoint.
On a side note, at the end of the class, you get to pick what you would like to do as your final project. I had just gotten married and wanted to paint a family portrait from my wedding day (a total of 7 ppl). Maria told me this would be quite the undertaking as a beginner, and she was right! However, she stuck with me throughout the whole process and 6 months later, I came out with a beautiful piece! I am so grateful for Maria's help on this project and also very glad I chose to take a class at this Art School.

Elizabeth B.

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From a perspective of a father of a 6 yr old, I would highly recommend this place.
Maria is a great teacher and is very good with kids. After three months my 6-yr old son went from doodling to something that resembles drawing. It's a long and difficult process but I can see that Maria puts a lot of effort into it and always encourages the kids to be their best.
My son does not like to skip the art class, which tells me that he enjoys it. And I can see the results that I like. Again, highly recommended.

S C.

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My daughter is taking art classes and has been attending summer camp at the Mountain View location, and she loves it! Her favorite class is Stop Motion Animation. It's a small class where kids get a lot of personal attention, which helps with developing creativity and imagination, while having fun. Im very impressed with the animation clips that the kids have created in this class. My daughter is excited about going to this class, and is looking forward to each new project.

Anya V.

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My daughter has been taking classes here for a a few months, and has had great things to say about them. She is taking a traditional art class, and just finished a digital art class.
We were concerned with the digital art class that she would be too advanced, having taken other classes and doing independent study, but the instructor was great at making sure that every student received individual attention and making sure all of the students could benefit from the time in class.
The traditional art class has been great as well, giving her time to experiment with a variety of styles and to use tools and materials that she doesn't have at home. She continues to enjoy this class and will keep an eye out for other topics she can join in the future.

Kenny S.

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My daughter attended Botanical Explorations Camp this summer.
It was great experience for her: kids spent time in a Botanical Garden in Palo Alto, did a lot of different kinds of beautiful drawings in the album and learned about different plant that they encounter in a garden.
Maria was also teaching in the camp, providing drawing guidelines and insights.
My daughter enjoy the camp very much, can recommend it to everyone!

Anna R.

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my review is on a summer camp only.
i've had two kids there for a week. i would tell you - if your kid is excited and happy after the first day of camp and if she has tears on the last day because the camp is over, it means they do something right there:)
my kids loved it!
definitely we will be back for more.

Svetlana d.

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My child attended two summer camps this past summer--the junior fan art camp and the Minecraft+design camp. Both were really fun and engaging! My child was excited to go every day! The teachers were very professional, patient, great with kids, and encouraging. Such a gem for kids to learn about art and most importantly, to enjoy it. I ended up signing my child for a regular art class here.

Michelle C.

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This class helped my child advance her artistic skills, especially for life drawing. The skills she learned apply to digital and physical space as well. It was a valuable experience!

Kathy K.

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