Art School of SF Bay (San Jose) - San Jose, California

K C.

I took Academic Drawing with Andrew this fall. He is an amazing teacher who gives so much helpful feedback in a way to push his students. This is my first art class ever (I am over 40) and I am so impressed with the art school and instruction. I look forward to taking another sequence. The Art School is wonderful. I am grateful the bay area has such a unique series of schools to foster and inspire art for others! Thank you 💕

Forcomputerclass2

I love the Art School of SF Bay! I've taken five classes so far (as of October 2024), and while all the teachers have been exceptional, I want to highlight Anna specifically. I took her one-day landscape class in 2022 and am currently enrolled in her realistic open studio course.

Anna is a superb teacher with an impressive background, having trained for many years at the prestigious Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg before moving to the U.S. to work as a professional artist and instructor. Her feedback is invaluable, and she tailors her lectures to cover both advanced topics (like cloth folds) and fundamental concepts (such as warm/cool balance in composition and shadow work).

Thanks to her thoughtful and technical advice, I feel my art has truly come to life, and I now believe I have a real chance at getting into an MFA program. Anna’s insights on composition are spot-on, and her calm demeanor creates an encouraging environment where you feel empowered to pursue your dreams!

Vishakha T.

I've been taking the Elements of Art class with Anna at the Art School of SF Bay since August, and I couldn't be more impressed with her teaching. Despite having a full class, Ana always manages to give each of us personalized attention, offering helpful tips and guidance that have truly elevated my art skills. Her passion for teaching and her ability to break down complex concepts into simple, easy-to-understand tricks make learning enjoyable and productive. Ana is not only incredibly knowledgeable but also patient and encouraging, ensuring everyone in the class feels supported. I highly recommend her classes to anyone looking to improve their art, whether you're a beginner or more experienced!

Sage R.

As a working professional who prefers the feeling of traditional atelier, which is very hard to find nowadays, especially in bay area where the tech scene is a lot more prevalent. This school has been a great find!

I took figure drawing class with Andrew Kim. Not only is he a very skilled artist who had extensive industry experience so he knows what he's doing, he is also a very caring and encouraging teacher who can explain difficult concepts in a way that's really easy to understand. I was able to pick up figure drawing again after almost 15 years with his help and patience.

One detail that also stood out to me is that we had a substitue teacher at the first class, Sara, since Andrew was sick at the time, which is totally fine and I did not expect anything to change because it's completely understandable as life happens, and honestly Sara was great too.
But to my surprise, the school actually gave us the opportunity to have one more session, even though it's out of their control. It felt like the school staff/founder geninuely cares about their students' progress versus a lot of places might be a lot more interested in profits.

In addition to this, logistically it has been very easy to work with them for shcheduling/payments etc. I personally did not have the need for a makeup class, but I did see that other students were able to do makeup classes with relative ease with a lot of them having difficult schedules.

K. A.

Just finished the Academic Drawing class with Andrew, and I learned so much. He is a great teacher; he has such a kind way of helping you see how you can improve as an artist and always gives commendation over your progress.

I’ve had a confidence problem with art for many years. I really had trouble when it came to adding depth of tone and shadows; I was always so afraid to make a mistake I couldn’t fix.

I left the class feeling much more confident and equipped to create art that I could be proud of.

I highly recommend the Academic Drawing course with Andrew and Art School of SF Bay. Can’t wait to take many more classes!

Wenjun H.

I took Academic Drawing class since January and I enjoyed every moment here! The class is beginner friendly and my teacher Andrew helps me a lot on refining my drawing details. Highly recommend the class to people who wants to establish new habit of drawing.

Darya M.

My daughter loves her Art class. I am so grateful for her experience last year and this year. It is fantastic, we love your place. You are the best, and I am glad I found your school.

Emily R.

It’s a great program for kids wanting to learn the basics but I find it kind of boring as an adult in their program. I guess I was expecting it to be creative and eccentric but it’s quite the contrary. The staff is nice but I don’t feel the passion. Also the art supplies they let you use are very cheap, crusty, and worn down. They should have a separate supply for adults because the children they teach can’t seem to keep them neat. Overall this program has much needed room for improvement for the amount that they charge upfront.