I've always been drawn to nature and revisited landscape painting with oil paints about 7 years ago…read moreafter having not painted since grade school. I've been quite fortunate to have painted with several very talented painters who happened to be instructors, as well. The Art Academy has given me the impetus to paint not only more often, but with confidence, especially, at the painting's sometimes difficult initial stages. I dove into the class after having had it recommended by an artist friend of mine. After several years in Stuart's studio class I've learned an entirely new approach to both studio painting and my original goals for plein air techniques. I'd recommend this course for painters at every skill level. Jim M.

Highly recommend Art Academy of San Diego! Stuart is a skilled artist and personable guide to…read morecreating your art. -CynC

Fantastic teachers on site. Innovative and unique artworks are always displayed whether it be…read moreoutside in the courtyard or walkways or in the Art gallery. There's always something on display by students and or teachers that is bound to capture the imagination and inspire.

Came here to support a friend who was in level 3 improv and so glad I came to experience this…read more If you can believe it, I have never seen improv before. I have seen shows like Who's Line is it Anyways? but never really had an opportunity to see improv (until now). On Sundays, this place can be closed but because students were performing, I came to see a 9pm show. Parking in the area is a disaster, seems San Diego wants to charge for parking everywhere. I did find a spot on the street which doesn't charge on Sundays. Friend did a good job with improv and the starting theme was laundry which moved on to disappearing socks, stealing socks, etc. I enjoyed the half hour improv. They also offer a free class if you were interested in improv classes and all the staff here very friendly and warm. Overall, a fun experience, got me out of my comfort zone and now I can say I have seen improv live. Id come back here again to see another show.

This review is for my Level 1 instructor, Erica…read more Our class lasted seven weeks (two hours a class) and had two shows in front of an audience. Erica was caring, encouraging, and funny. She should have instructed us more, though: Being specific about how to make our scenes better. Mostly, we did scene after scene without much specific feedback, so I'm not sure I progressed. I would have appreciated a mix of being supportive, but also offering helpful suggestions.

Wonderful artist and teacher! Great studio and great person!!! If you want to learn to learn to…read morepaint Andrea is the best!!

I just finished my third class with Andrea and i have 3 more to go. I have been painting all of my…read morelife and I have never received as profound lessons as Andrea has been giving me. I have always had vision and ability however, Andrea as a teacher brings out what I already know and harps on basic principles I need to have with every approach that i have been missing. From rules of thumb to color concepts and using principles when I get stuck. Class is amazing, I couldn't ask for a better atmosphere to be in and I almost can get emotional about how freeing it is to be surrounded by all levels of painters. There is always music playing, discussions with students individually with Andrea and individual lessons can turn into all of us around Andrea discussing a technique with a student. Being in Normal Heights is a great central location and the openness of the class means bystanders can walk in and be amazed at all the work we are doing. It makes you feel privileged to be there working alongside him. One of my favorite things about the class is Andrea is usually sketching during the day, painting, or reworking something of his before we get there and if we are all independently working he will revisit it. It's great to see an instructor applying his love while enhancing our own abilities. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my money and time towards this passion.

Awesome school for performance arts students. The Seniors are allowed to paint their parking spots…read more They are very talented. They have performances with theatre shows, dance recital, instrumental concerts, etc. here. There are so many ways that they showcase their talent. This school has produced celebrities, and we support it. Love that on the day that we visited, there was a 4 foot blue heron bird visiting campus. Great school.

I was a student here in 2024 the counselors really do pick on you Cara Teschner personally patted…read moreme down in her office, looking for vapes and would constantly search me at least once a week she was unprofessional, rude and condescending. She is good at helping students graduate early and definitely picks favorites. If she doesn't like you then you're gonna feel it I understand their policies about smoking and student safety, but I was not smoking, and she would not find anything on me she made my high school life hell and constantly singled me out worst counselor at the school

UPDATE because I was thinking about this place, as I got an email from them. I get them often and…read morealways look forward to it. About 6 months before we moved from Oceanside to Temecula area, I planned on attending Watts Atelier. I did a lot of research and found them because I wanted to study anatomy, for my sculptures. Sadly, the class didn't fill up enough, for them to justify that specific class. I went to the facility priorly though. I was soo blown away by the atmosphere. Wonderful! I longed to go there and just sit, if I needed to. Sometimes you just know. Your spirit shines. I watched a demo of a portrait drawing and felt incredibly inspired by it. If I lived closer, I'd find a way to go there. I recommend them whole heartedly.

Mastery of any kind is not an easy road. Getting anywhere near the vicinity of mastery is pretty…read moregrueling. And when you start it will be frustrating and somewhat demoralizing. But nothing worth having is easy, right? Known around the world for its reputation, Watts is one of the few ateliers in the country reviving the tradition of 19th century studio study in Europe. I learned there is no 'right way to draw' in my undergrad program and I have nice, shiny diploma to prove it. But the collective energy of hundreds of years of artists like Fechin or Bouguereau have developed a way to see the human figure in greater depth and knowledge than any technique I've come across. I'm seeing my diploma has the right spirit, just not the proper guidance, so I've decided to move to Southern California to even get near this ancient knowledge I need to become a better draftsman. I discovered Watts through a rabbit hole of instructional drawing videos and landing on a video of the owner, Jeff discussing how to be a successful artist, which had all the right affirmations I was looking for. Based on what I saw, I decided to test drive their two week boot camp in August to see if I could cut it at a place like this. I was woefully unprepared and could barely hold the conte properly, let alone put anything on paper that didn't look like seismograph output. I was overwhelmed by all of the information that I was lacking - angles, proportions, plumb lines, perspective, curves vs. straights and on and on. I nearly gave up, but Jeff and Krista encouraged me to stick it out, and with the help of the instructors and other students, I had a small breakthrough. It just took a push for me to realize I knew more than I thought and was capable of understanding their technique. With that, I decided to move to the San Diego area to study as long as I can at Watts with a full-load of classes in the winter term. I am currently in week seven and will be here for the foreseeable future, nothing I've ever done has come close to teaching me this much. They are proponents of the Frank Reilly method of representational drawing and you work mostly in charcoal on newsprint for speed and efficiency. Mixing demos with one on one instruction, the skill you get to see inform your own work is mind-bending. There's no coddling here, so if you're a mildly skilled artist you will be humbled, but if you're looking for someone to stroke your ego (ahem, Chai T.) you may want to go to a wine & paint. Their program is not the hardest thing I've done, but it is up there, and I have this innate desire to keep it going. I came here to hone old skills I forgot I had after nearly 15 years focusing on visual and UI design. While I am far from being proficient, the process is invigorating. You're not learning to draw, you're learning how to build a human being on paper. And the more I learn, the more I want to know - forcing the strange, underhand grip of the charcoal to put marks on paper that come close (hopefully) to what's in my head. I have a whole range of classes from 20 minute head lay-ins, figure two, three and five minute quick sketch, fundamentals, facial expressions and even painterly drawing and I'm still reeling (in the best way possible). Jeff conjures up a certain type of energy that starts with him and permeates through the instructors down to the other students. Everyone is here to learn from the best and so willing to help one another out as no one is at the same level. I am absorbing more in two months than my whole undergrad program ever got close to, and my goal is to become proficient by the time I'm 40 and take my career in a whole different direction. If you're not serious, it may nudge you out fairly quickly, but if you have this desire to create art that you can't explain away, you will most likely find what you're looking for here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX0MrnzBJ8M

Teacher was not friendly never smiled looked like she didn't want to be there. My grandson didn't…read morewant to go back.

My daughter loves taking classes at Monart and asks to go back to camp every summer. During Covid…read moreit was nice to have Monart as an option to let her creativity flow with structured lessons in a safe space. She as brought home great pieces of art and the lessons she learned stuck because the drawings at home and school are impressive for an 8 year old ( maybe a bit biased, but they are way better than I could do!). I appreciate that they teach not only drawing but used different mediums such as water colors, oil pastels, and colored pencils. Monart is also offered at her school for after school programs. It's been very popular and another great addition to her school curriculum. I can't write enough good things about Mozart. From the kind, patient and helpful staff to the ace instruction they provide to the kids. The location and classroom is a safe space filled with happy children learning to express their creativity while having fun!

Ms. Macy is a wonderful and encouraging teacher here at art with Larisse. We have been part of this…read morestudio for a few years now. My daughter has learned and grown so much in her art class. I love how they have weekday classes just for homeschool kids. My child absolutely loves this class.

We absolutely love Art with Larisse! Our 2 oldest children have been going to the La Mesa location…read moresince 2023 and we can't sing their praises enough! They've learned so much, while being supported in an incredibly caring environment. Each and every staff member is patient, kind and helpful to all of the kiddos. Highly recommend giving them a try!

Been looking all over for a figure drawing place to to improve my eye at work. Super stoked i…read morestumbled into Elissa's awesome sanctuary. Wonderful cozy studio i go to every Sunday evening, Elissa provides a very warm welcoming environment with friendly professional figure models. You can only get better by simply just doing the thing you wanna get good at, SDAL is a great place to provide that space for all levels.

We are so happy we found this place! My daughter wanted to draw and paint in an intimate studio,…read morewhere the owner cares. Elissa is the right person, and now, after more than two years, we share the feedback. It's a fantastic place. Elissa has coached her, encouraged, and she provides each student with instructions catered to her skill level, passion, and comfort zone. Our daughter plans to continue honing her skills for next couple of years, until the end of High school. 5 Stars!

I'm so impressed with George's customer service. I would give ten thousand stars if I could…read more I'll admit it: I'm an impulsive buyer. Once I decide I need something, I get fixated on it and need it in that moment. I typically buy my electronics from Best Buy, but they didn't have the flash I wanted in stock locally, and waiting a few days for delivery clearly wasn't an option for me. So I started looking up local camera stores and found George's Camera. Lucky me! I called, and they told me they had ONE left in stock. At that point, I wasn't taking any chances. I immediately asked if I could purchase it over the phone and pick it up that same day. They were more than accommodating. Now, this is where my poor planning comes in. The store closes at 6 PM, and I risked it all by getting there around 5:56 PM. I was already slightly panicked knowing I had cut it way too close, but what I absolutely did NOT anticipate was pulling up and discovering a Farmer's Market happening and nowhere to park! At that point, I knew I had officially pushed my luck. I called the store in a panic, and to my surprise someone actually answered the phone. Yes, I was suprised because the average business would of just watched it ring. By this time, I had circled around the store again and noticed the metal gate in front of the store was partially closed. My heart dropped. I knew there was no way I would make it in the store before closing. I explained the situation and asked if there was any way they could bring my purchase out to me. At 5:59 PM, ONE minute before closing, a staff member came outside and handed me my flash. Now THAT is customer service! They absolutely didn't have to do that, especially when I was the one showing up at the last possible second, but they truly saved the day. I appreciate them so much. And now, thanks to George's Camera, I'll be up all night practicing (yes, I've never used one ) with a flash I probably had no business impulsively buying in the first place. But considering they had exactly ONE left, let me buy it over the phone, and somehow got it into my hands at 5:59 PM despite a farmers market standing between me and my purchase...I'm choosing to believe I was destined to have this flash. Thank you soooooo much! George's Camera definitely gained a new customer today!

If you're a photographer - professional or hobbyist - George's Camera is where to go! This place…read morehas everything: lighting gear, camera bags, lenses, and enough accessories to make you question whether you've ever truly taken a "real" photo in your life. The staff? Walking encyclopedias. I'm convinced they collectively know every camera ever created, including the ones that were prototypes, rumors, or fever dreams. I brought in an old Canon my brother gave me--so old it probably qualifies for Social Security--and the gentleman behind the counter with the long white beard took one look and immediately knew its entire genealogy. Extremely helpful, extremely patient, and honestly, I'm 70% sure he's a wizard. If you're in North Park and need anything for your inner shutterbug or just want to bask in the glow of pure photographic tribal knowledge--George's is the spot!