I'd joined in her art studio as a high school student for 2 years. Irene Yousun Kim is definitely a professional artist, as well as an art teacher. She teaches well on how to draw objects in a realistic and naturalistic form and how to create a better composition especially in two dimensional form.
However, I don't recommend this art studio if you tend to cultivate your own art style or to learn basic drawing techniques and knowledge, such as negative space and perspectives. Otherwise, If you want to create a cool-looking art pieces for AP art classes or submitting a portfolio to college as an art minor I somewhat recommend it then.
In her class, the thing I learned was how to utilize photoshop for making a collage in an abstractive way. After I was done this work, I drew the image exactly the same on the 18" x 24" paper. ( sometimes working on the tremendous canvas.) I felt like I was just copying it without any thinking. During the process, she comes to see how it is going. If there is something that doesn't look right or missed out of the grids, she always comes to fix it by herself while I watch it beside her. She often gives short feedbacks but it takes more time for her to fix students' work. I had to draw things with lots of details and shadows - realistic every time I draw. We don't use variety of art materials because we don't have them in art studio. ( always watercolor, color pencils, oil painting, and acrylic painting.) I saw other students' art pieces and Irene's personal artworks and then I felt that their styles are literally the same not being able to find out their individual art styles.
Sometimes, she compared my art piece with other students work; that moment was super humiliating to me because she put me down in front of them when I didn't do well on the certain piece. She also told me that I was only good at copying objects without my independent art style. It didn't only happen to me; It applies to all other students. Yeah, I wasn't really good at drawing with creativity and I always failed to get an award from the art contest. But it is her job to teach me to be an improved artist.
Of course, the parents think their child is doing great because the art pieces look cool and awesome. But I'm telling you as a student who took lesson from Irene Yousun Kim. I am a student who intended to choose an art career and this art studio was not helpful for me to find what kind of art interests me but to become an art copying machine.
It's been few years since I quitted this studio. I heard that she hired some sub-teachers in her studio (she worked alone back then) and I hope that she stops comparing students. My suggestion for her is to give students some advise as one-on-one to promote their different art style. read more