We offer two basic kinds of art classes for all ages.

• Traditional Art ages 6 to adult

• Cartooning Art ages 10 +

Everyone can learn art.

All of our lessons are based on 4 Cornerstones of Art

Our Long-Term Approach Leads to Confidence.

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

This school-year AND next school-year are shown below. Please use the PROGRAMS FILTER when you get to the registration page to see the school-year session you want.

About the class numbering system: These designate days of the week, time period, and studio. The numbers have nothing to do with the skill level or instruction. There are 3 main categories: KidsART, Foundations, and Cartooning, with beginner and intermediate students together. There are a few specialized advanced classes too.

There are a few online and In-Studio HYBRID CLASSES, can accommodate online students in a way that feels more like a real class. Both in-studio and online students can see each other and interact during class time. (The In-STUDIO version is just like all our other classes. Students must register for the ONLINE version if they want to join remotely. Transfering to the other version mid-term is fine if there is room.)

You can join a waitlist by registering for any class that is full.

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Current School Year Term
Ends the Week of May 13 – 17

“After going to Firstlight, when I went off to [my college art school], I already knew most of what they were teaching for the first couple of years.”

Olivia, age 23, is one of our first students, who attended Firstlight for 12 years.

2024-25 TUITIONS

$1415 for the Big Programs – Ages 8 and up
Traditional & Toons. Installment plan payments are $149 per month.

$1298 for the Small Program – Ages 7 and under
KidsART ages 6 & 7. Installment plan payments are $136 per month.

SUPPLY FEES (subject to change)

$268.61 for a full new set of traditional supplies with case

$156.93 for a full new set of toons supplies with case

$8 per month KidsART supply fee (pro-rated monthly payments. Supplies stay in the classroom)

What folks say about us

This is not your ordinary art class

If you’re looking for a class that sends home a lot of pretty pictures, this is not it. Here are four reasons why you want a better art class.

ONE. In most art classes, the goal is simple: make people feel great and send home good looking artwork at the end of every class. It sounds fun, but this approach leans heavily on copying other works by well-known artists. Students don’t get to express themselves or grow into their personal vision.

TWO. If the goal is true learning, not all the work can be great, because practice work is… practice work. Art teachers often try to skip the hard parts, and walk students carefully through a project that is primarily designed to look good when finished. We know for a fact, though, that it’s better to learn core insights that apply to all your work instead of following a series of steps for a single picture.

THREE. Many traditional art classes push their students, even holding group critique sessions. Each artist shows their project and everyone says what they like and dislike about it. This can be damaging. We think instructors should ask permission before making suggestions, and do so quietly, not in front of the entire group. Art comes from the heart; a place of self-expression, not from outside pressure.

One more thing.

FOUR. Almost all art classes are short and highly specialized (Drawing Animals; Painting Portraits; Acrylic Landscapes). These can be fun, but leave the student wondering which classes to take and when to take them. Do I take a watercolor class before or after a drawing class? All the many art classes and courses are like puzzle pieces, but no one actually tells artists how they fit together in one cohesive whole.

Artists need someone to guide them from beginner to advanced, explaining all of the tools, methods, media, and techniques, and how they work together. That’s why we have a long-term mentoring program with small classes. It’s tailored just for you, so you can be the artist you’ve always dreamed about.