Art Classes for kids 9-12
Drawing Skills
Engaging Art Lessons for Young Artists
Learning to draw is a lifelong asset. It gives children a powerful way to express emotions, beat boredom creatively, share ideas, and build joy, confidence, and self‑esteem. However, around age ten, many kids become self‑critical and stop drawing because they believe they “can’t do it.” Our program meets them at this turning point and shows them they absolutely can.
In our classes, students build skills step by step, improving their observation and using different drawing and painting media. As they progress, they gain the confidence to take on more complex projects.
3D Drawing Foundations
First, kids explore 12 core visual concepts—foreshortening, contour and cross‑contour lines, basic perspective, scale/size relationships, and more—to help their drawings read in 3D.
Realistic Drawing Skills
Next, guided observation lessons inspired by Dr. Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain teach children “how to see” shape, angle, and proportion. These realistic drawing exercises are introduced in intervals alongside 3D work to reinforce learning. (See before/after progress gallery.)
Explore Art Media
Finally, as skills grow, students experiment with additional media: charcoal, soft pastels, oil pastels, watercolor, tempera, and acrylic paint. This gradual expansion builds confidence, color awareness, and creative problem‑solving. (See what else can be learned.)

What you get?
START ANYTIME.
Yes, you can enroll at any time, as long as there’s space available in the class. Additionally, we prorate your first month tuition based on your start date. Likewise, if you join in the middle of a quarter, we’ll prorate the quarterly admin fee accordingly.
PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS
Also, all our teachers have a college degree in an art-related field.
SMALL CLASS SIZE
Specifically, we limit each class to a maximum of 8 students.
GALLERY DAY EVENT
Above all, every April, we celebrate our students’ progress with an art show we call “Gallery Day”. This event is open to all our enrolled students and their families & friends!
What if I miss a class?
We understand that occasionally things come up—unexpected events, travel, or illness—and you may need to miss a class. Not a problem! As long as you are enrolled, you can make up a missed classes by attending another class listed in our schedule at any of our locations.
However, keep in mind that there is absolutely no prorating or refund for missed classes. In addition, missed classes cannot be used as class credit for the next session, other classes, or camps.
I started art lessons in December in the three hours every Tuesday adult class which Monica was teaching. I have grown and learned so much! I basically started at zero, with a love for trying craft projects and doing artistic things without any real knowledge of drawing. I feel like Monica always intuitively knows what to draw my attention to and where to push me. I would recommend this class to anyone! We even had some subs in May when Monica had to be out and each of the teachers were highly knowledgeable and great at teaching. If you’re thinking about taking a class, just do it! You won’t regret it 🙂
We love this art studio. My daughter has been taking classes here for several years. She has had wonderful instructors and has improved her skills with every course. Most importantly to me, her love of art and her ability to express herself creatively has grown by leaps and bounds. The owner is responsive, provides great instruction, and is truly passionate about sharing her love of art with her students. I highly recommend this studio!
Wonderful place for art classes! The teachers are talented and good at providing guidance. I would definitely recommend!
It’s a great place to express creativity and branch out to different types of art. My daughter learns and enjoys every class. I highly recommend it.
Great experience! Kiddos loved it and they came home with some frame-able work. Thank you!
Art Academy SW has been a fantastic experience for our daughter. Her skills and confidence have increased especially in regards to shading, dimension, use of color and different media. Class sizes are small allowing for kids to remain focused and have some individual direction while working on projects. Mr. Matt is an outstanding and engaging instructor!
This is my 3rd year to be in Rosemary’s class of adults. I was so excited to come back to class today, after summer vacation. Missed my art buddies! Last year I was doing landscape watercolor, sketching animals in pencil, a lot of landscapes in pen and watercolor in one picture..mixed media. I’m coming back ready to learn and experience whatever class presents. Rosemarie is a fabulous laid back artsy teacher with lots of knowledge and plenty of experience teaching all ages. Another plus is learning in a class with people who are doing different types of art….it is encouraging me to try different types. Come try it!
My son has been attending SW Art+ Academy for a couple years now. I have really appreciated the smaller classes so that teachers can provide more personalized attention to the kids. Monica is reasonable & responsive to the various requests I have made, too, which I have appreciated. My son recently finished the Watercolor Art Camp, and really enjoyed his time with Mr. Matt! He had many nice items of artwork to proudly show off at his Art Gallery today.
My daughter is an avid drawer who was not being challenged at her elementary school. We enrolled her in five-day drawing camp at Art + and she truly thrived. Her teacher, Ms. Marcia, imparted to the students an impressive variety of techniques in just a few days. Ms. Marcia really connected with the kids in the class both personally and in terms of instruction. In addition to formal art lessons, there were super fun breaks where the kids had a blast playing games. Each day my daughter came home filled with pride at her accomplishments and she would not let me see any of her work until the art show at the end of the week. It was a joy to see how much she had grown during her week with Ms. Marcia!
This place takes their job seriously and really does a great job teaching and immersing kids into their art. Great and fast communication when there is any sort of issue. They really try and accommodate any personal requests to make things work for the student and get them involved. I do find their rates slightly expensive, BUT they really deliver on the quality of their studio and lessons and we’ve really loved it!
I think this is the best place to put your child to learn art and improve your child art skills. They are very good and understand your child needs. Staff is amazing. My daughter is really enjoying this class.
This is an Art Academy that teaches children and adult classes. Students have beginner to advanced knowledge in drawing and painting. There are several locations, great instructors and a goal to teach YOU to be a better artist. You will like it here!
I highly recommend Art +Academy. This is our third year with Art + Academy and I am very thankful for their professionalism, support, and personal approach toward my child future!
We have had such a lovely experience here. Our daughter has jumped leaps and bounds with the amazing instruction she is getting!
My kids have been taking art lessons at this studio for five years. They practice their drawing skills while having fun playing with different art materials. The teachers are professional and passionate about teaching. My kids love their art teachers. The studio provides many time slots for each age group and a flexible make-up option so that the art lessons can easily fit into our schedule. The gallery day in the studio was one of the most exciting days for our family when we cheered for our kids’ progress in the past year. The studio also provided art lessons for adults. I took one year of art lessons at Art Plus Academy. They were very relaxing and satisfying.
My daughter loves going into the studio, she has a great time during classes and has improved her art skills significantly during the past year. Ms. Macia is wonderful, she tailors the classes according to each students and manages to run a learning environment that is also fun.
My decision to take art classes at the Art Plus Academy was the best experience I could have hoped for. I am a children’s book author/illustrator and wanted to improve my skills, as I am self taught. I learned so much so quickly. The teachers are wonderful, and I loved my classmates. I looked forward to each weekly class and intend on signing up for ongoing classes. What a fun experience. I highly recommend this to anyone beginning or advanced. Really, really fun!
5 star review! My daughter can be tough to teach as she wants to do her own thing with drawing. She enjoyed the art camp with Ms. Erin! Ms. Erin has a great, relaxed way of teaching the kids but still allowing them to make artistic decisions. The art show was cool though not by kiddo’s cup of tea but a valuable experience for her. I have already recommended Art+Academy/Ms. Erin to friends. For anyone who is weighing options, I highly recommend Art Plus Academy. We will definitely be back next summer!
I have 2 children that attend here and both have really enjoyed the program. They look forward to class every week! They have both improved their art and are proud of their work. Teachers are wonderful and staff are always attentive which I appreciate!
My three daughters have been taking art classes with Art+ Academy for a few years now – we had done a few summer camps in the past but then began with weekly virtual classes during the COVID pandemic, then moved to in-person classes at the Cedar Park studio the past couple years. My girls, now 14, 12, and 10 thoroughly enjoy their respective classes and the ability to work independently on projects that they personally select with the hands-on instruction from the teacher in the areas they individually need.
Tuition & Fees
Your tuition provides four(4) consecutive weekly art classes. If you start in the middle of the month, we’ll simply prorate your tuition based on your registration date.
For Kids and Teen Classes, a quarterly admin fee applies in September, December, and March. We will also prorate the admin fee in you enroll in the middle of the quarter.
Materials
We provide all materials for kids and teen classes; you only need to bring your student.
Students will explore a wide range of materials, including watercolor, tempera, pastels, charcoal, ink, and more.
Love taking classes here. Class sizes are perfect and teacher is cool
My daughter loves Art+ Academy. She has been going for years and always looks forward to it. it is a warm welcoming environment, and the instructors are knowledgeable.
We have been going for two years with the kids and the teachers are wonderful, the classes are small and peaceful. It’s a perfect place to learn art. Highly recommended.
We have been attending Art Plus Academy in person in Northwest Austin before the Covid pandemic started, we started when my child was in first grade. We continue to be with Art Plus Academy online throughout the Covid pandemic. We are grateful we had an in-person Art class, when available and in our area. Yet, we are more grateful that Art Plus Academy continues to offer online Art classes, when many other Art studios choose not to do so, as my child is now in 6th grade. Thank you to Art Plus Academy for offering various Art class for all ages.
We have had such a lovely experience here. Our daughter has jumped leaps and bounds with the amazing instruction she is getting!
My daughter started going to Art Plus Academy few years ago and she is still attending. Each year her art is better than before. I am surprised each time she brings her art home. Teachers are great and we never had any issues. I would recommend them if you are looking for a nice place for you kid to learn and improve art skills.
I’ve been attending art classes for about 5 years now. I’ve grown a ton in my skills and confidence. The teachers are all super supportive. The teaching is personalized to individuals based on your own interests. And the studio, in general, is also super flexible and adaptable to my busy schedule. I highly recommend!
My 5 year old loves this place and asks me this everyday: “is it art class today?” He takes his time with new situations and new people but was OK going to the classroom with the teacher and without me from the very first class. This was a first for any of the classes we have tried so far with him. It does help that he can see me through the large window separating the classroom from the parents’ room where I wait. All the teachers he has worked with so far have been great: Ms. Johanna, Ms. Kelly and Ms. Anna. They all encourage his creativity and independence while still guiding him with learning new art techniques and principles patiently, the perfect balance for him to be able to grow. There is an awesome art exhibition (I think every year) and my kid was so proud to have his art displayed there (especially since he is the youngest student at the SW location) with all of the other artists of all ages at the academy. The evening class timings during the week days have also been very convenient.
The team are very focused on individual learning needs. My 6 year old son always looks forward to his weekly lessons! Marlene is very kind and gentle with the children.
I love learning at this studio. As an adult, the classes are just what I need. Monica (and all the teachers) meet each student where they are at. You bring your own project or thing you’d like to learn and they create a wonderful learning environment! 10/5 stars!
My child has been attending Art+ Academy for a year and also attended a summer camp session. He loves the classes and can’t wait to go each week (He’s 8, so that’s saying a lot). The kids learn so many art techniques and styles. The classes are serious art classes, but they accommodate all levels and allow the kids to express themselves as individual artists. Looking forward to year 2 there.
We were very pleased with the camp. Alee enjoyed it immensely. I appreciated the notes at the end of the day detailing what they had learned and the progress she made in a week in her drawings was noticeable. Well worth the fee! We would definitely take another camp! It was terrific! Thank-yoU!
I took a ProCreate drawing class online, and I learned so much more than I expected! My instructor was very knowledgeable and an excellent teacher. It was an amazing experience.
Camp was a fantastic experience…the students learned multiple techniques, enjoyed their time creating, and the teacher was positive and enthusiastic.
My decision to take art classes at the Art Plus Academy was the best experience I could have hoped for. I am a children’s book author/illustrator and wanted to improve my skills, as I am self taught. I learned so much so quickly. The teachers are wonderful, and I loved my classmates. I looked forward to each weekly class and intend on signing up for ongoing classes. What a fun experience. I highly recommend this to anyone beginning or advanced. Really, really fun!
The quick move by the Art Academy from in-person instruction to online classes was remarkably smooth and effective. At a time like this, we need the flexibility and creativity of organizations like the Art Academy. I am particularly please with the online help and guidance I have been receiving from Luz Marie, the instruction at the SouthWest Austin studio. It has been overall a very rewarding experience to work with Art Academy. I highly recommend this art school.
If you want to learn to actually “see” as an artist, I recommend this art school for a wonderful learning experience. In the last 3 years I have seen my focus improve, my techniques expand, and my enthusiasm for creating beauty through art grow tremendously. Thank you, Monica Araoz and your excellent teaching staff!
I would recommend this service to anyone. I wanted to pursue a particular career, but was required to submit a portfolio to showcase my current aptitude and potential in artistic mediums. I was a bit lost on how and where to start, but Johanna helped me find my footing and put together something I am proud to submit with my application to school. Thank you so much for the guidance I needed!
My daughter goes here after school and she really loves it. She enjoys every sessions and learnt a lot. My husband and I are thrilled that we have found this school. The teachers are very talented, organized, and you can really tell that they really love teaching the kids. We highly recommend this place.
My daughter who is 6 loved her camp! She had so much fun and the teacher was wonderful!
Start
Today
Tuition is prorated if you join mid-month, likewise, the quarterly admin fee is prorated if you start in the middle of a quarter.
Professional
Artists
Learn from professional artists who are also experienced, passionate educators.
SMALL
CLASSES
With a small class ratio (1:8), students explore their creativity with personalized attention.
Improve
your Skills
No matter your starting point, we help you build strong techniques and reach the next level.
Missed
a Class?
No problem! Make it up in another class as long as you're still enrolled.
Locally
Owned
Over 16 years of service since 2009 — fostering creativity and community growth.
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