PRIVATE ART LESSONS

Individual instruction. Real studio time. Built around the artist.

Private lessons at MAKEart offer students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a professional artist and experienced art educator in an in-home Downers Grove studio.

Lessons are shaped around the student: their interests, current skill level, goals, and the kind of work they want to make. Some students come with a specific goal in mind: strengthening drawing skills, learning to paint, developing a portfolio, or working through a project that needs more time and guidance. Others simply want the individual attention and quieter setting that private instruction provides.

There is no single private-lesson curriculum. Together, we build one.

Private instruction can include:

Observational drawing
Shape, form, and construction
Light, shadow, and value
Perspective and spatial drawing
Portraiture and figure drawing
Painting and color
Composition and visual problem-solving
Sculpture and mixed media
Sketchbook development
Developing personal ideas and artistic style
Portfolio development
Guidance on independent projects

Students don't need to arrive knowing exactly what they want to study. I'm happy to help identify areas for growth and develop a progression of lessons from there.

A Little Different from a Weekly Class

MAKEart's small-group classes are built around learning alongside other artists, experimenting with materials, and developing individual ideas within a shared studio environment.

Private lessons offer something different.

With the full lesson devoted to one student, we can slow down when a skill needs more practice, move quickly when something clicks, spend several weeks developing one area, or change direction as new interests emerge.

For students who want to build technical skills, lessons can follow a more structured progression. For students with strong individual interests, our time can function more like a working studio: developing ideas, testing materials, solving problems, and pushing work further.

The goal isn't to teach students what to make. It's to give them the skills, experience, and confidence to make more of what they imagine.

Private Lesson Rates

60-minute private lesson · $100

Standard drawing and studio materials are included.

For younger artists or students working on a focused skill, 30-minute private lessons · $60 may also be available.

Specialized materials or larger-scale projects may require an additional supply fee. Any additional costs will always be discussed in advance.

Private Lesson Series

For students interested in building skills over time, developing a portfolio, or working through a longer sequence of study, a four-lesson option is available.

Four 60-minute private lessons · $350

Lessons may be scheduled based on studio availability and must be used within eight weeks of the first lesson.

Payment is due in full, in cash, at the first lesson.

Scheduling + Cancellations

Private lessons are scheduled by appointment and subject to studio availability.

Because private lesson times are reserved specifically for one student, at least 24 hours' notice is required to cancel or reschedule. Lessons canceled with less than 24 hours' notice, as well as missed lessons, are charged at the full lesson rate.

I understand that illness and genuine emergencies happen and will always use reasonable discretion when they do.

Individual private lessons are paid in cash at the time of the lesson. Four-lesson sessions are paid in full, in cash, at the first lesson.

Interested in Private Lessons?

Send me a little information about the artist, including their age, previous art experience (if any), what they're interested in learning, and whether you're looking for occasional or ongoing lessons.

If they're not quite sure what they want to work on yet, that's completely fine. We can figure that out together.

Email makeartstudios@gmail.com to talk about your artist and current scheduling possibilities.

Private Group Workshops

Make some art. Bring your people.

Private group workshops are designed for small groups who want to spend some time making and learning together.

Maybe you're looking for a creative team-building activity, want to gather some friends for an evening of art-making, or have always wanted to learn how to needle felt, carve a printing block, paint with watercolor, or finally figure out those brush pens.

Tell me a little about your group and what you'd like to learn, and I'll design a workshop or short series around it.

Private group workshops · starting at $300/hour + materials

Workshops typically run 1–3 hours and are designed for 4–10 artists. Depending on the activity and age of the group, the studio may be able to accommodate up to 12.

Private workshops are available for children, teens, and adults. Final pricing depends on the project, materials, length, and number of participants. Once I know what you have in mind, I'll put together a proposal for your group.

A Few Possibilities

PROPOSED WORKSHOPS

Brush Lettering Workshop for small group
Learn the basics behind the brush lettering you've probably seen on cards, signs, journals, and all over Instagram.

We'll work with brush pens while learning how pressure, stroke direction, spacing, and letterforms work together. We'll also experiment with faux calligraphy and techniques that make it easy to continue practicing at home.

Artists will leave with finished lettering pieces, plenty of practice, and the skills to keep going on their own.
Soft Block Carving Workshop for small group
Design, carve, and print your own collection of hand-carved stamps.

We'll learn how to safely use carving tools, work with positive and negative space, transfer a design to a carving block, and create clean prints. Each artist will carve two small stamps and then experiment with inks, colors, papers, and a collection of existing hand-carved stamps. Finished stamps can be used again and again for stationery, cards, tags, wrapping paper, sketchbooks, and all kinds of future projects.

Watercolor Painting

Spend some time learning the basics of watercolor while working from one of a selection of prepared still-life or landscape compositions.

We'll experiment with washes, layering, color mixing, controlling water, creating value, and learning when to control the paint and when to let watercolor do its own thing. Each artist will leave with a finished painting and a better feel for how the material works.