Golden Gate Atelier - Oakland, California

Jason C.

Excellent school. Anatomy, drawing, painting from nature.

Poonam M.

I love this place! I took the fundamentals of drawing workshop with Tess/Andy. Drawing has always been fun but I felt stuck on articulating what I saw in my head or with my eyes. The workshop gave me the tools I needed to take my skills to the next level. If you’re wondering where to go, check out Andy’s work on the website, it’s the best I’ve seen in the area and they train students with a solid methodology to approach drawing in simultaneously a fun and organized way. Students in other programs seemed very happy to be there as well - the people I met were always lovely. Totally recommend the golden gate atelier!

S R. H.

I traveled from Australia specifically to attend this atelier. Here you will find inspirational teachers who are attentive, technical instruction that pushes you beyond your limits and facilities that provide the right conditions for learning. Couldn't recommend the school highly enough and hope to return for more one day.

carolyn S.

I took the ecorche class and was hooked on drawing with these teachers. I've taken other classes and gone to other school and never received such definitive instruction before. The classes are small, we receive personalized information. The classmates are friendly and supportive. I have progressed from pencil to charcoal to paint and have learned and improved so much! This is an excellent place to study, and the quality of instruction by these fabulous teachers is unmatched. ⁶

Valentine B.

I spent 3 years full time in this school, and I am very grateful to have finally found a place where I could LEARN how to draw and paint for real. It's a serious and dedicated space to be taught and to practice the classical atelier methods among great teachers, models and students.

Andrew T.

Such good memories at this, my first atelier. I’m a mainly digital freelancer, who works on characters and environment art for the entertainment industry. Nobody forced me to brush up on my figure drawing skills, it was just something I really wanted to do under an academic atelier setting. With pencil and paper, I was able to reignite the old fire I once had as a student in college, it brought me right back to some of the best days of my studies. Being transported to the late 1800s happens almost instantly, from the moment I walked into the studio to ask some questions about a workshop with Andy. The traditional studies and paintings covering every wall were immaculate, Andy is a true master. It took a few moments to decide that I wanted to take the class, and I’m glad I did!

Even as a comfortable professional in the art world, I learned soo soo so much from Andy. It brought a new feeling to my work, and gave me new insight for how to better model and render form. Learning anatomy is hard enough as it is, but Andy will teach you how to see the simple shapes of the light and shadow to better help the flow and accuracy of your drawing. The simple tools and techniques he showed the class will stick with me for life.

Maybe you’re not in need of a massive amount of training, or maybe you have no training at all. At the very least, if you’re in the area, I strongly suggest taking one of his classes. The vibes, the classmates, the funny conversations - it’s totally worth it. I will NOT forget his workshop.

Jaime O.

This Atelier in my opinion has one of the best full-time programs in the Bay Area on drawing and painting the human figure. It has everything I was looking for as a realist painter. You don’t get this level of training at a University. Very talented faculty, very high standards and very professional.

Jane

If you are searching for a school to learn classical drawing and painting technique, this is the place. Andy, the staff and fellow students are great.