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            Private tutoring is a great way for a student to buckle down and really focus on the grit in art education. Its a great place to take on all the daunting fundamentals and principles in art. I offer tutoring for a number of fields, including portraiture, gesture and figure drawing, boosting technique and technique efficiency, general human anatomy, forming and sculpting 3-D structures, colors and color theory, design and composition and much more. 

            During my tutoring I try not to restrict the student into studying my preferred material, but use all the educational tools available to boost and enhance the student's current niche in art. I try to combine all the laws of realism with their preferred style in art (caricature, anime and cartooning etc.) and create a beautiful balance of style, realism and the students unique art identity. Any of these price tiers below can be spread out in the week/month within which they are booked.

“At the time when I was seeking for an art mentorship, I found that Istebrak was the right person to have as my teacher. She immediately pointed out my weaknesses and did not not hesitate to give assignments based on them. As her student, I was able to learn how to see things and objects around me differently in a very analytical way. She will show and teach you all the fundamentals you need in order to take your artwork to the next level and will always keep pushing you to improve. The amount of knowledge that she has to offer along with her honest and caring personality is what makes her one of the best teachers out there. I always look forward on every single class and I highly recommend that everybody should go through her mentorship and you will be surprised how much you can improve and appreciate all the skills that you can learn with her guidance.” Anton Balingit

INTERESTED?

If you're interested in enrolling in private tutoring, just fill out the form below.  Make sure you to include which price tier you are interested in within the 'Subject' box and in the 'Message' box include your preferred area of focus. (i.e. portraiture, landscapes, color theory, form and sculpting, etc.)  I will contact you upon availability.

DISCLAIMER:  I provide my time as I run the classes and design customized curriculum, but please remember once you pay for classes it is your responsibility to show up and participate. This includes completing homework as well as showing up on time.  Classes will be counted and not refunded if you do not show up, are late or are absent for months at a time.  Failure to show up to class or tardiness results in a counted class.  24 hour notice is required for cancellations. Payment plans are available. Because I am teaching a number of students from different time zones, with different work/school/family schedules, class hours are subject to change and flex while I try to accommodate to everyone’s schedules. If you have a fixed schedule, please mention it in your application! You do not have to download Photoshop to attend classes, and you may use whatever painting program you desire to complete homework.

***Please check your SPAM FOLDER if you are expecting a reply! Because of the Squarespace form submission system, the email may land in your spam folder. Please type out your email carefully!***

Any paint-over I offer in classes, public or private, is now a collaborative project that does not belong to you solely. You cannot claim my art direction and alterations as your sole skill, even if you duplicate it, this means that credit for the paint over is shared, and my name must be credited wherever you post that piece. This is my brain work applied to your existing mistakes/choices. You cannot use it for your portfolio without an added "art direction by Istebrak" in the painting information. The same is expected for any improvement showcases, contests or submissions on social media, etc. All my paint-overs are recorded and I have original copies, invoices, and communication history etc. Collaborative illustrations are not your sole skill, thought process or individual knowledge.

PRICES

            Homework is expected in any one of these price tiers, and homework has to be completed before any class begins. This ensures the session's full success in targeting specific weaknesses and habits.

            A session will not be booked and payment will not be made unless time-zone issues are resolved and a desired curriculum is identified by the student. 

            Please remember these lessons will be hosted in a professional environment. However, the fun and enjoyment of meeting one-another always adds a memorable highlight to each hour and there is always room for fun and laughter. Please do not apply if your schedule does not allow time for sessions, homework and homework revisions.

            If you are interested, please fill out the application above. 

STUDENT ILLUSTRATION SHOWCASE

Below you’ll find some of the illustrations completed by students who graduated the initial portraiture and form curriculum. They move on to a more advanced illustration curriculum after they gain a good grasp over their fundamentals, such as edgework, contrast, light on form, anatomy, lighting, reading a reference and technical techniques such as blocking, measuring, and blending. I assign narrative based illustrations that mimic the work-place environment of a studio. All students hand in preparation and preproduction style, research driven work to help complete their final illustration and push it to the max in rendering, framing, concept and narrative. All major decisions go through me as I art direct the illustration and help build the final look with the student. This more advanced curriculum is something all students of all levels can aspire to and reach, and it helps put them under a healthy level of pressure with the goal of building their portfolio with real and applicable work, from book covers to media illustration for games, splashes and apps.

”Painting was something I deeply feared and was unable to overcome by myself for years. Istebrak's insightful diagnosis and assignments gave me the push that felt perfectly tailored to create growth in me that none of my traditional classes did to any degree. The process resulted in my first completed painting in a very long time, and it's thrilling. This piece is me achieving a new personal best, and it's due to Istebrak creating a space where I can safely grow my skills and confidence. I am no longer paralyzed by fear, and I can finally see a path in my art journey and where I could go.” Daniel Lee

Daniel started with me not too long ago, and we’ve only completed a handful of sessions together so far. The classes started with the usual entry level assignments for diagnosis, but upon seeing his performance, I realized that Daniel’s was not a skill issue, but something a bit more than that. His rendering skills were excellent, his edges were exact and his control of shadows and blending were what other artists aim for. The next step Daniel needed to make was to use all of these skills and move into illustration, no matter the hesitation. After the first screening class, I assigned him the Glowing Egg and he did amazing. Sometimes an artist has all the skill they need, and all that is left is rediscovering the purpose behind building that skill: creating worlds, telling stories. All he needed was a narrative, creative freedom and organization and this illustration is now complete.

“As I finished my first 12 sessions with Istebrak, I decided to book for more classes as I wanted to further expand my knowledge and improve. We continued to focus on making more illustrations. She continued to push my skill further especially with composition by analyzing movie shots along with additional texture studies. Having worked with Istebrak since I started last year from scratch, I was able to make illustrations that I couldn’t even imagine that I’m able to do thanks to her making sure that my fundamentals are always on point and always being direct what I need to improve on. I believe everybody should learn from her no matter what skill level you are. Theres only so many teachers out there who are honest and will really push your skills to your limit. I’ll always be grateful to be Istebrak's student. This illustration of Monster Hunter's Tigrex was definitely one of the most frustrating so far since I am now dealing with more elements than I was used to. There was point where I almost scrapped the whole piece. However I knew Istebrak will continue to help me improve on it, so I kept pushing and used previous critiques and compositional advice that she gave me.” Anton B.

Anton started with me around a year ago, and though he went in with a lot of preexisting skill, we still started from the very first step with fundamentals, brushing up on all required knowledge. This helps a student build confidence in their skill, which Anton definitely needed. Sometimes a student is more skilled than they are aware, and I set out to help them see their potential. Anton explored portrait anatomy, basic figure anatomy and then moved into character design and finally illustration. Not only has he been such a great sport with everything I throw at him, but he excels each time. He is a flexible artist, able to try new subject matter, while also able to follow art direction and process feedback. At the moment Anton is exploring composition, creature design and splash design. He is also exploring pushing his detail, understanding the texture spectrum and diversifying his brush work.

“When I worked on this illustration, I got very focused on particular details which led to me missing the read of the big picture. Istebrak helped me redirect my focus to what really matters in the narrative of a painting. With her professional eye on the subject, she provided me with great feedback that helped me to bring this illustration to another level.” Mauritz Wamprechtshamer

Mauritz and I have been working together for almost over a year. Going in Mauritz wanted to touch up on his basic fundamentals knowledge and skill set. Once Mauritz graduated the entry-level fundamentals briefing, he wanted to test his skills with some illustration. It was Mauritz’s ultimate goal to work for Wizards of the Coast, or at least paint at the level seen in their card art. I said lets go for that, find old cards you want to rework, or create your own WotC inspired characters. Mauritz started building his illustrations under my art direction, starting with moodboards, thumbnails, reference compilation and finally the final draft I reviewed in class. Mauritz took the corrections with an open mind, learning new layers of design and applied his experience to the next illustration. You’ll see a lot of Mauritz’s work in my gallery. It has been a blast having him in my classes.

“I must honestly say, that I have expected a lot from Istebraks private tutoring, but what I got has exceeded all my expectations: Within the last two months of working with Istebrak, she has helped me improve my skills more than I could in the last two years of trying to self-learn my way through the basics of art. Istebrak provided me with all I needed to improve: a goal-oriented learning environment, to the point and easy to digest feedback, a well-structured approach to my studies and a very positive, empathetic and compassionate way of working with the student . Most importantly, she created a space where I could confidently make mistakes, which we then identified and addressed in the mentoring sessions. With that being said, I can highly recommend her tutoring, it’s worth it’s weight in gold.” Mauritz Wamprechtshamer, Student, 2022

Above are only some of the character design assignments that Mauritz completed as something of a middle-step towards full canvas illustrations. Character design and concept art are a great entry level assignment when a student is just graduated from lab-environment studies. It lets them formulate colors, concepts, anatomy and design in a safe environment. Character design teaches a student to ease into their difficulties while relying on their strengths. Mauritz’s imagination is a wonder to witness. I loved this unit together.

Eugenia and I worked on this illustration together after I made her repeat an earlier version of this narrative. I truly believed she could pull it off, and asked her to try one more time, and she did amazing. We discussed different options back and forth for her illustration, and I helped her pull from her inspirations - such as manga cover art and semi-realistic anime.

”Although I felt really frustrated with my previous illustration, Istebrak encouraged me to work on it again. I was very motivated and thanks to her advice and guidance, I was able to exceed my expectations.” Eugenia A.

Alec Antonov sped right through the preliminary fundamentals screening and graduated into illustrations within a month of our sessions together. I thought he’d do wonderfully if I started pushing his limits and the result was amazing. We worked directly from his core inspirations, as all my students do, and decided to rework some old Magic the Gathering cards. He chose Darkpact for his first rework, and he did wonderfully. There was a lot of back and forth, a lot of cutting things out and last minute decision changes, but this card redesign turned out amazing. Inspiring work Anton, you are a pleasure to work with.

”Over the weeks that I worked on this I constantly felt like I was swimming in circles doing and redoing the early stages of composition and blocking out, but with an amazing amount of near constant feedback and a one or two mini lessons, Istebrak managed to show me what I really was capable of!” Alec Antonov

“Implement of Malice” — Another card from Alec. Such amazing work with the stacked magnifying lenses. This one was a bit more complicated, but after we decided on the focal point, stacking the lenses wasn’t as difficult for Alec, and he started focusing his unmatched rendering skill into the focal point and completed this illustration in a relatively short period of time.

“With the progress made in the previous lessons the goal of this piece shifted - from the technical question "can I paint this" to the illustrative "should I paint this" and to me that is probably one of the biggest improvements in my skill set so far.” Alec Antonov

Another final piece from Alec. This time he took on something with a bit more environment. We discussed the rules of depth and the cinematic scaling required for painting with scale, such as one needed to depict a titan. Another breathtaking piece.

This is another interpretation of the illuminated egg narrative I assign students. It’s somewhat of an entry-level illustration assignment, but of course students have narrative and design liberty when it comes to interpretation. Nga had been dabbling in illustration before this, but this assignment she regarded as the “easiest, smoothest” process. I believe it’s in part due to the fact that she found her illustrator voice and entered a more flow state in her painting process. This is a stage where after you invest enough time practicing the illustration process, you get more comfortable making decisions in-canvas and have a clearer vision of the end result in your mind.

“I really enjoyed the process of painting this piece, as this is the first time I did not excessively keep questioning my choices and my skill, and just took inspirations and made things up along the way. Istebrak has helped me make the painting much stronger and more interesting in terms of narrative and visuals. Studying with Istebrak was one of the best educational experiences for me. She has always pushed me to try harder. The journey has never been easy but it has been extremely rewarding.” Nga Nguyen

Working with Dasha has been very rewarding. She takes on a project without any fear and tries things with real ambition. She’s given herself no room for failure and gives each illustration her all. She attempts a variety of scenes, and is always pushing her limit. It’s extremely fun working with students like Dasha because each illustration is a ride and a learning experience for me as well. At the moment, Dasha is exploring cinematic framing and camera language in story telling.

“No idea is too ambitious when starting an illustration idea with Istebrak. I appreciate how she accommodates modern techniques (like using 3D programs) while always keeping the focus on the storytelling, lighting, and how the viewer interprets the work. Her critiques always stayed true to my personal vision but grounded me in the fundamentals and function.” Dasha Silkova

This is another piece from Nga, she has really been experimenting and pushing the depth of the skills she’s developed in the last year with me. She tackled one of the harder narrative prompts I give to students, which is a combination of both character, environment and texture diversity. I think she did an amazing job and really gave new life to this story.

It has been a true joy working with her. Seeing her improve and become a full fledged illustrator is truly inspiring. She is incredibly humble, sweet and her work ethic and dedication to her portfolio is unparalleled, I’m honored to be a part of her journey.

“I really liked the story that Istebrak gave me, so it helped me to enjoy the process more. I quickly had a general image, then researched for many references to form a clearer picture. Most of the time was spent for rearranging shapes and elements. This piece also gives me a lot more confidence in painting further on.” Nga Nguyen

"After six months of private tutoring with Istebrak, I am shocked at my progress not just in my technical skills but in my confidence and joy with the craft of digital painting. Istebrak gave me the space and support I needed to break down some very stubborn barriers within myself. Her feedback and paint-overs are grounded in empathy and delivered with such clarity and honesty that you immediately feel seen in all your strengths and weaknesses as an artist, which can be uncomfortable until you realize you are being shown the path to mastery and all that's left is for you to walk it. Hands down, best investment I've ever made in my art education." Sam S., Student, 2022

“Istebrak can pinpoint exactly where my areas of confusion are and guide me in resolving them. The specific, tailored experience I’ve had in her tutoring has filled in gaps and connected scattered concepts I picked up through years of self study. Her teaching is clear, precise and effective. After a long time of stagnating on my own, I feel like I’m improving again and fast. I’m extremely happy with the results.” Robert Mills, Student

Student improvement showcase - STUDIES

             I always encourage students to work in grey-scale early on in the sessions to help diagnose their issues in anatomy and form and sculpting. I focus on these two major avenues of practice quite aggressively, as they are usually what every student suffers from. Some of these students experienced improvement after 6 or 7 sessions spread over several weeks. Every curriculum is customized to each student's needs and goals for their art career. Below you'll find some examples of student improvement under my tutelage and some from the G+ community and through my weekly critique-hours hosted publicly through YouTube. Observe how students improve in both anatomy and form knowledge. Blending and technique and use of color are also improved drastically. 

BEFORE AFTER

My refund policy is strict.  No refund will be provided 2 weeks after booking the classes. Classes can be frozen if a student expects a maximum of 3 weeks absence, unless otherwise allowed by the instructor. Any harassment, insult or abuse will not be tolerated and will result in forfeiting the position as student, without refund. 

“Studying with Istebrak for me is a balance of being ready to work really hard but at the same time being fully supported with what I need to make it. I wouldn't be able to improve so much without her. I would totally recommend her classes.” Nga Nguyen Student