Private Drawing Lessons

I am not going to set up a bunch of fruit on a table during your first private drawing lesson & tell you just to “draw what you see”. If you’re anything like I was as a student, you don’t know what you need to see in order to draw, yet! I promise, I can get you trained to see these things & comfortable drawing on your own.

My teaching style is not

what you’ll find in a

conventional drawing class.

One-on-one drawing lessons in Austin, TX or via zoom from anywhere in the world.

The amazing thing is most people are capable of drawing fairly accurately, if they are given actual step-by-step instructions, tailored to their strengths. This is my specialty, I love it & I know you are capable of creating& expressing yourself as a visual artist! I don’t subscribe to the view that only certain “people with talent” can make art. Drawing is teachable & learnable, so you won’t find any art world snobbery in my instruction. Just simple know-how being passed to new people who will continue to love the traditions of drawing.

Avery's final project (toy bunny) after LZM Studio lessons in 5th & 6th grade

PHOTO 1: Avery drew this bunny as her final project at the end of 6th grade, after taking private lessons with LZM Studio every other week for approximately 2 school years. PHOTO 2: This is the next thing she drew as a freshman in high school, after having no additional art classes in middle school. She retained all the fundamentals & muscle memory I had taught her & demonstrated natural growth as she got older. She won a state drawing award with this drawing!

Learning to draw takes thinking about things in a very different way

than our language-based culture teaches us to think.

PHOTO 1: Adult Student Marianne’s Straw Goat Ornament Drawing, Graphite & Colored Pencil.

PHOTO 2: Adult Student Kimberly’s Portrait of her Pug, Graphite.

PHOTO 3: Final Project of a group class student, Graphite.

You have to get comfortable drawing badly at first, because drawing - even when you’ve mastered basic skill sets- take trial & error. Most people can see something is off in their drawings, but also need guidance to learn what is not accurate & how to correct those problem areas. This process happens repeatedly throughout a drawing, taking a lot of problem solving, small motor skills & actually s-l-o-w-i-n-g down, being present enough to really SEE something as it is, not as we imagine it is. I’m so committed to people learning this skill for the mental well being it provides, I’ve even taught three people who had legal blindness with partial vision, because they wanted to learn! Everyone can improve their drawing skills pretty radically in a short amount of time with the right guidance & grit!

What Happens in LZM Studio Private Drawing Lessons:

PHOTO 1: Nancy, adult LZM Studio student focuses on portraiture. PHOTO 2: detail of her drawing of a baby.

1

The first things we’ll cover in my Private Drawing Lessons are the absolute basics of how to make an accurate outline.

Your first lessons include a discussion of very basic elements of drawing, such as pencil position, posture, the physical movements involved in drawing, & how to erase less frequently. You will get to know your drawing tools inti. Each lesson will include a different classical drawing technique taught in art colleges across the country. A big difference you may notice with young kids who take lessons is that they will stop throwing paper away & starting over when they “mess up”. It is important to use our first inaccurate drawings to get one that eventually looks “right”, & I will teach you how to do that.

2

After we’ve completed your basic skill set training, we’ll work on more complex problems in your drawings.

I will work with you as long as you wish, to ensure the lessons stick & you know how to apply everything you’ve learned in new drawing challenges. For most people, you can learn the basics & integrate that knowledge into your practice within one year of one hour per week practice (about 45 hours of practice over time), but many of my students stick with me for years because the growth continues to multiply with regular practice. Plus, we have a lot of fun together in the studio & I love my students!

3

Practice, practice, practice because to develop mastery, you must acquire component skills, practice integrating them and know when to apply them.

This is where the rubber meets the road. At this point in your lessons, you get to select images you would love to draw & I help you problem solve your way through the drawing. In this stage, you are learning where, when & how to apply all the skills you’ve learned in your basic lessons.

What clients say about working with LZM Studio:

  • “Laurie’s work ethic is meticulous, experienced, & reliable. After studying with Laurie for 4 years, I have continued sketching & drawing because she taught me a lifelong skill. My ability to draw has provided me with opportunities to sketch places I visit or find extraordinary. I keep a sketch travel journal of places I have seen which is an incredible enrichment for my brain. Drawing wakes up my brain & makes me more alert.”

    Adult LZM Studio private lesson student

  • “We are incredibly grateful to you for not only teaching Kate, but being a mentor to her. We certainly consider you an important part of our lives & can’t imagine making it through these bizarre COVID times without the consistency & joy of art classes with you.”

    Parent (a University of Texas Researcher) of an LZM Studio private lesson student of 6 years & counting

  • “I always like to brag to the parents when their kid does well. R. had the highest audition score!”

    Teacher, regarding a former LZM Studio private lesson student’s audition to the Fine Art Middle School Magnet

  • “This is a beautiful letter of recommendation from a thoughtful & caring mentor. Thank you & thank you for your friendship with her over the years. There has NEVER been a week in which she had her lesson with you that she was not happy or looking forward to seeing you.”

    Parent of a Senior in High School who was an LZM Studio private lesson student for 7 years

  • “Please forgive my walk down memory lane - I was a student of yours in an Art 111 class in college, years ago. I'm cleaning up some papers and folders and unearthed a grading sheet with your notes on my portfolio. The one that stands out to me is "keep getting darker - you want a full range from light to dark"... I was in architecture school at the time and am a professional architect now. I've always kept drawing but hadn't drawn 'for fun' in a few years until the pandemic, when I started up again. When discussing those drawings with some friends I found myself describing my process as "I find the darkest area and try to make that black, and find the whitest area and make it off limits, and the rest is just connecting the two." Charcoal certainly helps with the blacks :) Anyway, I don't know if that line of thought is mine or originates with subconscious memory of your comment, but just wanted to share. I'm glad to see you now have this practice. Hope all is well!”

    College Student, taking a Drawing 1 class from Laurie when she was in graduate school

  • “You have a very calm & measured way about you, & I assumed you would provide sage advice. Thankfully you were gracious enough to prove me right.”

    Adult LZM Studio private lesson student, with a neurospicy brain

  • “Oh my gosh Laurie!!! I should be thanking you for teaching me art, & being such an amazing teacher!!! I loved getting to meet you & thank you SO SO much for everything you've done for me. I will never forget how kind you were to me, & the amazing discussions we've had!!! You are a truly amazing person, & I cherish you for that!”

    Middle School LZM Studio private lesson student (who sent this email on her own!)

  • “We both miss you & I consider you one of several very critical mentors in her life.”

    Parent of the same Middle School LZM Private lesson student who wrote me on her own

  • “It's been ages since we communicated, G. is now at McCallum in the Fine Arts major & doing very well. We're still so grateful to the head start you gave him.”

    Parent (a University of Texas Professor, Author, & Artist) of an LZM Studio private lesson student

  • “We are grateful for how much you have taught E. You are an amazing teacher & have inspired both E. and J. to be very passionate about art.”

    Parent (a University of Texas Professor) of two LZM Studio private lesson students

  • “I studied digital art at my university for games & film, but it wasn’t until I learned traditional drawing with Laurie that I began to understand the astonishing human capacity for visualization. Unlike a digital canvas, every stroke is remembered indelibly by fibrous paper, whether it’s done with a pencil or an eraser. Laurie helped me to think deeply about my mark making, which noticeably enhanced my visual memory & comprehension. As that improves, so does the drawing! Laurie is incredibly patient & passes on a deep understanding of how to make a successful drawing. It’s been such a privilege to study her method.”

    Adult LZM Studio private lesson student

  • “I just wanted to let you know I asked Olivia yesterday how she liked her art lesson. She said, “I LOVE IT!” At dinner she chattered on and on about how you and she made the ceramic rattle…..every little detail. If you knew Olivia, you would be as surprised as we were about her excitement and love for what she was doing. Typically, she does not show much emotion about anything, even if she is proud, excited, or whatever. And, trying to get her to talk about something is VERY difficult. Anyway, it was so wonderful to see her so excited about something to the point she wanted to tell us all about it. Hope that lasts (and maybe spills over into the rest of her life)..”

    Jan, mom of 3, private lessons for 1.5 years +

  • “I wanted to be sure I gave my son a chance to give me feedback in private, but before we were even out the door he said the lesson was ‘the funnest thing ever’. Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

    Susan, Lawyer/Mom of 10 year old after his first lesson

  • “Laurie has been a wonderful teacher who has given me basic skills in drawing. Laurie is a patient teacher. She is an inspiring teacher. She is a teacher who also stretches her students, helping them discover more about themselves. I can now draw! I continue to be a student of Laurie’s and look forward to each coming lesson.”

    John Kinnaird, Business Owner/Dad, private lessons for himself & 8 year old son for 1.5 years +

  • “You really understand the questions and topics that drawing "students" want and need and break it down into practical bites. Success!”

    Online student

  • “Concentration is like a muscle: with exercise, it can strengthen and develop. I discovered this several years ago when I decided to take drawing lessons. I wanted to understand proportion and shading, to see like an artist. But I couldn’t compose images right away. First, I had to build a foundation. I had to learn about one detail at a time – line, proportion, and condensing space; value, light, and texture – and improve my manual dexterity. Drawing forced me to be precise, sketch by sketch.”

    Private lesson student of 4+ years (middle school through early high school)

  • “I just wanted to share with you how much Lane and I both loved our lesson today. Thanks for making it so approachable and fun. We are so glad to be your students!”

    From a first private joint lesson with a Mom & tween kid

  • “Ethan loved his lesson with you today. The first thing he said is that he wished it lasted longer. He also said he wants to have as many lessons as possible with you. Thank-you! Ethan carried around his paper and art supplies when we ran errands today and, at my office, he used his new pencils to draw a figure of Freud that I had on my shelf (from a former student)”

    From a first private lesson with the younger sibling of a former student

  • Last night, I had a lightbulb moment and I finally got what you were trying to teach me with the apple yesterday. I practiced a new drawing today and will show you next week. I think it looks better than the one I worked on yesterday. This process of learning with you feels so spiritual. As the saying goes, when the student is ready…

    From a long time adult private lesson student

  • “Thank you for another great year!!”

    Private lesson student

  • “On our way home from David's lesson last night he said, ‘Every time I'm with Laurie I feel like I'm with a famous person because she's so good.’ He is so excited about having a 2-hour lesson coming up!”

    Tween private lesson student

  • Just wanted to say thank you for the sketching and drawing meditation lessons, it was a great experience!! I had not sketched in over 7 years and was looking to gain more confidence with my drawing skills. I found LZM Studio through a Google search as I was going to be visiting the area from another state. Laurie created a positive & comfortable environment that made me excited to start drawing again! The drawing mindfulness class was very relaxing and provided techniques I can utilize during the work day. Next time I am in the area, I will definitely carve out a few hours for a drawing class with Laurie!

    One time workshop student

  • I love my art lessons… Thank you!

    Adult private lesson student

  • “Learning to draw with Laurie opened a new world for me. I loved learning that I can be patient and take my time and create something beautiful. Laurie is gifted in the way she explains complicated processes to make them manageable.

    Adult student of LZM Studio for 3 years

  • I think what she learned were the foundations that helped her understand WHY things looked the way they did to her (which is different than the way they look to other people... I still come across instances of this today where it becomes clear that she sees something I don't see)... and the skills to bring those things out for other people. I would say that she learned that drawing was something she could DO, that it was something she could study, rather than just as a fun thing she did all the time. You were really good at pushing her at her speed, allowing her strengths/needs to guide what you did. She is finishing Year 2 at RISD, majoring in Illustration. She has gotten so many accolades, it's nuts. She has a gigantic painting (6' x 5') at the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles right now. She did the most recent album cover for someone designated the UK's "princess of rap" (I cannot remember this person's name). She won Best Stop Motion film last year at the Vermont Animation Festival. She just continues to astound me. (And in the summer, she does boring landscapes she hates for money, hahahaaaa. One of her grandmother's friends commissioned her to paint this terrible view of their country house (it was literally 3/4 roof) and said they are going to sell it for a lot of money when she gets famous... she was like, "That is not a thing that happens anymore." hahahhaaaa).

    Parent of a Middle School Student who went on to major in Fine Art at RISD

  • Avery was a student of yours back in 2011-2012. I wanted to share with you that a drawing she did a month ago went to the state level in the VASE competition. She then medalled at the state level. She is currently a freshman in high school and is really getting back into art this year. She has actually not done anything since taking lessons with you.

    Parent of a student who was an LZM Studio private lesson student in 5th-6th grade

  • I just read the letter of recommendation you wrote for me. It was beautiful, I appreciate you so much! You’ve been such a fun & amazing teacher & friend.

    Student of LZM Studio for 7 years

  • Laurie, this image & piece is such a reflection of how I remember you! Elegant, decisive, natural, delicate & powerful at once! Love the movement, the catch of shadow & light in this piece.

    Adult, Art Therapist review of Every Moment Is New

  • "Thank you so much for teaching her so far & you have been more than a teacher to her, her Dad & I both very appreciate it.

    - Parent of a tween private lesson student, struggling with very tween appropriate things

Children ages 5-8 take a slightly different path in my private drawing lessons

PHOTO 1: Riana, elementary school LZM Studio student’s first portrait, with her age appropriate doodles beside it. She was just a kid & doodled a lot (which I loved)! PHOTO 2: Riana’s first colored pencil manga style drawing the following year, as she grew developmentally older & we expanded her exploration of drawing materials. PHOTO 3: Sara with her self portrait, age 9.

Some of the exercises will be the same for kids & adults, but to achieve successful results I’ve found that another approach works best for kids. From the time they can hold a crayon & have the inclination to make marks on the page, until about age 8 or 9, most kids are drawing “symbols” of their world. This symbolic drawing phase is important in a child’s language development & processing their experiences. Around the age of 8 (give or take a year or two, depending on the child), our brains develop a better understanding of spatial analysis. Right around that time, kids will often quit drawing because they realize what they are drawing on the page does not look like the things they see in their world, but they don’t know how to translate the three dimensional world to the two dimensional page.

If I work with your child during their symbolic drawing phase, a fair number of the lessons might be altered, depending on the child’s ability to comprehend some of the more difficult exercises. I like to preserve each child’s feeling that their way of seeing their world & expressing it through drawing is beautiful, so it isn’t appropriate for me to teach a child in the symbolic phase all of the things that I would teach an older child or an adult. Older kids, ages 9 to 17 are usually quite comfortable with all the complexity of the adult exercises and often times they are eager to improve their drawing skills. That said, kids can still learn how to see things so they can draw better, hand-eye-coordination, small motor skills, the embodiment of drawing, proportion, placement & learn to love drawing as a skill not only something they do for fun!

Private Online Community Forum for LZM Studio Students

LZM Studio students are invited to join our private Facebook Community, The LZM Studio Drawing Method SQUAD, where you can post questions about drawing, what you’re learning in lessons, post your artwork, get peer to peer support & feedback from me. We strive for this to be a supportive place to enhance your growth, where we can celebrate your wins & encourage you when you feel stuck in your creative practices. We have strict community policies regarding kindness, so you can feel free to share your growth moments & real struggles as you learn & improve!

Or maybe you can draw some things that look pretty good, but you would like to improve weak areas and gain skills more rapidly than you can teach yourself. Maybe you sketch but want to gather more formal or technical skills in drawing- I can get you on the path to transforming your ability to draw, with much more confidence and success. Just give me a handful of hours and you’ll be surprised at the difference!

If you find yourself in the “I can’t draw, but it would be a dream come true if I could” or “I think I could draw with quality instruction” situation, I can help you reach your goals!

PHOTO 1: Jina, adult LZM Studio Student’s first project after basic lessons were completed.