allARTstudio

My daughter goes to Alla. We love Alla. She is kind, loving and teaches my daughter art. We love her and her studio. Highly recommend. My girl is 7

Really great school! My daughter loves the classes and the summer camp! We’ve been going to the school for the past year and been in camp for 2 summers now.

For the past 2 summers, my 9 year old daughter has enrolled at allARTstudio for art camp. She has done many art camps before, but never one like this. Alla’s studio and her method of teaching makes kids feel like real artists. She is very friendly and hugs the kids. My daughter picked what she was interested in drawing and worked on techniques with her chosen subject. Alla would help set her up with the composition and placement on the paper and let her work at her own pace. She learned how to sketch and fade and has applied it in her daily art. There is also group instruction where the entire class learns a technique such as fading colors in a sunset painting. After a long morning of working hard and focusing, lunch time is relaxing with a movie while eating. Afternoons are more crafty. They get to paint wooden or ceramic sculptures. The summer camps also take field trips twice a week to draw what they see in nature. They set up easels and after some instruction, they get down to business. At the end of the week, the kids take home all their masterpieces with a proud smile on their face. My daughter absolutely loves Alla’s camp and will keep coming back for more.

This is a gem of an art studio on El Camino and I couldn’t be happier with the experience my six-​year old just had at a week of art summer camp with Alla. My daughter loves art and really enjoyed the camp. Twice a week, Alla took the kids out to public parks to paint and draw, experiencing the nature around them. She also provided snacks and drinks for the kids and was very nurturing and loving with all the kids from what I saw on drop off and pick-​up.
At the end of a week of camp, my daughter was very proud to take home her art projects and my husband and I were stunned at the quality of the artwork and the progress she made in just a week at this camp.
As for the facility, it’s conveniently located across the street from Sequoia Station in Redwood City. I really liked her studio, it was well-​lit and had many supplies for all kids. I also admired the fact that the owner has many paintings from her students on her walls. Also, it’s safely on a second floor as well and provides parking — we always had a spot every morning and also on pick-​up. We plan to continue some art classes after experiencing the summer camp, and I’m thrilled my daughter has had this experience, she is definitely taking the skills she learned and already applying them to her drawing and painting techniques. I felt that all the kids who attended the camp were treated equally, and even though my daughter was the youngest (and can be shy), she felt very comfortable with all the ages of students at the camp and seemed very at home in Alla’s studio. So glad we found it! Excellent studio!

I have been going to allARTstudio for eight years now and I absolutely LOVE it. Alla and Greg are very nice and have lots of very unique opportunities to their students. Alla, a highly educated and experienced artist, gives demos for most projects and lots of tips and support. She is a very energetic and caring person, but if you have a problematic child, she is very direct in telling you so. Throughout my time at allARTstudio, I have developed a wonderful relationship with both Alla and Greg as well as a deep love for painting.
Several of the negative comments about allARTstudio criticize the use of step-​by-​step drawing books. These reviewers fail to realize that the purpose of these books are to teach the student to be able to «draw what you see,» as Alla says. Kids often get lost in trying to draw detail by detail instead of sketching the general shape first, a habit that drawing books change. As you become more advanced, Alla teaches you more techniques and skills that allow you to paint and sketch with more confidence and alter the drawing as you see fit. Eventually, she will have you use books that do not give step-​by-​step instructions and force you to think about how to recreate the original picture. In conclusion, in all my years at Alla’s, I have never seen a child complain about having to draw from the book. It is still very fun and does not at all drain creativity.
There truly is a reason that allARTstudio receives so many awards each year– it’s positively unbeatable! With all the crafts, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, movies, field trips, snacks, and Where’s Waldo books, THIS CAMP IS THE BEST IN THE BAY!

We love Alla and Greg and their sweet little studio. My 11 y.o. daughter has been taking classes weekly since last summer. She loves it and I have enjoyed taking some classes with her. I would actually describe it more as «session» time than classes. As it was pointed out in another review, this isn’t directed drawing or painting lessons. Greg and Alla provide feedback, guidance and teach as you progress through your work. My daughter loves her time in the studio and has learned so much. The beauty of this studio is that it supports the individual interests of the artist. My daughter and I decide what media we want to work with and then we receive the instruction and feedback as we go. We definitely will be with this studio (Alla/​Greg) for years to come!

My 8 year old daughter has been taking lessons here for two years and she loves it. Her skills are constantly progressing and she works with different media.
The environment really works for us, but I can see how it may not work for everyone. I suggest doing thorough research and asking good questions if you are considering enrolling your child. For instance, my 6 year old son did not like the settings while he works very well with art instructor at his school. Every child is different and it is not realistic to expect one school to meet everyone’s needs.
The owners are Russian and they use their native language in casual conversations, but it adds charm to the place (in my personal view). You should decide for yourself if cultural diversity is something you like or something you find offensive.

Alla and Greg provide such a great environment for their students. Their process is one with just the right amount of structure, discipline, and fun, making it a weekly event that our son looks forward to. All Art Studio is awesome!

My kids have been taking lessons here for about a year. I’m very happy with the progress they’re making. They have tried many different media (acrylics, pencil, water colors, charcoal etc) and techniques. I like that they are not all doing the same thing in class at the same time. While the kids get to pick what they want to paint during the lesson, it’s definitely not just a free choice. Alla and her husband will steer them so they will develop new skills. Both my 8 and my 12 year old are very happy with their class and I’m impressed with what they bring home. My youngest also tried the summer camp last year, and she had a blast. She loved the two excursions to Stanford and the Rose Garden, where they got to try «plein air» painting.

My son took weekly classes for almost five years and enjoyed the classes and learned how to draw with pencil, pen, and charcoal. He also learned how to use pastels, watercolors, and paint with acrylics. Alla was an excellent and supportive teacher.

Our daughter has a weekly art class at this little gem of a studio and our appreciation for it has increased even more with the week long camp she attended this summer.
First and foremost, the studio really does teach little kids how to create artwork. Our daughter has come home with some very impressive work and also understands numerous artistic concepts, developing the foundation for her to make new pieces without supervision.
In addition, there is a calmness and serenity about the environment and small class sizes that results in impressive productivity. I have never seen a group of kids this age so attentive and focused.
Finally, Alla and Greg run a first class, cultured and professional operation. Alla caught an accidental overpayment we made and personally handed me a refund in cash. They regularly take photographs of the young artists holding their work (you can feel the pride right through the photos). To top it all off — the summer camp featured field trips (including one to Stanford University) in a big, safe, new passenger van. No rusty, dirty old minivan at this place!
We are very fortunate to have such a top notch resource here!

For after school and during school breaks arts and crafts, this place rocks. Neither my 5 year old or 9−½ year old had ever really taken any art classes let alone taken classes together. But after two days of classes during the Christmas break they came home with a ton of masterpieces from foamies, to frames, acrylic paintings and mardi gras masks. I could tell that they built up a ton of art skills including perspective, brush technique, balance, patience and cooperation.
We will definitely be checking back on after school programs for our budding Matisses. Prices seem a bit steep especially when one thinks back to their youth when art was an integral part of school curriculum. With budget cut after cut, there isn’t much left in public schools.
We totally stumbled upon this place when my wife ran into another family looking for some program options for their kids during the break. We’ve walk by their previous location a half a block away for years without a clue as to what they are all about.

Alla is great with the kids. My daughter went there for summer camp and produced the most incredible paintings. She absolutely loved it. It was her favorite summer camp. We are trying to fit it into the schedule for my daughter to attend during the school year.