- Click here to learn about Course Audits
- Click an image to learn about that class
- See SmArt School special perks at the bottom of the page
- Email us images of your art if you want guidance on the best course of study
JILL THOMPSON
--The Essentials of Comics and Sequential Art--Tuesdays 3PM-6PM ET, starting October 3, Special Guest: Will Dennis, long time editor at Vertigo Comics, Currently freelance editor with clients including: DSTLRY, DC Entertainment, and Image Comics
GEORGE PRATT--
Gesture & Atmosphere in Graphic Novels & Illustration—Saturday 12pm-3pm ET, starts September 16, Special Guest: Shelly Bond, Eisner award winning editor, now editor in Chief of Off Register, formerly executive editor at DC/Vertigo & Black Crown
MARTIN WITTFOOTH--Blender from a Painter's Point of View—Monday--7pm-10pm ET, starts September 11, Special Guest: Nicola Verlato
GREG MANCHESS
--Composition as Story—Tuesday 7pm-10pm ET, starts September 12, Special Guest: Irene Gallo, Vice President and Publisher Tordotcom Publishing / Macmillan
DAN DOS SANTOS
--Science Fiction & Fantasy & Book Covers---Thursday 7pm-10pm ET, starts September 14, Special Guest: Paul Suntup, Publisher of Suntup Editions
WINONA NELSON--Gaming Illustration and Character Design--Wednesday--9pm-12midnight ET, starts September 13, Special Guest: Jana Schirmer, Visual Development Supervisor at Marvel Studios and freelance illustrator for Wizards of the Coast
WINONA NELSON
--Gaming Illustration and Character Design—Wednesday--3:30pm-6:30pm ET, starts September 13, Special Guest: Jana Schirmer, Visual Development Supervisor at Marvel Studios and freelance illustrator for Wizards of the Coast
GREG MANCHESS & SCOTT FISCHER
Team Teach--Comic Covers, Book Covers & Dynamic Storytelling--Thursday 2pm-6pm ET, starts September 14, Special Guest: Doug Alexander Gregory, Illustrator and Concept Artist, as well as Art Director and Cinematics Director at Blizzard Entertainment
SCOTT FISCHER--
Dungeons & Dragons Art---From Concept to Cover--Wednesday 1pm-4pm ET, starts September 13, Special Guest: Kate Irwin, Senior Art Director for Dungeons and Dragons, Wizards of the Coast
SCOTT FISCHER-
Dungeons & Dragons Art---From Concept to Cover--Wednesday 8pm-11pm ET, starts September 13, Special Guest: Kate Irwin, Senior Art Director for Dungeons and Dragons, Wizards of the Coast
SAM WEBER
--Signature Style--Wednesdays 11am-2pm ET, starts September 13, Special Guest: to be announced
CYNTHIA SHEPPARD
--Illustrating the Emotional Narrative--Monday 8pm-11pm ET, starts September 11, Special Guest: Wizards of the Coast Senior Art Director, Zack Stella
CYNTHIA SHEPPARD--Illustrating the Emotional Narrative—Tuesday 8pm-11pm ET, starts September 12, Special Guest: Wizards of the Coast Senior Art Director, Zack Stella
ERIC WILKERSON--Beginning Illustration--Mondays 11am-2pm, NOW STARTING IN SPRING SEMESTER-- MARCH 2024!
added benefits
We are an artist-run school. We understand the need for creative community. So we do all kinds of extra things to broaden student's educational opportunities, professional contacts, and publicity.
- Every student who enrolls in a full mentorship also gets a FREE Course Audit. It's almost like getting two courses for the price of one. You get to watch another course for free. More about course audits here.
- Every student who completes a full mentorship beyond the beginner classes also has the option to have a free portfolio on the Alumni Portfolios page.
- All alumni with portfolio pages can also join competitions where industry professionals, such as Art Directors or Gallery Directors, review alumni work. The competitions are free for alumni.
- We also have an Alumni News page where we broadcast the successes of our alumni.
- We also regularly broadcast alumni achievements on our Instagram Check it out! It has lots of fun work by emerging and established talent.
CALENDAR INFORMATION FOR FALL 2023
Classes will run for 14 sessions starting during the week of September 4, 2023.
Planned dates in which there will be no classes are:
October 18th-23rd (Illuxcon)
November 20-25 (Thanksgiving)
December 24th-January 2nd (Winter Holiday Break)
Classes may finish before the Winter Holiday Break
Our teachers are all working professionals who may need to travel for professional reasons. If they must miss a class they will notify everyone and add a class to the end of the semester. Most classes end in mid January.
Planned dates in which there will be no classes are:
October 18th-23rd (Illuxcon)
November 20-25 (Thanksgiving)
December 24th-January 2nd (Winter Holiday Break)
Classes may finish before the Winter Holiday Break
Our teachers are all working professionals who may need to travel for professional reasons. If they must miss a class they will notify everyone and add a class to the end of the semester. Most classes end in mid January.
class times
All classes meet live. All class times are listed in US Eastern Time--the time zone of New York City. This time zone observes Daylight Saving Time. For international students it is wise to look up how Daylight Saving Time may influence class time. Daylight's Saving Time will end in our time zone on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Mentorships
The core of SmArt School is our mentorship program. These are highly interactive small groups working for 14 weeks with a renowned artist who also brings a high level industry professional into class to review student work towards the end of class.
If you want to advance your art and your career it is important to work together with a class for a sustained amount of time. Students at SmArt School get the benefit of long term study alongside other students, growing together. The group progresses over the course of fourteen three hour long sessions, longer than an average college semester.
If you want to advance your art and your career it is important to work together with a class for a sustained amount of time. Students at SmArt School get the benefit of long term study alongside other students, growing together. The group progresses over the course of fourteen three hour long sessions, longer than an average college semester.
Course Audits
Course audits have also become a popular item. In a course audit an artist watches a full mentorship as an observer. Learn more about course audits here.