Sketch
Loose shapes first: a circle for the head, one line for the gesture, a curve for the shoulders. Messy is the point — nobody sees this layer.
Taught in Procreate from Zero
Online school · Portland, Oregon
Learn to draw on iPad, one layer at a time.
An online school that teaches adult beginners digital illustration and character design on iPad — self-paced courses you buy once, plus small live cohorts taught in Pacific time.
One-time prices
Captions on every lesson
Pacific-time cohorts
Untitled_Character · 1200 × 1320 px
Layers5/5 layers
3self-paced courses
12max students per cohort
100%of lessons captioned
0subscriptions
The Layerhouse method
Every course follows the way illustrators actually work.
Five layers, in order. Scroll and watch the drawing get built — the same sequence you practice in every lesson.
Lineart
Drop the sketch to 30% opacity, add a layer on top and trace with confidence. StreamLine helps; daily line drills help more.
Taught in Procreate from Zero
Flats
Flat colors on their own layer under the lines. Alpha Lock and clipping masks keep every edge clean and every color easy to change.
Taught in Character Design Foundations
Shading
One Multiply layer in a single cool color. Decide where the light comes from before you paint any dark — that one decision does most of the work.
Taught in Color & Light for Illustrators
Light
A final Add layer for rim light, eye highlights and a few sparkles. Use it like salt: a little makes the whole piece come alive.
Taught in Color & Light for Illustrators
Courses
Start where you are. Buy only what you need.
Three self-paced courses that build on each other, and live cohorts when you want feedback and a schedule.
Procreate from Zero
The app, brushes, layers and confident lines — ending with your first finished illustration.
$89one-timeView course
Character Design Foundations
Shape language, silhouettes, expressions and turnarounds — ending with a full character sheet.
$149one-timeView course
Color & Light for Illustrators
Value first, then palettes, Multiply shading and rim light, with downloadable practice files.
$129one-timeView course
Live cohorts: Character Lab & Sketchbook Sprint
Six weekly 2-hour sessions with individual feedback, or a two-week sprint of short draw-alongs to build a habit. Recordings stay available to your cohort for 60 days.
$390/ $120 per cohortSchedule last checked: Oct 29, 2026See dates
Brush library
Try a few brushes before you buy anything.
A tiny practice pad in your browser. Pick a brush, then draw with a mouse, finger or stylus in the current accent color.
Text alternative: the pad is an optional, pointer-based toy. Nothing in our courses depends on it — real lessons happen in Procreate on your iPad.
Try it — nothing is saved
Curriculum map
A clear path from blank canvas to a finished character.
Take the courses in order, or jump in where you are. Each stop ends with one finished piece you keep.
Procreate from Zero · weeks 1–8Interface, brushes, line confidence. Finish: a simple illustration.
Character Design · weeks 9–20Shapes, silhouettes, expressions. Finish: a character sheet.
Color & Light · weeks 21–28Value, palettes, light. Finish: a lit, colored piece.
Character Lab · optional, liveSix weeks with feedback on one character.
Week ranges assume about 2–3 hours of practice per week. Everyone's pace is different.
What you need
Bring an iPad and a pencil. We bring the path.
- An iPad that supports Apple Pencil. Check Apple's compatibility list before you buy anything.
- A compatible Apple Pencil (any generation your iPad supports).
- Procreate — a one-time App Store purchase, sold separately and not included in our prices.
Procreate is a trademark of Savage Interactive Pty Ltd. iPad and Apple Pencil are trademarks of Apple Inc. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Savage Interactive or Apple.
Student gallery
Finished pieces, not perfect ones.
Lesson exercises from each course. Student work appears here only with a written release.
Straight answers
What we are, and what we are not.
We are
- A small, non-credit, avocational online school for adult beginners in Portland, Oregon.
- Beginner-first: short captioned lessons, patient feedback.
- One-time prices with a published refund policy and online refund requests.
We are not
- An accredited school. We grant no degrees, diplomas or certificates.
- A career program. We make no promises about jobs, commissions or income.
- Affiliated with Savage Interactive (Procreate) or Apple.
Private team workshops
90-minute draw-alongs for teams.
For teams and community groups, scoped and priced by written agreement. Ask about a workshop.
- 90 minutes live on Zoom, scheduled in your time zone
- Up to 30 participants; cameras optional, captions on
- A starter brush set and a printable step sheet for everyone
- One character drawn together, from sketch to light
From $1,200 per session. Scope, price and cancellation terms are set in a written agreement.
Studio facts
- Founded
- 2026 · Portland, Oregon
- Self-paced lessons
- 76 across 3 courses
- Live cohort size
- Max 12 students
- Recordings kept
- 60 days
- Refund window
- 14 days, self-paced
- Support replies
- Within 1–2 business days
A note from the founder
“Most adults who write to us say the same thing: I bought the iPad, opened the app, and froze. That freeze isn't a lack of talent. It's a lack of order.
So we teach order. Sketch, then line, then color, then shadow, then light — one layer at a time, in short lessons you can finish on a weeknight.
Prices are paid once, and if a course isn't for you, the refund request is a simple online form. No phone calls, no letters.”
Maren Castillo
Founder & Lead Instructor, Layerhouse Art LLC
The monthly lesson letter
One free mini-lesson a month, plus new cohort dates when they are confirmed. No countdowns, no pop-ups.