Instructors
Patient teachers who still draw every day.
A small team that teaches beginners on purpose — and still draws every day.
Maren Castillo
Founder & Lead Instructor
Fourteen years designing characters for children's apps and indie games; BFA in Illustration. Has taught adult beginner drawing classes since 2018. Teaches Character Design Foundations and Character Lab.
Daniel Okafor
Procreate Instructor
Editorial illustrator who moved from paper to iPad in 2016 and has taught adults at community centers and online for seven years. Teaches Procreate from Zero and Sketchbook Sprints.
Jules Tran (they/them)
Color & Light (guest)
Painter and background artist with ten years of color work for animation and picture books. Teaches Color & Light as a guest instructor under a per-course contract.
Denise Holloway
Student Support & Accessibility
Twelve years in community-college disability services. Handles refunds, accommodations, caption and transcript requests, and privacy requests.
Photos and names are published only with each person's consent.
How we teach
- Layer by layer. One skill per lesson, in the order artists work.
- Short video + practice. 8–15 minutes, then you draw.
- Honest feedback. About the next step, never about "talent".
Disclosures
The Color & Light instructor is a guest under contract. Instructors are paid by Layerhouse Art LLC. If anyone recommends a product they earn from (an affiliate link or sponsorship), we disclose it on the same screen, per the FTC Endorsement Guides. We receive no payment from Savage Interactive or Apple.