Teaching Portfolio
My philosophy
My passion is helping students see that art isn't just about talent. It's about curiosity, persistence, and training the eye to see things differently. I tell them every year:Your job isn't to be a camera, but a translator. My role is to help them understand that good design grows from observation, imagination, and the courage to make mistakes.
As an artist trained in animation and visual development, I teach through process: how to think in shapes, how to plan a composition, and how to connect visual choices to personal meaning. Every project, no matter the medium, is an opportunity to slow down and ask why: Why this pose? Why this color? Why this story? When students start asking those questions themselves, I achieve my goal in creating a budding artist.
In my classroom, feedback is a conversation, not a correction. I believe in meeting students where they are, guiding them to discover their own visual language instead of replicating mine. I encourage experimentation, humor, and honesty—values I bring from my own creative practice.
Ultimately, my goal is to help students leave with a more than finished portfolio piece. I want them to carry a sense of ownership, confidence, and joy in the making. Art is a lifelong dialogue with the world around us; we make magic in real time. I'm here to give every student of mine the tools and the mindset to keep that conversation, that magic, alive long after class ends.
Luckie Art Studio, Summer 2023
Kicked off the start of my career teaching pattern-making, character design, children's book illustration, sticker design, and environment painting as part of an introductory summer course for digital art.
Luckie Art Studio, Fall 2023-Spring 2024
Continued at Luckie Art Studio teaching Beginner Digital for students aged 6-11, and Advanced Digital art for students aged 12-16. College portfolio development and preparation for Scholastic Art & Writing Awards became a core focus for my older students.
New Legacy Cultural Center, Summer 2024
Hosted a short 7-week program for elementary schoolers to learn the basics of digital art at Harrington Elementary School. I taught pattern-making, sticker design, and comic art.
Luckie Art Studio, Fall 2024-Summer 2025
Continuing at Luckie Art Studio, my introductory courses to Beginner digital art students stayed the same. In contrast, my Advanced students continued with composition studies, value studies, perspective studies, and RISD-inspired, prompt-based illustrations. Their focus continued to be college portfolio development and preparation for Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
