Testimonials and artwork produced by Silver Drawing Academy students!

All artwork shown is from exercises and drawing drills within SDA

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"Having bought plenty of art books and various courses in the past this has been the best money I've spent by far. I think what you have created is truly unique and definitely the best thing to come out of 2020."

Simon Sperry

"First and foremost, I have to say your site and school provide some of the highest value of any drawing/artistic instructional site on the internet. You've truly created something amazing and I was overwhelmed at the amount of high quality content on offer."

David Woodgate

"I’m definitely seeing a progression in my work already just throughout the course. Thank you for SDA I’ve taken a lot of classes online for art throughout the years and these courses have progressed me more than all the other ones combined!"

Theodore Fergason

Student Alumni

A FEW OF THE MANY PAST STUDENTS THAT HAVE GONE ON TO HAVE SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

“The first time I read and studied “The Silver Way”, it was a real eyeopener for me on many levels. It’s an awesome book about character design, filled with knowledge, fun tutorials, techniques and tips. I can say it absolutely helped me to make big steps in improving my character design skills. When people ask me if I have any tips in getting better at character design, I always recommend them to read and study this book.“

Jeremy Hoffman

"I have been a character designer for the last 10 years, and I feel I owe stephen silver my gratitude. The courses I took from him really helped launch my career as a designer. I have never been a “school guy” but any course stephen is teaching, I would like to take. The truth is, I get asked often by young artists what courses they should take for character design, and for years I have been recommending stephen silvers courses. ... if you’re reading this, just take the course already!"

Alan Stewart

"Silver Drawing Academy is a perfect source for any artist who wants to improve their skills, mindset, and artistic discourse. I learned a lot through one on one video critiques with Stephen, zoom drawing sessions and sketching along with streaming videos. You really feel like he’s following along with you every step of the way, it’s truly an encouraging experience."

Sam Borchard

Before and After Examples

"This course has been one of the best investments I have ever made.

Right from the end of week one I saw improvement in my drawing that has continued to progress over the course of the eight weeks that I have taken the class. I have learned a tremendous amount, seen my skills improve, and have been encouraged by taking this course. I highly recommend taking it to anyone who wants to learn character design or for designers, like me, who want to improve and be better at their craft."

Tad Butler, Member

"I already feel stronger about my skills!

Thank you os much for the critiques, Stephen, it was SO much help! I really pushed the tilts and used the egg theory to help me keep the direction and volumes even. I loved the new version so much I did a tighter finish on it! The tips really helped me so much!

I can't thank you enough that you took the time to help me! I already feel stronger about my skills!"

Member

"This is a fantastic site. You learn the ropes around art techniques, the art business as well as the right attitude for success. The lessons range from beginner to things even pros must know, especially around character design. The community is great and Stephen is always there, encouraging and guiding us. I'm so happy this academy exists."

James Francis

"I really enjoy learning from the Silver Drawing Acadamy. Stephen Silver is a fantastic character designer and teacher. The short video format works perfectly for me (Father of 2 daughters and a full-time job) The contents are incredible and well organized. It also provides resource for reference to draw from. The monthly live Zoom drawing session was super fun and helpful. Not to mention the respectful community to share and learn from."

Ka Yin

"Having been a fan of Stephen Silver for some time, I was thrilled to find out that he had started his Academy. After a few weeks of video classes, doing the drills, and most importantly, getting Stephen’s direct feedback, I have seen great growth in my skill and understanding of what makes a character work. If you're looking to take your skills up a level, you can’t find a better place than the Stephen Silver Academy!"

Dwayne Biddix

"Since starting the classes, I've seen a huge improvement in skill, and confidence. I do highly recommend this online school for anyone looking to push themselves. Self teaching is good, but with structure. it helps to see fast improvement, plus the weekend drawing with stephen drawing is a main reason to sign up, a lot of schools struggle to understand what an animator really is, and this helped a lot."

Josh Ohmes

"Stephen Silver is a knowledgeable and motivating mentor. His Silver Drawing Academy is exactly what I have been looking for to push my artistic abilities to the next level. The lessons themselves are short, to the point and more than worth the cost. Not to mention the amazing community and the great feedback from Mr. Silver himself.

The Silver Drawing academy is an

amazing opportunity for any artist beginner or advanced, I only wish it was available sooner."

@courtneybuntingart - Instagram

Courtney Bunting

"SDA is a valuable learning resource if you’re looking for an online art school that teaches easy to understand and practical lessons that you can apply instantly to improve your drawing skills. Stephen Silver is a genuinely outstanding teacher and is devoted to sharing his 30+ years of art experience, wisdom and techniques so you can grow as an artist."

Ahmed Sidky

The lessons are laid out with a short instructional followed by assignment that reinforces what is being taught. I also love the fact that your site allows each lesson to be marked complete because even though I will be revisiting the ones I have marked complete it helps me organize what lessons I have already done/worked on. I also really enjoy the amount of time Stephen spends reviewing and looking at everyone’s assignments.

Erica Bey

The Silver Drawing Academy is an incredible resource for anyone seeking to sharpen their character design skills or drawing abilities. The site is filled with hundreds of short and positive drawing tutorial videos. It's great for busy people who may only have a few spare minutes per day to sketch. The affordable yearly membership also provides the priceless opportunity to sketch on monthly live Zoom chats with Stephen and ask questions. Attending art school can be expensive and overwhelming as students try to cater to many classes and teachers all at once. Through the Silver Academy, I love learning what I want at my own pace; which allows me to focus on one principle at a time. It is incredibly generous of Stephen Silver to have made all these engaging, upbeat, bite-sized lessons to pass along the skills he has learned over his astounding career.

@mattwattsart on instagram

Matt Watts

The platform is incredible. I went through all the fundamentals you are sharing. The lessons you taught deconstructed my way to drawing and push it further. I just wanna say thank you for your devotion of throwing this valuable art lessons to the community and keep it affordable. Teachers like you keeps the students motivated and hungry to learn more and I wish I've had a teacher like you during my animation degree.

Antonio Lopez Socias

I joined the Silver Drawing Academy a month ago or so, last week I watched a 4 minute lesson and after it, I was able to focus on the right things and catch the feeling of a pose for the first time in my life (I think), it also helped me to push things (which is something I struggle with). In a matter of seconds my drawings changed dramatically for the better, it’s pretty insane. Go join if you can is worth every single penny.

Juana Mool

I'm really motivated to keep going and improving. To be honest, SDA has been a huge motivation and I love the way you teach and you keep an eye on us, that's truly amazing. I'm enjoying the lessons very much, all of them have made me get out of my comfort zone and are pushing me at the same time as I'm having fun creating new things; and I'm really thankful for that. I must say the combination of everything in SDA is wonderful, I love the forum because I love to see my classmates work, your classes and the way you teach, how I feel you are accompanying me/us in the path and everything!!!

Robin González

I want to thank you for all the amazing work that you are putting into SDA, it's been really a great experience for me and I have definitely seen an improvement in my work. As a person living in a country that doesn't offer many art classes that focus on the entertainment industry, I feel very grateful for being able to access these courses online.

Diana Luna