“When my son decided to pursue his love for animating in college, and needed help to create portfolio-worthy work, I happened to be taking painting classes with Zhenya. Having experienced first-hand her incredible talent as a painter, her wonderful enthusiasm for teaching, the breadth of her knowledge of art and art history, and her kind and insightful support, I was thrilled to find out about her portfolio classes. As with all her students, Zhenya first built trust, so my son quickly became confident in his drawing abilities and excited to express them in her studio. Surrounded by Zhenya’s own brilliant paintings, he was inspired to draw in ways he never imagined. She brought in the best professional models for classical figure drawings and portraits, but just as readily worked with him on his digital drawings. As a result, my son was accepted into USC’s Animation and Digital Arts program! I couldn’t be more grateful for Zhenya and everything she taught him.”

“I am the mother of a fourteen year old girl who has loved drawing and painting from a very young age and was longing for formal training to broaden and sharpen her skills. I enrolled her in the program several months ago, and she has truly loved every moment. I have been so impressed with the care and attention my daughter’s mentor provides, along with the depth of the instruction and the range of techniques that she learned. As a result, she has been accepted to a highly competitive Ryman Arts program. My daughter has grown dramatically as an artist and, more importantly, her passion for art has been ignited!”

“Zhenya is incredible! I came to her to help me create a portfolio for college applications. She taught me how to draw figures and portraits. She helped me create exciting fictional worlds as well. With her help I got accepted to USC with a major in animation. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything she taught me.”

“Shortly before my son’s fourteenth birthday he decided he wanted to become an animator. We began looking into what art schools sought after in their applicants. We realized we wouldn’t be able to accomplish meeting the requirements on our own. This program was exactly what Josh needed and through this mentorship Josh’s skills and confidence increased dramatically. When it came time to apply to college, our mentor provided my son with letters of recommendation. Joshua was accepted at Otis College of Art and Design where he was the recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, awarded to the top 10% of portfolios.”

“For our sixteen year old daughter, this program has been transformative. Always a talented artist, she was stuck, not only in her artwork but in her life. The teenage years can be particularly challenging for a creative, sensitive soul. Zhenya Gershman not only gave our daughter an understanding of her remarkable gift as an artist but also direction to maneuver her way through her troubled high school years. Our mentor has an amazing ability to extract, with patience and love, a student’s creative core. We feel blessed to have found this opportunity.”