School of Illustration

We Make Art Work

A vibrant digital illustration depicting a girl with long blonde hair in a yellow dress with a floral pattern, reaching out amidst colorful, oversized plants and fungi in a fantastical landscape.

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Images That Speak

At the School of Illustration, you’ll turn ideas into powerful images and train for careers in children’s books, comics, graphic novels, editorial, advertising, and art licensing. Learn from working pros as you master brush, pencil, and digital tools. Explore comics from layout to lettering, sharpen clothed-figure drawing skills, and refine your visual voice. Draw, paint, sculpt, and experiment with AI. Graduate with a portfolio that proves you’re career-ready in the art of storytelling.

Join us: On campus in San Francisco, online, or virtually via Zoom (select classes)

Companies that Employ Our Students

Students & Alumni

Always Creating. Always Moving Forward.

At the Academy, creativity doesn’t pause at graduation; it accelerates. Our students leave with portfolios that speak louder than résumés, catapulting them into creative careers.

This is where passion meets purpose—on campus, in studios, and on global stages.

Our alumni are out there now winning awards, leading teams, and shaping culture.

See More Success Stories
Brenda Amerind

Brenda Amerind

“The instruction at Academy of Art was incredibly helpful — I learned so much from both the reading and the critique assignments, and that feedback really helped me grow as an artist. The support, structure, and community here gave me the space to experiment, strengthen my skills, and push my work further than I ever expected.”

MFA Illustration Student

Joyce Cox

Joyce Cox

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience at the Academy. Each illustration class focuses on something different, with assignments designed to push you outside your comfort zone, like when I got to design an album cover. I’ve loved the flexibility, the variety of classes, and all the opportunities for growth, like the Spring Show. It’s been such a rewarding experience.”

BFA Online Illustration Student

Peili Huang

Peili Huang

“The instructors helped me tremendously, especially since I started with almost no knowledge of art or the industry. They taught me both the craft and how to navigate the professional world—how to connect with people, build my career, and find the right direction for my goals. I benefited greatly from every class and every teacher I had.”

MFA Illustration Alumni, Children’s book Illustrator represented by Illustration Online / Content and Marketing Curator at Pink Light Studio

Tyler Jacobson

Tyler Jacobson

“I learned everything I know from such greats as Bill Maughan, Lisa Berrett, Stephen Player, Randy Berrett, Chuck Pyle, Tim Evatt, Zhaoming Wu, and many more great instructors and professional artists. I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude. Soon after I graduated, I began working for Wizards of the Coast and was honored to be approached by Richard Solomon in New York City for representation.”

http://www.tylerjacobsonart.com/about

MFA Illustration Alumni, Award-winning Illustrator of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Facility Highlights

    FA Equipment lab

    Equipment Lab

    Our equipment lab features state-of-the-art equipment like a jet-milling machine for cutting metal, a McEnglevan MIFCO forge machine, a plasma cutter, and 250-amp welders. The lab also features the only complete art and sculpture neon studio in California, and a mold-making studio for one-, two-, and three-piece plaster and rubber casts.

    A woman in a burgundy top is working on abstract paintings in a brightly lit studio with colorful artwork and supplies around her.

    Painting Studio

    Our painting facilities include full-time anatomy studios and a full-time multimedia room. All classrooms and studios are equipped with easels, tabourets, model stands, spotlights, cleaning stations, and painting storage racks to accommodate any style of painting. The prop room is well-stocked with over 100 fabrics and over 2500 different props for your reference. We also have a dedicated room for framing and photographing art.

    A woman presses clay onto a printing block in a studio with

    Printmaking Studio

    Our main printmaking facility includes six presses for intaglio, relief, and monotype printing. The intaglio and relief studio embraces both traditional and sustainable approaches, with support for both zinc and copper etching. The silkscreen studio concentrates on the photo emulsion process and includes a dedicated darkroom. The studio is equipped with ink, screens, a light table, and digital output capabilities.

    A man works on a scary white sculpture of a seated woman with a bird on her head, using a blowtorch, in a studio with brick walls.

    Sculpture Center

    Our sculpture center houses a complete wax studio with gating and sprue stations, as well as a ceramics room with slurry tank, silica sand stations, front-loading computer programmed electric and gas kilns, a slab roller, extruder, and a pug mill.

    Seven Skutt Electric Kilns
    Mid-sized, top-loading, and digitally controlled, these Skutt kilns offer precise, repeatable firing for bisque, glaze, and mid-range ceramic work—ideal for student projects.

    One Large Cress Side-Loading Kiln
    Our largest electric kiln features a side-hinged door and spacious chamber, perfect for large-scale or high-volume firings, with digital precision and ergonomic loading.

    Two Toki Test Kilns
    Compact and fast, the Toki kilns are built for glaze tests and small projects—speeding up experimentation with quicker heat cycles and efficient results.

    A person welding metal in a workshop while wearing a protective jacket and visor.

    Welding Studio

    Our welding studio features industry standard TIG, MIG, stick, and gas welders; power tools; a sand blaster; and patina stations.

    Person wearing a mask uses a sander on a wooden circular piece in a woodworking shop.

    Wood Shop

    Fabricate objects and jigs on both natural and artificial wood in our wood shop. Work with band saws, drill presses, a jointer, a planer, miter saws, a panel saw, wood shapers, and table routers. Two wood lathes, two isolated sanding rooms with spindle and disc sanders, and one more lathe for working foam plastics give you the control to polish your designs. The wood shop also features four SawStop table saws as part of our ongoing commitment to safety.

    Workers using torches to melt metal in a foundry with flames and protective gear.

    Bronze Foundry

    Located in South San Francisco, our bronze foundry is forged for full-process casting. Multiple crucibles, a hydraulic crane, burnout kiln, sandblaster, and a Laguna Raku kiln give students the tools to transform molten metal into masterpieces.

    A woman wearing a paint-stained apron works with a machine in a workshop, adjusting its frame.

    Framing Shop

    Frame It Right.

    The framing shop is open to all students and is equipped for paintings, works on paper, and more. Turn your work into professionally finished pieces suitable for display.

    Supervised sessions available by appointment only.

    Your work. Professionally finished.