Xing Xing Art Studio

I’ve been attending classes at this art studio for 6 years, and it has become a huge part of my life. The teachers, Mei and Sean, really teach you the basics of shape and color — younger ones start with color pencil and oil pastel, and eventually work their way up to other media: graphite sketches, water color, acrylic, charcoal, and oil painting. They also offer calligraphy and Chinese brush painting. I’m actually shocked by the other bad reviews, because honestly I have no idea where I’d be in life without this class.
Sean is very familiar with the SOTA application process and the department’s expectations, and was a guide for me when I put together a portfolio. He prepared me well for the audition, and I was accepted to SOTA. College applications came around, and I decided to major in architecture. Some schools (mostly privates) required a portfolio, so once again Sean was there to help me out. I worked on my portfolio pieces in class, and was accepted into the architecture programs at schools i submitted portfolios for — USC and the NewSchool of Architecture + Design. I wrote one of my UC personal statements about how these art classes had benefited me and made me grow more passionate about art,…and next year I’m off to UC Berkeley for architecture! I would not have been accepted into these schools without the ongoing support from Sean and Mei and the opportunities they have introduced to me. In 2012, Sean pushed me to enter the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and both me and my friend who also attends Xing Xing, won Silver Key Awards.
On a side note, don’t be worried about being non-​asian in this class. I haven’t spoken a word of Chinese to either Sean or Mei in all my 6 years here, and I took a lot away from the class. All in all, my experiences at Xing Xing have been rewarding, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is searching for an art studio for themselves or their child.

If you’re non-​asian don’t even bother inquiring, you will only receive odd stares.

Don’t be fooled by the modest exterior — this neighborhood Art Studio (combined with a Chinese language school) is the real deal. My daughter studied art here for 2 ½ years with the hope of getting accepted to SOTA. She had excellent instruction in acrylics, oil pastel, charcoal, Chinese brush painting. There is a lot of personalized attention from teacher Sean. In the end, she produced two portfolios (20 original pieces) and was accepted to both SOTA and the Women In The Arts program at Mercy High School. Highly recommended.