“Mark makes art fun and easy!  His skill as a ZOOM Art Instructor is FANTASTIC!  The passion he has shines through in every lesson.  He is enthusiastic and funny, and teaches art concepts effortlessly, in a way that kids (and parents!) can understand and immediately apply to their own art!  I highly, highly recommend his ZOOM Art classes! All three of my children participated in his summer camp, and loved every minute!“.

P.S.  Amorelle says she loves how you drew her with her long hair, and also to remind you that she is not AmorellE, but that Amorelle rhymes with ISABELLE.

Also…, I think it will be a very long time before anyone in our house can say hair without someone else yelling HAIR!!!!  

Love it, blessings on you guys, and thanks again! “

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– Beth-Anna Van Dellen

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“Mr. Mark taught me to draw first during ‘The Secret City’ PBS Children’s art series in the 1980’s.  Fast forward to these last 7 weeks of Summer Art camp, and I’ve been able to re-learn everything from my past and propel myself into the future all while breaking through the worst art block I had ever had. Mr. Mark pours his passion into every class, and before you know it, all four hours of the camp day are over, but what do you want to do after? Draw MORE, of course! These classes are amazing, and well worth the financial investment. It’s fun for the entire family! Try it, you will have an amazing creative time! “

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– Mellodi P

Northern California

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“Like so many others my age, my first love for drawing and the arts started with Commander Mark’s Secret City. He was (and is) my hero! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that 35 years later, my kids would be getting live interactive lessons with him!!! Mark’s online summer camp was the BEST art camp experience my kids have ever had, and honestly, it’s the best online classroom experience I’ve ever witnessed. It was so well organized, and every single one of the talented teachers made sure to engage the kids, and shared so much of their wonderful talents with them. My kids cried when camp ended because they’d loved the experience so much. And now, I have a room full of the amazing artwork they created. It was such an amazing experience- I can’t recommend it enough. We’ll definitely be participating in your NEW Online Fine Arts Academy! We will be bringing more friends and family with us!!!”

“Myself and my two boys have been on Mark Kistler’s Zoom Art Lessons this whole week. I came across Mark’s work through his Draw in 30 days book during the COVID 19 lockdown here in Scotland. This book literally changed my life. I didn’t think I could draw before this but boy did Mark prove me wrong. He is right if you can draw your name you can draw in 3D. After completing the book, I searched for Marks YouTube channel and came across his hour of pencil power. My sons joined me on taking part in this daily activity. It became part of our lock down routine but also part of our escape from the worries around us. When the opportunity to participate in the summer camps came up, we were so excited and signed up straight away. We had been looking forward to being on for weeks and we were not disappointed. My sons and I drew and laughed at Marks stories, sitting side by side at our kitchen table. What a great way to reconnect and have fun with your children I promise you that. I am also a teacher and Mark’s ability is second to none, he copes with everything so seamlessly and really make you feel part of a really wonderful child friendly experience. I for one love being “Emma from Scotland”. We have loved drawing with Captain Mark, so much so we have signed up for his Fine Arts Academy! Suddenly winter in Scotland doesn’t really feel like it will be a problem or long this year. All we will need are our pencils and paper and our imaginations. Thank you Mark we love drawing with you, it changed our lives! We will never forget our year of drawing in 2020. We would recommend Mark and his drawing to everyone. Emma, John and Jacob from Scotland.”

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Thanks

 

— Emma McDonald

Scotland

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Our 13-year old absolutely loved the ZOOM drawing lessons! Mark is a brilliant combination of cheerful energy and skillful direction. Each drawing is 10-15 minutes, which is perfect for building art abilities while keeping the attention of busy young minds. The family sessions were a delightful bonus; I surprised myself at what I could draw!

—Kara Mash

Sugar Land

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Your Zoom Art Classes have been amazing! Juliana has looked forward to logging in and participating every chance she gets. And I have enjoyed being able to participate a couple of times myself. Thank you for doing what you do!! You have awakened a passion for art in our house!!

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— Theresa M.

Roswell, NM

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Mr. Kistler,

      First, let me start off by saying that my experience with one of your books has fundamentally changed my entire perspective on learning how to draw. Because of this, I felt compelled to write you a letter of appreciation.

I’ve wanted to learn how to draw ever since I was a young child. Like many young children, I was discouraged when I was little because my drawings didn’t look how I wanted them to look. In my self-critical eye, my drawings didn’t look like much of anything, and I never had an art teacher who encouraged me to persist. I convinced myself that drawing must be a talent…that you can’t learn to draw unless you have the innate ability to do so. So, I stopped drawing, and did not pick up a drawing pencil again for many decades.

      About five years ago, I picked up a “learn to draw for beginners” book by a different author. I did some of the exercises, but it never really “clicked” because the explanations in the book were written at a level far beyond what a beginner wants or needs to know. I almost felt embarrassed when my feeble sketches came nowhere close to resembling the expertly-drawn examples in that book. I was discouraged by my perceived lack of progress and abandoned my lessons before really getting anywhere. That same “drawing is a talent” opinion only strengthened in my mind after that failure as an adult.

      However, about 6 weeks ago, I came across your “You Can Draw in 30 Days” book on my Kindle. The first thought in my mind was, “*I* can draw in 30 days? Pfft! Prove it!” Since we’re all in some sort of lockdown, I figured I could devote a few minutes per day to see if you were right. So I purchased your book, took out my long-dormant sketch pad and pencils, and dove into the first lesson.

      My skeptical attitude was completely gone after that first sphere lesson. There’s something about your teaching style that immediately clicked with me. You present concepts in an easy-to-understand, non-threatening manner that instantly put me at ease. I didn’t feel badly if my initial sketches didn’t resemble the reference as closely as I would like them to. Your positive attitude comes across both through your writing and in the drawings you chose for the examples. I never felt as if I should give up just because my sketches weren’t quite where I wanted them to be. I could almost hear you encouraging me through the book to try again, to really study the lines in the exercises and give it another try. I went from never drawing to spending a couple hours per day on it. I flew through all 30 lessons in the book in 2 weeks and went back to repeat many of them.

      Now, on the other end of the book, I know for sure that drawing is, indeed, a learned skill. I’m starting to see the shapes in everyday objects and have begun to sketch them as well. This would have never happened if it weren’t for your book. Thanks to the confidence this book gave me, I know that my nascent skills will continue to improve if I put in the effort every day. After approximately 35 years of WANTING to learn how to draw, this middle-aged man can now say that he IS learning how to draw! I have learned more about drawing from that book than I have from any other source.

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Simply put: Thank you for publishing these books. I will always remember that you were the one who was responsible for giving me the confidence I needed to pursue a lifelong desire.

Sincerely,

 

-Greg Scott

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Greg and I our in our fifties-not too old to learn new things, though! We enjoy staying young and strong in spirit through our new ritual of drawing each evening with Mark Kistler and new friends on his ZOOM Fine Arts Academy! During this stressful time of Covid home isolation, Mr. Mark has inspired us to take a much needed break from the real world and explore joyful creative possibilities with our IMAGINATION! His LIVE ZOOM webcasts are wonderful for ALL ages and ALL artistic skill levels. We just love how Mr. Mark engages each of us participants often, personally, every lesson. Greg and I have discovered It’s an ideal “Date Night!” 5-nights a week!

 

-Terry and Greg Bradburn

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You’ve got to try Mark’s live Zoom classes! Mark’s energy and ability to engage kids and adults alike really comes through in a live session. Live drawing together is so much better than recorded lessons (although those are really good too).

Since we’ve been home a lot more during the pandemic, we started watching Mark’s live Facebook drawing sessions. We took Mark up on his offer to join a free Fine Arts Academy Zoom session. Our whole family was drawing together and having so much fun with Mark! We’ve signed up and everyone is always excited by what they’ve drawn during each class. From a 6 year old, to teenagers, and even us parents, are all having a great time and are seeing real results from Mark’s drawing lessons. Come join us on the calls – you’re going to love it.

 

-The Carrasco Family