I've been a student at Ichen Art Academy for over 4 years now, and needless to say, I've grown a lot within my passion because of the instruction I received at this school. I came in with a love for art, but little knowledge in the technical aspects. Through Ichen's summer programs, I got to explore many different media including charcoal, oil painting, and digital. The academy's instructors are very well educated in the arts and provide a plethora of resources and materials to help me succeed. They provided guidance in composition, technique, color, etc. while motivating me to enter my art into competitions... ultimately which I won a few! Ryan, Ichen Art Academy's Artist in Residence, has provided me with fantastic support over the years. I got a perfect balance of instruction and freedom to allow for the full expression of my artistry. I never felt bored or unmotivated because the instructors constantly provide me with ideas and recommendations when I'm stuck. My AP and college application portfolios both contributed largely to my successful MIT application process, and I am forever indebted to my time at Ichen for this accomplishment. read more

Our two daughters have been taking art lessons at Ichen Art Academy for the last 7+ years (since elementary grade level). Initially, many years ago, we researched several art schools in the Bay Area, specifically in the South Bay, and even tried out a local one near our home for a year (and discovered the instruction was limited). Then we came upon Ichen Art Academy in Fremont, CA. Both our girls have always been creative but needed more instruction on art techniques and development. A major attraction to their art program was the variety of lessons provided to enrich one's mind to the world of art. Ichen Art provided classes on Sketching, Charcoal Drawing, Watercolor, Oil Painting, Chinese Calligraphy and Painting, and Digital Art. Our daughters took the foundational sketching class, which provided a very good opportunity to build one's art skills. The classes and programs offered are very structured and well organized. Their Fremont office manager, Jessica, has been very helpful with scheduling and class registration questions. In addition, not only is Ms. Ichen Wu (founder and principal) one of the instructors, Ichen Art also provides various specialized instructors for the art class offerings, from sketching to watercolor painting to oil painting to digital art to Chinese calligraphy, etc. It was very beneficial to see and learn art from various forms and perspectives. Besides providing art classes, Ichen Art also provides other opportunities for students to enrich their art potential and personal development. They work closely with the Youth Art Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps provide art students leadership training and development (in which our oldest daughter is the student Director of Art). Ichen Art also invites art models to come in and pose for live body art sculpture drawing lessons. Ichen Art has also helped students participate and submit their work of art to various local and national art competitions, where several students have earned top awards, including our oldest daughter. Their various instructors also act as counselors/consultants to help with questions and guidance for the students. Our daughter's oil painting instructor, Ryan, has shared some great advice and guidance on painting perspectives and creating a portfolio. The academy also host seminars and webinars for students and parents that cover topics on developing art portfolios and college preparation. Our oldest daughter in high school developed an interest in fashion design and Ms. Wu set up fashion design lessons with a local instructor, which eventually led to the development of a summer fashion design program at the academy (and our daughter became a teacher assistant/co-instructor for the program). The time invested in the Ichen Art Academy lessons and classes for our daughters have been very positive. Our oldest daughter's interest in fashion design has led to her college pursuits having been accepted to the #1 fashion school in the US. Overall, if you are looking for a great comprehensive art program with very positive results, check out Ichen Art Academy. read more

Looking for an art school? Look no more. Ichen Art School is top notch! My son started taking art classes here when he was 9. He is now 12. All the classes have been wonderful! Ichen Art has also done an AMAZING job of going online with their art classes since COVID 19. My son just completed two sessions of summer camp...one week pets, second week perspective (architecture). Kevin did a wonderful job teaching kids online. I whole heartedly recommend Ichen Art Academy. They are professional, friendly and have really knowledgeable, technically trained staff. Thank you Ichen Art for providing this community with such a wonderful art school. read more

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I've been coming to Ichen for 9 years now, back when her studio was in her house. I'm a huge fan of how Ichen runs her studio, and her lessons are always informative but laid back. Essentially, students can determine what they want from the class, whether it be a laid back, relaxing drawing session, or a three hour, intensive skills training. I've personally never taken any classes from her other instructors, but I've only heard good things. I strongly recommend learning Chinese painting from Ichen, as she is one of the best teachers around. Under her tutelage, I've been able to compete nationally and win awards for my paintings. Plus, she's a fantastic person and a joy to be around. read more

Awesome, awesome art school where your child(ren) can learn core drawing and art skills. Adults alike can also learn from impressive teachers here! They have an amazing "Chinese Painting" teacher (Ichen herself) and classes here. read more

My child has been taking art classes from Ichen's school for several years now, both during the school year and in the summer. The teachers, who are all professional artists, have been universally excellent and offer a great balance of encouragement with positive, constructive feedback. With the closing of in-person schools, the transition to online classes was seamless and the virtual summer workshops have been outstanding - well-taught, well-organized and fun. read more

IChen's teacher and students are all top shots. They are very serious on art and many students went on to top schools like Harvard and Stanford including IChen's own daughter. My daughter are fortunate having the good teacher nurture her art skills here. She got an Gold+ award at Picasso art contest after a year or so studying here. They are really the best here ! read more

My son has been taking his Chinese painting and sketches classes here for couple of years. The instructors that my son has are absolutely amazing and impressive read more

Ichen Art Academy provides different kinds of visual art classes to all different ages, such as charcoal, water coloring, digital, Chinese painting, etc. My two daughters are going there and learning high quality drawing techniques. All teachers in there are professional artists and graduated from art schools. Ichen Art Academy even help high schooler to prepare their art portfolio to apply colleges. What a great place for kids to build up art interests and career path. All teachers and staffs are very nice and friendly! read more

Great art school! Absolutely loved it during my time there. Ms. Ichen is very skilled and teaches well.

I am a student here at Ichen Art Academy, and it's really helpful and fun as well. Teachers and students maintain a good relationship and have meaningful interactions. So far the classes I've taken are Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Sketching, and Oil Painting, and Ichen Art Academy has helped me make progress in all respective areas in no time. Because of the wonderful Chinese Painting and Calligraphy teacher Ichen, I have also gotten a gold award in Chinese Painting. In addition the summer camps here are very informative and intuitive. All in all, very good, five stars. read more

The teachers and students are so friendly and are really good resources if you ever love to do art. I've improved dramatically because of them. read more

Awesome place!! I started when I was around 9 and now I'm 13. They definitely helped me improve my skills in art and observation . Definitely recommend this this place to any hobbyists or hardcore artists. read more

Below is my review 3 years ago in March 2013 with an update that follows: My son took 4 sessions of Summer Camp last year and loves it so much we continued with Ichen Art Academy for 2 classes during the semester. The teachers are professional and really work hard to help the children improve their skills and express themselves through art. I highly recommend this school! As of today 04/06/2016, my older son has been studying at Ichen's for 3 years, second son for about 2 years, and a close friend's son for over 1 year. I have continued to send my sons and recommended others to go to Ichen's because I see how much they learn and grow both in art and in personal character. When they were younger, my sons took Creative Arts as recommended which helped them learn confidence in their creativity, basic techniques, and storytelling through art. After about a year, I enrolled them in the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy classes. My older son has earned over 5 awards in Bay Area and national competitions all in first or second places in Chinese Painting and Calligraphy classes over the last 3 years, and my younger son and friend's son are both nationally competitive as well. However, what I respect most about Ichen is not her extremely professional art instructions, the pleasant environment in her schools, her genuine love for her students, nor her willingness to attend to each student's individual needs. I am sure all of the above helped the children achieve their confidence and awards in art. I feel what makes Ichen and her programs so special is that she teaches patience, persistence, discipline, kindness and self-motivation through art. Ichen motivates her students well beyond what they think they are capable of. She is there when they fall short and teaches them how to succeed through learning from themselves. She does so through her patience, kindness, and her example as a teacher. The results are amazing and you can see personal growth in her students' wonderful art work. I think that is what makes Ichen and her school above and beyond what a regular art teacher or program could offer. I would rate Ichen and her school 6 stars if I could. I am grateful for everything that she has taught my children including art and beyond. I recommend her school and programs wholeheartedly. read more

My son has been coming to their drawing class on weekends for 3 yrs. He has the best time learning how to draw and sketch with his teachers, esp. Wendy and Tammy. I found all the instructors, including the owner, very friendly, patient, approachable, encouraging and loving. They provided quality 1-on-1 hands-on and individualized teaching to the kids, especially when my son struggled with a technique or w drawing what he liked. Wendy would even let him stay late to finish his painting quietly during her next class or during her cleanup. After each lesson, parents would receive update from teachers each week as they wished. Scheduling is very flexible since they offer many classes at different times making makeup a breeze. I notice how much he improves each year. We enjoy the classes so much that we would try their summer camp. read more

Both of my children attended Ichen Art Academy for many years. The older one had some background in art. When he observed how Ichen did the Chinese painting, he was fascinated. Ichen not only is an artist herself, but she is also a great teacher. My older one learned quite a lot from her, and more importantly, developed and maintained his interest in art after all these years considering how busy he is in high school now. The younger one had no experience in art, and he followed brother to Ichen Art Academy. He had various classes: children creative art, drawing sketch. Every teacher he had was great, who understood how to develop kids' interest and helped them to improve. Ichen also worked with me to advance the younger one's level based on his progress instead of just . I highly recommend Ichen Art Academy. read more

This is one of the best classes I have learned art at. My son has learned a lot in this class, and the teachers are great. They help and encourage my child to do better. I have seen a huge difference in his art from the beginning of his art class to now. I would encourage other students looking for art classes to come here. read more

The teachers here are great. The owner (teaches Chi Painting), and two other teachers my kids learn from (Teacher Liang, Teacher Oliver, Teacher Ryan) are all very patient and encouraging! Not only they teach my kids the skills on how to draw, they educate them the art of Drawing. My kids love going there, and enjoy their once a week classes. I wish I could afford to let them have more classes each week. read more

vI have been coming to Ichen for 5 years or so. I have learned so much from all the teachers that I have been in class with. Classes were so fun yet at the same time extremely informative. I don't think I would've gotten into Art Center without the help of my teachers, not just informatively but also emotionally. They support and believe in all their students. I learned so many different styles of art and different mediums of art. It has made me only into a stronger artist. Teachers push you out of your comfort zone to get us to become better artists. read more

GREAT PLACE WITH FREE WIFI AND FREE FOOD. I've been taking the Chinese painting class (with ichen) for a few years now and it COULD NOT BE BETTER. she's really approachable, super generous and the atmosphere is PERFECT for painting. I've also taken a charcoal class and am currently taking their AP art class (both with Ryan) and those are really great too. The AP art class is especially helpful for students currently enrolled in their high school's AP art class who need an extra boost. HIGHLY RECOMMEND 10/10 you will not be disappointed!! PS: there's a 7-11 across the street just FYI :) read more

Best place to learn Chinese painting! Teacher Ichen is excellent and very knowledgeable. My son has been taking classes at the art school when he was younger, and now, he and I are taking the Chinese art class together. read more

My daughter has taking the class for over one year and she got an excellent improvement there. She enjoys the drawing time and feels happy. The staff in Ichen is also kind and excellent. She is always patient and helps us the questions no matter they are out of their business. I have asked about the summer activities and future college application cases and we got satisfied answers. I would like to recommend Ichen for the people like drawing. read more

I started as a student here before Ichen opened this art academy, and these few years I have never felt that I wanted to quit. She's nurtured my love for art and design. Every art instructor here is absolutely amazing and has aided me in furthering my art development. I highly recommend this art school for people of all ages, because here you can always find a class that is catered to your interests. You'll never leave this academy disappointed. Attending this art academy was absolutely life changing for me! read more

My daughter has been studying with Teacher Wu for Chinese Painting since she was 8. What amazes me is that Teacher Wu's ability to make something complicated so simple to learn. My daughter was able to draw some nice Chinese paintings in a 2 months. Obviously this helps to keep her motivated and continue with the learning. Teacher Wu is a very kind teacher and knows how to instruct and motivate children. Recently, I sent my other child to learn with her. The new facility is very open and welcoming. Totally recommend Teacher Wu! read more

My child has been taking art classes at this school over 3 years. She started from Children's Creative Art and systematically moved on to Drawing & Sketch level 1 then now level 2. She learned and benefited a lot from several art instructors and she has made a great progress so far. Most importantly, her interest in art has increased significantly. Instructors and facility here are professional. It's a great place for children to learn art. read more

I've been at Ichen Art Academy for so many years. I began as a chinese painting student learning from Ichen. My first impression of this art academy is that Ms. Ichen Wu is incredibly patient and talented. She teaches the fundamentals of chinese art step by step and then gradually builds up the material so the student is able to paint anything she desires. As the art academy expanded, I began to also take the AP Art class. It's basically studio time, where the student can self guide themselves and delve into areas of art they are interested in. The AP art courses foster creativity in students. Because of the supportive environment in Ichen art academy, I was able to improve vastly and move more towards the design field. The teachers here are kind and supportive of their students. Due to the engaging environment and helpful teachers, I received a 5 on the AP art test. I used some pieces I created during the Art studio classes in my college applications, and I got accepted into my two dream universities in Los Angeles. Ichen has always reached out to me and has guided me through my journey to finding my style as an artist. She has supported me no matter what, and she is truly a loving person. She always considers what is best for her students, and truly motivates students to improve. Her love for her students is undeniable, and she always prioritizes their future. She is one of the biggest factors to my progress in art and design. She acts as a motherly figure who guides students to success without extinguishing their passion. read more