Just before the pandemic began, I had about five students — all of them found through the Superprof platform. I split my time between going to the homes of the two younger ones and teaching the older ones in my own studio.
When lockdown was announced, I was still living with my grandmother and had set up a small studio in the backyard of her house. The internet there was unstable, and I didn’t have a webcam or microphone for my desktop. So, to keep my students, I started giving classes from my bedroom using just my phone.
That’s when I realized two things: First, my students were making a lot of mistakes because they couldn’t properly see what I was drawing. Second, the lockdown was clearly going to last much longer than anyone had expected.
So, I decided to invest: I bought a good webcam, a graphics card, a new drawing tablet (Wacom Intuos), a microphone, and a camera mount. I also fixed the internet issues in my studio.
And that’s how what I affectionately call “Val’s Little Web School” was born.
I subscribed to Google Meet Plus and Adobe Creative Cloud to upgrade my work tools. I also invested in promoting my classes — and it paid off.
In just three months, I went from 5 students to 10, then 15, and eventually 25 students taking regular weekly classes, either one-on-one or in groups.
During this process, I developed my own method for teaching drawing online, overcame my fear of digital art, and built a setup that turns my studio into a virtual classroom.
Even after the pandemic, I’ve continued offering online classes to people from all over the world. I’ve had students from nearly every state in Brazil — and even from other countries!
One interesting thing that happened along the way: I began receiving many neurodivergent students. I’m not sure if it’s because we, as neurodivergent people, tend to be drawn to the arts, or if being ADHD myself makes it easier for me to understand their needs and adapt my teaching with more empathy.
Today, I continue to teach and constantly improve my method. I keep my schedule open for new students on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
The trial class is free — it’s a chance for us to get to know each other and tailor the method to your specific needs. Prices and the list of materials are shared upon request. You can find more information in the “Classes” section of the website, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
If you'd like to book a trial class, just send me a message! I'd be thrilled to be part of your journey.