Los Angeles Academy Of Art, Los Angeles

Realizing their community's limited resources for foundational art education, the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA) was founded in 2002 as a portal for blossoming art students to sharpen skills with the help of talented, professional artists. An eclectic team of instructors was assembled through a hand-selection process that yielded skill sets from the realms of fine art, digital art and software. Now in its 17th year of art education, the school—named a top 10 school worldwide by a well-respected art magazine—acts as a springboard for students pursuing degrees in fine arts or the digitally driven world of video-game and film entertainment art. Individual classes afford à la carte education for beginning and advanced students of sculpture, drawing, painting, and illustration. LAAFA seeks to assist all students in achieving their artistic goals.