Teen Studios

Back to Continuing and Professional Studies

Opportunities for high school students to develop their portfolios and elevate their creative skills

Ringling College Teen Studios offers traditional and digital art experiences to students, ages 13-18, eager to elevate their creative skills.

Through hands-on projects students will develop, refine, and learn methods to achieve their artistic aspirations. Whether students enroll in multiple studio courses or just one, it’s a great way to meet other artists and get to know the College. Join us to develop your studio techniques and work on exciting new digital and maker space projects. Refine your style and practice while enjoying the process and gaining insight into creative career opportunities.

Explore Other Teen Programs

Weekly Schedules Summer 2025

Week A: June 2-5

Morning

Glass Blown Forms

9 am-12:30 pm
Noah Coleman

Take a dip into glass blowing or build on your experience creating unique glass objects.

Morning

Letterpress Workshop

9 am-12:30 pm
Cheri Marks

Using the traditional letterpress printing process with wood and metal type, explore the powerful art of propaganda poster design in this hands-on workshop.

Morning

Character Design

9 am-12:30 pm
William Ferrell

Students bring your very own characters to life as you adventure with us, fueled by your imagination.

Afternoon

Cel Animation

1:30-5 pm
Jared Greenleaf

Learn the basics of cel animation to Create a short 2D animation

Afternoon

Concept Art: Relating Design and Story

1:30-5 pm
William Ferrell

Learn how concept artists use simple tricks to create a relationship between design and story in this digital arts workshop.

Week B: June 9-12

Morning

Illustration

9 am-12:30 pm
William Ferrell

Learn how to tell stories and communicate ideas through the visual language of illustration. Practice composing images to express emotion and create interesting characters and scenes.

Morning

Environmental Sketchbook Design

9 am-12:30 pm
George Cwirko-Godycki

Explore the world around you through sketching! This class focuses on observational drawing techniques, composition, and creative interpretation of natural and urban environments.

Morning

Pushing Boundaries: Drawing Outside the Lines

9 am-12:30 pm
Sylviane De Roquebrune

In this dynamic, fast-paced course, you’ll explore new techniques, stretch your creative courage, and experiment beyond the usual boundaries to bring fresh energy to your work.

Afternoon

Storyboarding

1:30-5 pm
William Ferrell

Join us as we frame the characters and special effects from your imagination into powerful stories.

Afternoon

Digital Animation Background Design

1:30-5 pm
George Cwirko-Godyki

Learn the fundamental principles of background design for animation! This course covers perspective, composition, and environmental storytelling, focusing on staging dynamic settings.

Week C: June 16-19

Morning

Storyboarding

9 am-12:30 pm
William Ferrell

Join us as we frame the characters and special effects from your imagination into powerful stories.

Morning

Character Design

9 am-12:30 pm
George Cwirko-Godycki

Students bring your very own characters to life as you adventure with us, fueled by your imagination.

Morning

Sketchbook: Mixed Media

9 am-12:30 pm
Sylviane De Roquebrune

Dive into the ultimate creative adventure! In this course, you’ll transform your sketchbook into a one-of-a-kind journal filled with bold ideas, fresh techniques, and personal discoveries.

Morning

Drawing Fundamentals

9 am-12:30 pm
Dr. Jackie Henson-Dacey

Exploring a variety of drawing media, students will learn fundamental drawing techniques and gain a working knowledge of the basic elements and principles of design such as line, shape, perspective, proportion, volume, and composition.

MORNING

VR Game Workshop: Build Your Own Obstacle Course

9 am-12:30 pm
Martin Murphy

Step into the world of game design and virtual reality in this hands-on workshop! Students will be introduced to Unreal Engine, and learn how to create their own interactive VR obstacle course.

Afternoon

Digital Painting

1:30-5 pm
William Ferrell

Learn to create artistic images with Photoshop brushes along with the mixer brush and other features.

Afternoon

Sequential Drawing for Movement

1:30-5 pm
George Cwirko-Godyki

Master the art of drawing movement! This class explores key animation principles, including anticipation, action, termination, squash and stretch, and overlapping action.

Teen Studios: June 1–June 19, 2026

Week A: June 1–5

Morning

Environment Design

Students sit at computer workstations in a classroom, collaborating and working on digital design projects.

9 am–12 pm
George Cwirko-Godycki

This course introduces students to the principles behind designing environments for animation, games, and visual storytelling.

Morning

Glass Blown Forms

9 am–12 pm
Noah Coleman

Take a dip into glass blowing or build on your experience creating unique glass objects.

Morning

Creature Design: Aliens!

9 am–12 pm
William Ferrell

In this course, students explore the full creative journey of creature design—from concept to final artwork.

Morning

3D Creature Design

Student uses a drawing tablet and computer to create a digital character design in a classroom setting.

9 am–12 pm
David Dannelly

Learn the basics of digital sculpture for creating creatures in 3D!

Morning

Create a Virtual Reality Game

Student wearing headphones working on a computer with a digital design project open on screen in a classroom setting.

9 am–12 pm
Owen Murphy

Students will learn the basic processes for creating synthetic objects using 3D software.

Afternoon

Sequential Storytelling

1–4 pm
George Cwirko-Godycki

This course teaches students how artists visually plan and communicate a story through sequential images.

Afternoon

Digital Painting: Monster Factory

1–4 pm
William Ferrell

In this course, students will design and paint original creatures using professional tools such as Photoshop or Procreate.

Afternoon

3D Game Design

Student using dual monitors at a workstation in a digital media lab, editing content on a computer

1–4 pm
David Dannelly

Learn the basics of digital game design to create a wacky tower defense game.

Week B: June 8–12

Morning

Sketchbook Practice

9 am–12 pm
George Cwirko-Godycki

This course helps students develop strong creative habits through consistent sketchbook use.

Morning

Glass Blown Forms

9 am–12 pm
Noah Coleman

Take a dip into glass blowing or build on your experience creating unique glass objects.

Morning

Storyboarding: Music Videos

9 am–12 pm
William Ferrell

In this one-week course, students will learn how to plan a music video using storyboarding, the same process used in film, animation, games, and so much more.

Morning

3D Game Design

9 am–12 pm
David Dannelly

Learn the basics of digital game design to create a wacky tower defense game.

Afternoon

Wildlife Illustration

1–4 pm
George Cwirko-Godycki

This course teaches students how to draw animals with both accuracy and expression.

Afternoon

Promotional Design: Music Posters

1–4 pm
William Ferrell

In this course, students will create bold promotional music posters designed to live on walls, phone screens, and t-shirts.

Afternoon

3D Creature Design

1–4 pm
David Dannelly

Learn the basics of digital sculpture for creating creatures in 3D!

Week C: June 15–19

Morning

Costume Figure Drawing

9 am–12 pm
George Cwirko-Godyki

This course focuses on strengthening foundational drawing skills through observation of a live, costumed model.

Morning

Visual Storytelling: Fear Factor

9 am–12 pm
William Ferrell

Through brainstorming, thumbnail sketches, lighting studies, reference creation, and strong composition, students will explore industry techniques used to design dramatic, scary illustrations.

Morning

3D Character Design: Busts

Student working on character animation using dual monitors in a digital art workspace, with animation software open on screen

9 am–12 pm
David Dannelly

Learn the basics of digital sculpture for a realistic and/or stylized humanoid face and hair in 3D!

Afternoon

Drawing with Character

1–4 pm
George Cwirko-Godyki

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of character design used in animation, games, and illustration.

Afternoon

Caricature and Cartooning

1–4 pm
William Ferrell

In this course, students will learn how artists observe facial anatomy, expressions, and personality to create expressive and humorous caricatures.

Afternoon

3D Character Design: Busts

1–4 pm
David Dannelly

Learn the basics of digital sculpture for a realistic and/or stylized humanoid face and hair in 3D!

2026 Teen Studios Registration Requirements

Sessions are five days each, Monday-Friday, 9 am–12 pm and/or 1–4 pm. Supplies are provided. Half-day students bring water, and full-day students bring lunch, water, and snacks.

Classes take place on Ringling College of Art and Design’s Main Campus in Sarasota, Florida.

Payment is due at registration.

Connect With Us Learn More: Precollege

Families—make Sarasota your destination for the summer!

Give your students an exceptional creative experience while you enjoy the rooftop pool and lunch at Art Ovation, a partner in the arts in the heart of downtown on the bayfront, or check out other local hotels for your visit.

Things to Do in Sarasota

Teen Program

Get to know Ringling College of Art and Design

Ringling College of Art and Design educates students, its community, and the world to understand art and creativity as essential dimensions to life.

About Ringling Plan a Visit

FIELD1	FIELD2	INFO
CAREER INSIGHT 2025 - TABLE HOSTS
1:00pm to 4:00pm in the Library
Blue designates Ringling Alumni at the Table
Company	Description/Title	Name(s), Website
22squared	VP, Creative Director - JR began his career working out of the BBDO offices, in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, building campaigns for Visa, Pioneer Electronics, Mitsubishi, and California Lottery. His creative talents added to long-running campaigns like QSR Jack in the Box and Red Bull. His work has been recognized by D&AD, the London International Awards, the Emmys, and the Effies. At 22squared, he mentors junior creatives and serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Council.	Jason "JR" Roberts Jason Roberts Work, 22squared
AAF Suncoast	President of AAF Suncoast	Selina Bostic AAF Suncoast
Arsenal Entertainment Group	Over 25 years of experience in the creative and entertainment industry. A graphic designer and entrepreneur with expertise in corporate branding, digital design, and print media. Former Senior Designer with the CIA, working with clients like U.S. Space Force, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios Orlando.	Tim Oliver Arsenal Entertainment Group
BUCK	Senior Designer, Children’s book illustrator, Editorial illustrator	Jamiel Law BUCK
Centripetale Product Design	Principal	Miguel E. Elasmar Centripetale Product Design
Cirkul	Design Manager	Barry Klipp Cirkul
Creative Education Foundation	Fun Maker, Conference Coordinator, and Logistics, Creative, Cinephile	Roseanne Avella Creative Education Foundation
Creative Expressions	On file	Leia Madden
Epic Games	Academic Advisor	Luis Cataldi Epic Games
EPSILON RETAIL MEDIA	VP, Creative	Brian Anthony Epsilon
Feld Entertainment	Director, Client Services - Creative Services	Sarah Tildsley Feld Entertainment
Friend + Johnson	Artist Representative	Simone Friend Friend + Johnson
Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce	Opportunities For All Manager	Melanie Lavender Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
KeeKee's Big Adventures	Co-founder and co-creator of KeeKee’s Big Adventures, a kids and family travel entertainment brand with books, podcasts, and videos aimed at sparking curiosity and adventure.	Shannon Jones KeeKee's Big Adventures