Sterling Hoffmann has been drawing and painting since childhood, when art was his way of recording the magical world around him. Although his childhood drawings and watercolor paintings won many awards, including a scholarship for a summer semester at the San Francisco Academy of Art, it took him many years before deciding to pursue an art career. In 2002, he graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Graphic Design with an emphasis in Animation. Today Sterling enjoys drawing and painting en plein air (on location) while using the skills he developed as an animation student. Sterling enjoys the thrill of discovering the natural composition that he finds in his surroundings and sharing it with others when he teaches. He believes in a strong drawing foundation as well as understanding color theory and the importance of mastering value. He looks for the balance of edges, light and darks and saturation of color to gray tones. “You’ll know it when you have painted the perfect painting, there are no formulas just observation and inspiration.” - Sterling