Drawing

Art drives our expression. Without art, we are limited to the mere material world of objects. Through art, we break through the cold surroundings and tap into the warm current of our spirit. It can be difficult for some students to realize this aspect of their humanity due to the blue glow of popular culture’s passive entertainment system. In fact, many students do not recognize that they have an aptitude for drawing until they receive proper instruction. They might doodle here and there, but they do not know that they can fine-tune their skills to create masterful works of art. We can help students of all levels find the beauty in drawing. Our founder, Dan Chinburg, was one credit shy of a studio art minor in college and loves to help students find their true potentials in drawing. We utilize a range of sculpture subjects and practice exercises to work on various drawing techniques. This time spent on drawing helps build a student’s appreciation for the intricate form of subject matter and the intricacies of different approaches. Moreover, it prepares them for later advanced tasks like painting and sculpture.

Illustration

Across the various genres of art, illustration holds a special place in many people’s hearts. It brings back memories of favorite comic book characters and cartoons that thrilled them when they were young. It reminds them of the action and excitement that they felt perhaps for the first time as a written story came alive. Illustration can range from the charming to the rebellious, from the calm to the thrilling, and from the mundane to the heart-breaking. It can also help students ease into more advanced drawing techniques because there is more flexibility in the forms of illustration. We can help students who wish to explore the various approaches to illustration. Many art students find great joy in recognizing the movement that can be communicated from mere lines on a page. Moreover, illustration helps students understand the importance of composition and structure for their drawings as they find the right frame for their drawings.

“Collage of Illustrations.”” – Dan Chinburg, 2016

“Still Life.” – Dan Chinburg, 2016

Creative Writing

For those who wish to give voice to their expression, creative writing offers a way to bring out the inner realm of ideas. It brings them to the master control room of a story and puts them in the captain’s seat. It enables them to bring forth entire peoples, towns, and worlds into existence. It helps them pierce through the haze and strike at the soul of some inner truth. Creative writing can help a reluctant writer break through the barrier of the written form. Many students find that creative writing allows them to find excitement in writing perhaps for the first time. With all the different modes of stories and poems, a student can find the perfect form made for him or her. If students have strong ideas, then they realize they can write no matter what anxiety they might have had before. Creative writing can spur that breakthrough.

Meet Our Tutors

I love seeing how students discover they can thrive in subjects they always dreaded. It’s wonderful to see the growth in their self-confidence with each session.

Dan Chinburg

Founder

Inspired by what he saw in South Korea as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow, Dan Chinburg began tutoring students on the Main Line in 2009. He graduated with a M.S.Ed. in Reading/Writing/Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania with a K-12 reading specialist certification and has a B.A. in English & World Literature from Pitzer College. Since his return to the states, he has taught over 110 students through word-of-mouth. He loves working with struggling students and advanced students alike. Always striving to get the best results, he has tutored Singapore Math at a charter school and has explored many different approaches to higher mathematics. Over the years, he has designed his own grammar, writing, and standardized test program to meet the demands of his students. He particularly enjoys the challenge of giving crash-courses in subjects before last-minute finals for new students.

It’s always fun to see the shock that parents have when they hear their children speak Chinese for the first time. They can’t believe their kids can learn so quickly!

Yuanyuan (Elizabeth) Zhang

Chinese Director / Tutor

Fluent in English and a native-speaker of Mandarin Chinese, Yuanyuan brings an incredible breadth of language training and linguistic expertise to her Chinese and ESL sessions. She graduated with a M.S.Ed. in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania and has a B.A. in Business English. While in China, she taught classes of Chinese students of all levels in English at the prestigious private tutoring firm in Shanghai. She has developed the Chinese program of Lionheart Tutoring through her self-designed learning programs for students in grades PreK-12. She brings an energetic approach to Chinese instruction while incorporating games, iPad apps, songs, poems, and multimedia with her students. Parents have been delighted to find her as many private schools have embraced Chinese as a foreign language across the Main Line. Always dear to her heart, she loves working and developing her toddler program for young Chinese learners who are training their ears for the novel tones of Chinese.