Acrylic Painting, Watercolor, and/or Drawing Instructor: Flexible & Creative Role

This opening for Acrylic Painting, Watercolor, and/or Drawing Instructor offers a part-time opportunity for creative professionals passionate about teaching. The role comes with a base pay of $10 per hour, supplemented by additional earnings per student for each class, and a flexible schedule that allows instructors to manage their own class times in cooperation with store management.

Candidates should possess solid skills and realistic abilities in painting and/or drawing, with the confidence and clarity to teach beginners and intermediate learners alike. A willingness to promote your own classes and cultivate a student base is expected—excellent for those wanting more autonomy in their work life.

Permanent and reliable, this instructor position encourages application from artists who may not have a private studio but still want to engage and inspire others, taking advantage of well-equipped spaces and structured opportunities.

What You’ll Do Day-to-Day

This job revolves around leading scheduled classes, each typically lasting two hours, where the goal is to help students complete a finished painting or drawing by the end of each session.

Typical responsibilities include teaching students fundamental techniques in acrylic painting, watercolor, and drawing through clear demonstration and hands-on guidance. You will be responsible for both preparation and clean-up within your allocated time.

Instructors are also expected to market their classes locally and online to attract more attendees, which directly impacts your compensation due to the per-student pay structure. Creating a positive and engaging class environment is key.

Additionally, the position requires instructors to achieve Grumbacher certification, which is free and available online, adding credibility and structure to your teaching profile.

Day-to-day, you’ll need to adapt your teaching methods to suit varying skill levels while maintaining an upbeat atmosphere where creativity thrives.

Benefits & Positive Aspects

One major pro of this role is its flexibility: you can negotiate your class schedule, allowing you to fit teaching around your other work, commitments, or personal artistic pursuits.

The pay structure fairly rewards those who build larger class rosters, with extra pay for every student present above the threshold, providing significant potential to scale up your earnings as your reputation grows.

Another highlight is the structured support for becoming an instructor, including certification and association with reputable art brands, which can help boost your credibility, teaching experience, and future job prospects.

This position suits artists eager for the chance to inspire students and watch their personal impact grow with every completed artwork that leaves their class.

It also offers a ready-made venue, eliminating the need to invest in or manage your own studio facility.

Considerations & Challenges

This job does have a few cons. Compensation is modest unless you’re able to build up class sizes—so marketing and student recruitment are on your shoulders.

A secondary challenge is the requirement to become Grumbacher-certified. While the process is free, it does require time and a successful application prior to final hire.

Managing both teaching and marketing responsibilities may stretch those who prefer to focus solely on art instruction rather than outreach or promotion.

Additionally, working within a store’s schedule and policies might limit some creative freedoms in class set-up and timing.

Lastly, this is not a full-time salaried role, so those seeking long-term financial stability may need to supplement elsewhere.

The Verdict

Overall, this part-time instructor role promises flexibility, creative autonomy, and direct rewards for building your own student following. It is well-suited for self-motivated artists who thrive on sharing their knowledge and growing their own classes, with clear processes for joining and administering courses.

For those passionate about art education and confident in their ability to engage others, this job could easily become a rewarding supplement to your main artistic pursuits—provided you are prepared for the hands-on requirements of marketing and self-management. The experience, networking, and professional ties gained are another added bonus.