Monart School of Art

Monart School of Art offers on-going weekly classes and weekly half-day camps that focus on art classes and camps for children of all skill levels. The program also offers after-school classes at public and private schools using the Monart Drawing Method, which is based on the best-selling book “Drawing with Children” by Mona Brookes. In classes and camps, students use a specialized drawing method that breaks all subjects down into five elements of shape that serve as an “alphabet” or “visual language” in a non-competitive and non-judgmental learning environment.

• Schedule: On-going weekly classes and after-school classes, plus weekly half-day camps

Monart School of Art uses the Monart Drawing Method, developed by Mona Brookes in 1979 through a grant from Pepperdine University, to teach children how to draw realistically while building fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination, project planning, decision making, and problem solving. The method is recognized by leading educators as an academic program that incorporates focus and concentration, decision making, problem solving, sequence planning, and development of hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skill, and it has achieved results with children of all skill levels, including those with learning difficulties. The use of Monart in classrooms has resulted in increased reading and math levels and better concentration and problem-solving in public school students, and Monart has been taught in classrooms around the world.

The original Monart studio in this franchise opened its doors in Solana Beach in 1992 as one of the founding Monart Drawing School franchises, with Cynthia Stringfellow as the original owner and Leslie Vaughn as the current owner. Leslie Vaughn has been working to grow Monart and extend classes to more children in more schools throughout San Diego County. The program’s mission states that a Monart class provides a non-competitive environment that promotes success and self-esteem, and that drawing is a teachable skill that everyone can learn.

Testimonials from educators and organizations describe the Monart Drawing Method as emphasizing step-by-step guidance for drawing in a non-competitive and non-judgmental environment, where there is no right or wrong when pencil meets paper. Howard Gardner, Professor of Education at Harvard University, notes that Mona Brookes’ work broadens the conception of learning in the arts, and The Washington Post, The Smithsonian Associate, Kennedy Center Events for Teachers, and others have highlighted the method’s techniques, national attention, and usefulness, including for children with learning disabilities.

Last updated April 4, 2026.