Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Are you ready to turn your wildest creative visions into reality? Want to create viral memes that break the internet? Dream of designing jaw-dropping graphics for a YouTube or Twitch empire? This is your gateway to complete visual mastery.
In this transformative online course, your child develops the fundamental skills to create and edit professional-quality Photoshop projects that demand attention. From absolute beginner basics to the advanced digital painting techniques that pros use, this course gives them complete creative control over every pixel.
The course walks through Photoshop fundamentals, so students navigate like a pro and understand the tools that create magic. They build on layers and color theory, the foundation of every stunning visual creation, then move into advanced digital painting that adds depth, texture, and photorealistic details that captivate. Photo manipulation mastery transforms ordinary images into extraordinary visual stories, professional illustration brings compelling characters and scenes to life, and viral content creation covers the art of meme-making and shareable digital content. Composition and visual storytelling ties it all together, arranging elements that guide the eye and the emotions.
This course is perfect for beginner to intermediate digital artists who refuse to settle for ordinary. Students have access to cutting-edge online resources and tools that make learning Photoshop not just easy, but genuinely engaging. Our step-by-step system ensures they master each skill before advancing, building unstoppable creative confidence.
Along the way, students discover the insider secrets that professional designers and digital artists use to create work that stops scrolling and starts conversations. They develop their unique artistic voice and unleash creativity they didn't know they had.
Your child does not just make art. They learn the skills and thinking behind it. This course builds creative confidence alongside technical ability, giving your child tools they will use for a lifetime. Parents tell us their kids take more creative risks and feel more pride in what they produce.
For students considering art school, design programs, or any creative field, portfolio work matters. This course produces real, polished pieces your child can be proud of. Even for students headed elsewhere, the creative thinking and self-expression built here set them apart in any application.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That unlocks two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Build creative confidence alongside real technical skill, learning from a mentor who takes their artistic vision seriously 
Develop their unique artistic voice in a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged and celebrated 
Create portfolio-worthy work they can be proud of, whether they are headed toward art school or simply love creating 
Grow in self-expression, visual thinking, and the discipline of bringing creative ideas to polished completion 
Amy Bechtol is a neurodivergent individual, educator, and activist. Six years ago she thought it would be fun to volunteer teach for a week as a break from entertainment design work, and accidentally found her passion. Amy has worked in neurodivergent and twice-exceptional education ever since, covering a wide breadth of topics from the humanities, to the sciences, to the visual arts. Her background as an entertainment designer and storyteller informs her teaching practices, finding ways to make content relevant to human experiences. Amy loves getting to work with her students, who often share a neurology similar to her own, connecting them to curriculum in a way that is meaningful, novel, and fun. Utilizing a strength-based, talent-focused model, Amy seeks to engage learners by allowing them to connect their best, most authentic selves to the material. She believes that a state of growth is the natural state of a human mind, and it is the purpose of a classroom to facilitate that process, and allow it to be a joyful one. When not embroiled in the world of education she likes to indulge in her autistic special interests, which include working on her small farm in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, identifying wild plants and animals, reading thick books, making art, and sometimes, even playing some video games.
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"My kid has filled sketchbooks for years but always said he was not a real artist. Two months into Amy's course he turned his screen around and said, Mom, I made this. I will never forget the pride on his face."
Danielle R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy meets every kid exactly where they are. My daughter came in barely knowing what a layer was, and now she designs thumbnails her friends actually ask her to make. She finally has a place her creativity fits."
Priya S.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My kid has filled sketchbooks for years but always said he was not a real artist. Two months into Amy's course he turned his screen around and said, Mom, I made this. I will never forget the pride on his face."
Danielle R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy meets every kid exactly where they are. My daughter came in barely knowing what a layer was, and now she designs thumbnails her friends actually ask her to make. She finally has a place her creativity fits."
Priya S.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"What I love is that Amy treats their oddly specific interests as the whole point, not a distraction. My son spends all week thinking about what he will create next. I have never seen him this excited about anything school-related."
Marcus T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Digital Art is the one class my daughter refuses to miss. Amy is patient and encouraging, and somehow gets a room of quirky kids to share their work without the fear that usually shuts my kid down."
Gina L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"What I love is that Amy treats their oddly specific interests as the whole point, not a distraction. My son spends all week thinking about what he will create next. I have never seen him this excited about anything school-related."
Marcus T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Digital Art is the one class my daughter refuses to miss. Amy is patient and encouraging, and somehow gets a room of quirky kids to share their work without the fear that usually shuts my kid down."
Gina L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is autistic and used to melt down over anything that felt like being graded. Amy's course is all creation and zero pressure, and he has flourished. He talks about Amy like she is one of his people."
Alyssa N.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"We have tried a lot of art programs. This is the first where my kid walked away with real skills and real confidence. Amy does not just teach Photoshop, she makes them believe they are artists."
Tom K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is autistic and used to melt down over anything that felt like being graded. Amy's course is all creation and zero pressure, and he has flourished. He talks about Amy like she is one of his people."
Alyssa N.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"We have tried a lot of art programs. This is the first where my kid walked away with real skills and real confidence. Amy does not just teach Photoshop, she makes them believe they are artists."
Tom K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My kid has filled sketchbooks for years but always said he was not a real artist. Two months into Amy's course he turned his screen around and said, Mom, I made this. I will never forget the pride on his face."
Danielle R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy meets every kid exactly where they are. My daughter came in barely knowing what a layer was, and now she designs thumbnails her friends actually ask her to make. She finally has a place her creativity fits."
Priya S.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"What I love is that Amy treats their oddly specific interests as the whole point, not a distraction. My son spends all week thinking about what he will create next. I have never seen him this excited about anything school-related."
Marcus T.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Digital Art is the one class my daughter refuses to miss. Amy is patient and encouraging, and somehow gets a room of quirky kids to share their work without the fear that usually shuts my kid down."
Gina L.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son is autistic and used to melt down over anything that felt like being graded. Amy's course is all creation and zero pressure, and he has flourished. He talks about Amy like she is one of his people."
Alyssa N.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"We have tried a lot of art programs. This is the first where my kid walked away with real skills and real confidence. Amy does not just teach Photoshop, she makes them believe they are artists."
Tom K.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Yes, and our families are often surprised by how well. Students work on their own projects with live mentor guidance, real-time feedback, and peer collaboration. The camera-optional policy means your child can share their work without the pressure of being on screen. Many of our art students produce portfolio-quality work by the end of the semester.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Digital Art 101: The Ultimate Design & Photo Experience meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
Photoshop is the recommended software, though students may apply techniques to a variety of platforms (technical assistance available outside of Photoshop will be limited).