Steff Farrar has spent more than 30 years in film, animation and gaming as an artist, animator, producer, teacher and mentor. She founded SlowLine Art Room to teach live online animation drawing classes in small groups, at a pace that fits each artist.
Steff's career has run through animation production, studio leadership, college teaching and nonprofit programs.
She learned animation the traditional way. In school, she shot her homework one frame at a time on an Oxberry rostrum camera. That grounding in craft is still at the centre of how she teaches.
She spent more than five years teaching and working exclusively with neurodivergent artists, and has mentored more than 100 of them. Working with so many different artists showed her that each one needs a different route into the work.
“All artists deserve the opportunity to discover what they're capable of without being defined by how quickly they learn, how much money they have, or how well they fit into a traditional classroom or career path.”
Steff created SlowLine to offer serious training in traditional animation and drawing outside a full-time school. Students pick one discipline, work on it in a small live class, and come back to it as many times as they need.
SlowLine is designed with neurodivergent learners in mind, and it welcomes every teen and adult who loves to draw. No diagnosis is ever required, and no one is expected to learn at the same speed as the artist next to them.
Nestled in a secret garden in the middle of Ventura's oil fields, with a giant avocado tree overhead and a crepe myrtle shading one side, sits SlowLine Art Room. Once her mother-in-law's art studio, it's been turned by Steff and her husband into a magical little she-shack, with lit shelves of animation books and art supplies. It's where Steff draws, paints, crafts, hosts mentorship meetings, joins board calls and teaches animation drawing.
Every SlowLine course follows the same approach, whether you are drawing for fun or building a portfolio for animation college.
Steff plans around each artist's strengths and sticking points, so feedback fits the person, not a fixed syllabus.
Students move up a level when they show the skill, not when a course ends. Taking a course again is part of the plan.
Small groups leave room for hands-on feedback for every artist. Private 1:1 lessons are available too.
The drawing skills studios still depend on, taught the traditional way. Students work with pencil and paper or a digital tablet.
Clear steps, a steady weekly rhythm and no pressure to keep up with anyone else.
For artists and graduates who want help with portfolios, applications and finding a first job in the industry.
Steff also holds RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) certification and was one of several co-authors of DIVERSE (opens in a new tab), a published research study on developing inclusive workplace training to support autistic individuals and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. SlowLine is an art studio and does not provide therapy or clinical services.
Every new student starts with a live intro meeting, so Steff can learn about your interests and help you choose the right class. Have a question first? Send her a note.
