Holly Topping

ART220 · A121 · ART121 · SCULPTING · ART120 · ARTA121 · ART130 · A130 · ART142 · ART00 · ARTA120 · ART236 · SCULPTURE142 · 52 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 94/100
RMP rating: 4.4/5
Take again: 92%
Difficulty: 2.4

The decision

if you will attend every class and stay on the sketchbook.

Best fit · Beginner FriendlyHands-on demosSketchbook criticalCaring and energeticBest for figure artAttendance matters

Studio art students overwhelmingly call her the and painting professor at OCC.
Show up, do the sketchbook, and put honest effort into portfolios for a strong grade.
A small older cluster complains she is a As.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

72/100

Many say easy A with , and finished sketchbook; a minority say As are rare no matter the effort.

Recent in-person reviews lean easy-A-with-effort; .

Is the course easy?

Beginner

66/100

, though figure work still challenges beginners.

Online felt harder on portfolio load; .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

12/100

Life model and ; skip-class tags appear often.

Both sparse online and as essential.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

93/100

Roughly 92 percent would take her again, with many calling her the .

Almost all .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

62/100

Modern reviews say effort plus sketchbook yields high grades; .

Format shift

In-person history is split; online samples are small and mostly fair.

Workload

Moderate

46/100

Sketchbook pages and portfolios take steady time even when class time covers much of the drawing.

Format shift

In-person students stress the sketchbook most; online notes heavy portfolios.

Teaching experience

Excellent

92/100

Hands-on demos, individualized help, humor, and deep figure expertise dominate recent reviews.

Format shift

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

28/100

Grades center on sketchbooks, in-class portfolios, and projects rather than sit-down exams.

Format shift

Both formats emphasize portfolio and sketchbook deliverables.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

In-person studio is energetic, demo-heavy, and ; attendance and sketchbooks drive the .

Main concern

and heavy sketchbook pages can sink a grade if neglected.

What students said

“If you're going to take anyone for an art class at OCC, you have to take it with Holly Topping.”
A121

“If you turn in and show some effort with your work, it's an easy A.”
A121

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

COVID-era online life drawing and painting still felt fun with if you put effort into portfolios.

Main concern

Portfolio and drawing load can feel overwhelming without in-studio time.

What students said

“I took her for Life drawing online and she was a good professor!”
ARTA121

“The class is very easy as long as you put in the efforts for your works and don't slack around too much.”
ART130

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Assessment is portfolio and sketchbook based completed largely in class, which is student-friendly if you attend.

In-class midterm portfolioIn-class final portfolioSketchbook weightedNo traditional closed-book exams mentioned

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

78/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and finals are portfolios done in class; sketchbook makes or breaks the grade.

In-class portfoliosHeavy sketchbookAttendance-linked studio work

“The mid term and .”
ART121

“DO YOUR SKETCHBOOK!!!! This class is good and all you need to turn in and .”
A121

Online

Online life drawing still used portfolio turn-ins with ; no webcam proctoring is described.

Portfolio submissionsEffort-based grading

“There were times when I did feel overwhelmed by the drawing and portfolio we needed to turn in but, if you do have trouble with something don't hesitate to ask she does help and !”
ARTA121

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“If you're going to take anyone for an art class at OCC, you have to take it with Holly Topping. She is the .”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews mainly on life drawing and painting, highlighting demos, sketchbooks, and care. Credibility rating: High.

🎨 Teaching Quality

92/100

“She will sit down and show you how to draw something on your own page.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

93/100

“Holly is the !”

📒 Sketchbook Reality

46/100

“STAY ON TOP OF YOUR SKETCHBOOK! SERIOUSLY.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

She is very detailed with her demonstrations and will come to you if you need help during class.
She is overall a total joy to be around.
Hands-on teaching style, but is happy to help and --if you ask for it.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

If you turn in and show some effort with your work, it's an easy A.
Don't procrastinate on the sketchbook.
Virtually impossible to receive an A in this course.

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

She genuinely loves and cares about her students.
Holly is such a caring and spirited professor.
She's so sweet and bubbly!

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews with long time span, detailed studio descriptions, and strong agreement on teaching quality despite a few old grade disputes.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 540

4 out of 56

3 out of 51

2 out of 52

1 out of 53

Course coverage

ART12119 reviews

A12110 reviews

ART2366 reviews

ART1203 reviews

ART2203 reviews

Show 8 more courses

ARTA1212 reviews

A1301 review

ART001 review

ART1301 review

ART1421 review

ARTA1201 review

SCULPTING1 review

SCULPTURE1421 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

23 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 3 · A 9

B range

B+ 3 · B 4

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Not sure yet 3 · Rather not say 1

Holly Topping

x x x x x x if you will attend every class and stay on the sketchbook.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Beginner

Mandatory

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎨 Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Rate

📒 Sketchbook Reality

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

❤️ About Character

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you will attend every class and stay on the sketchbook.