A journey that began with a child's question—"Can I do it too?"—while watching his father paint, now reaching across the world.
"Can I do it too?"
It all started with that little question that crossed his mind while watching his father paint: "Can I do it too?"
The answer came quickly. He won awards in painting competitions in elementary school. His elementary school teacher noticed and guided him. His middle school teacher similarly supported him and helped him prepare for competitions. Art entered his life not through coercion, but naturally. Years later, he learned that his grandfather was also a painter. "I was so excited," he says, describing that moment. "I realized it was in my genes." For him, art wasn't a journey starting from scratch, but a continuation of a story that had already begun.
From Fine Arts to Textiles, From Textiles to Art
The child, who found the answer to the question "Can I do it too?", eventually found himself immersed in serious art education. Guided by his middle school teacher, he took the entrance exams for Bursa Anatolian Fine Arts High School and passed. He continued his art education at the Fine Arts High School for four years. High school ended, but the journey didn't. Preparing for talent exams, he was accepted into the Painting Department of the Faculty of Education at Uludağ University. In addition to training in ceramics, photography, original printmaking, textile design, and painting, he also received pedagogical training. He graduated in 2004 — both as an artist and an educator. After graduation, he worked as a designer in the textile industry. But art never left him. During this period, he produced and sold various art products, illustrated a children's book, and both wrote and illustrated three more children's books. For him, art was always both a form of expression and a field of production.
The pandemic was a turning point.
Şirvan started online art classes in 2019. Then the pandemic came — and everything changed. People were confined to their homes. The rhythm of daily life stopped. During that time, many people needed to both improve their skills and clear their minds. Şirvan saw this and made a decision: to help people get through that difficult period with art. "I wanted to help people get through that period spiritually," she says. The motivation wasn't just a business decision — it was a desire to touch people, to make a difference in their lives. And it really did. Her students progressed step by step, became excited, changed. But what impressed Şirvan the most wasn't the technical development. "I saw that my students looked at nature and the environment differently," she says. "They started to see the sunrise, the sunset, the changing colors of the trees according to the seasons, the sunsets differently. It was very impressive for me to see that the class hours became meditative moments for them."
Why was Paintlum created?
As Şirvan Hoca's online courses grew, one thing became clear: this endeavor needed a platform. Not just to teach — but to make art truly accessible, to reach people all over the world and touch their lives.
Paintlum was born from this vision. The journey, which began with watercolors, will eventually encompass drawing, pastels, oil painting, and more. Starting with a single instructor, the platform will grow with new experts in different fields. The goal isn't just one art form — it's art itself.
Today, Paintlum offers three separate levels from beginner to advanced, a weekly assignment and feedback system, full content in 9 languages, an art guide with hundreds of artist biographies and masterpieces, and daily inspiration cards. "To reach people in many parts of the world, to make them love art, to touch their lives," says Şirvan Hoca, explaining why he founded Paintlum. The sentence is that simple — and that powerful.
What will you learn in Paintlum?
Learning at Paintlum means three things — and Professor Şirvan doesn't separate them. Technique
Every art form has its own rules, tools, and methods. In watercolor, it's water control, brushstroke, and color layering; in drawing, form, proportion, and shading; in pastel, texture and color blending. Without technique, feeling is lost — a solid foundation is the beginning of everything. Feeling
But technique alone isn't enough. Professor Şirvan teaches her students not only how to do it, but also what to feel. Experiencing the moment the brush touches the paper, watching the flow of color, learning to let go — these aren't technical skills, they're experiences. Spiritual Depth
Over time, art practice transforms into an inward journey. Students begin to look at nature differently, notice everyday beauties, and find that meditative silence. Professor Şirvan's goal isn't just for her students to become good painters — it's for them to gain spiritual depth through art. "I want to teach both technique and feeling, as well as gaining spiritual depth," she says. And he says this by saying, "Together, step by step, we will achieve this"—to each of his students, at every level.
From Şirvan Hoca
"A portrait of emotion, grace, and freedom. In every color transition, every splash of water, there's a little bit of feeling, a little bit of memory, and a little bit of me."
The Future: More Art, More People
Paintlum is a starting point today — and Professor Şirvan sees this very clearly. The door opened with watercolor will eventually open to drawing, pastels, oil painting, and more. The platform will grow with new art forms, new instructors, and new content. The goal is not for a single instructor to teach only one art form — but for art to reach the whole world in all its colors and languages.
Content in 9 languages is a concrete step towards this vision. From Türkiye to Japan, from Germany to the Arab world — art is a universal language, and Paintlum speaks that language. But amidst these big goals, Professor Şirvan's main motivation remains the same: "To reach people in many parts of the world, to make them love art, and to touch their lives." The numbers grow, the platform develops — but that desire to touch lives remains unchanged.
Start your artistic journey today.
You're in the right place to learn technique, feeling, and spiritual depth all at once. Under the guidance of Şirvan Hoca, at your own pace, from anywhere in the world.