I had some private lessons as a kid, I am a practicing watercolor and pencil portrait artist and illustrator, and I have advised and taught private and group art lessons.
Question: Would you hire someone …?
Answer: In many instances meeting with an artist for advising or lessons is very helpful. In advising meetings that I have held with aspiring young artists, I have shared many tips and valuable advice for everything from selecting good supplies to how to understand the technical lingo of a commercial illustration commission. I have often loaned out art supplies to let the kids try out artist grade tools to see how much of an improvement they can get with them verses the cheap student grade stuff you pick up at WalMart. I have demonstarted techniques and watched as the student tried their hand at it. I have helped with setting up college admission portfolios for kids heading off to admissions interviews.
Question - training or degree needed.
Answer - There are a lot of degreed artists out there who really ’stink’. Yes they got a degree, but they never learned to draw or paint. LOL. I wouldn’t look for a degree so much as how much talent they can demonstrate in their own artwork. They cannot teach a greater skill level than what they themselves possess. You will also need to see how good they are at teaching. Many artists that I know are very independent and hate kids - they don’t have any of their own children and cannot relate to them. Lastly, what are your goals for your child? If you seriously want your child to prepare to make a living at art, you need to give him training from more than a hobbyist if possible. For instance, if being a commercial illustrator is your child’s longterm passion, look to see if a commercial illustrator is interested in teaching. Fine artists are typically not taught much if any of the technical aspects of commercial art and reproduction. Your child will get inside track training on what it takes in mindset, skills, technical lingo, etc.
Question - How much to spend?
Answer - Many artists will meet with an interested student for a free advisory meeting. I have never charged for this with anyone because I see it as helping someone with a hand up. I typically spend 2 to 4 hours with students during one of these meetings. For a while when I was a kid, I took small group art lessons. The artist charged $10 per lesson and had about 6 students. He was one of those kinds of artists who never had kids and he always seemed uncomfortable with me. All the other students were retirees. Actually, he really wasn’t a very good artist. I didn’t like his paintings much. Though I kept that opinion to myself. If the artist is providing supplies for students, it is expected that the lesson will cost more than if the student brings their own.
Question - Where would the lessons take place?
Answer - Most artists will opt for the lessons being at their own studio or home. The environment is typically better set up there - lighting, room for supplies, supplies themselves, ventilation, etc.
Question - age?
Answer - Not before the student really showed a very definite passion for art and becoming a real artist. If the art lessons are merely to keep a kid occupied rather than training them, it would be cheaper to sign them up for the Y. Even with a strong passion, I would think not before the early teens.
Question - What would you expect them to learn?
Answer - Learning to see! Really - learning to see. Research has shown that artists use a different part of their brains when they are drawing and painting than non-artists. Non-artist brains are active in the left hemisphere when they are trying to draw. Skilled artists’s brains are active in the right hemisphere. Artists have learn to see and activate the part of the brain most capable of spatial reasoning and has long been considered the seat of creative thinking. Nonartists are utilizing a part of their brain more associated with verbal skills. To learn more about this, I highly recommend the book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ by Betty Edwards. It has been in continuous reprint ever since I was a kid. It has been so because it is that good.
OK, now that I have hit on the questions tht you have asked - let me hive some recommendations.
I highly recommend http://www.wetcanvas.com. It is a very busy online artist community. There are many, many channels that go into specific media art areas such as watercolor, pencil, oils, glass, sculpture, digital art, photography. There are many channels specific to subjects such as portraiture, animal art, landscape, figure drawing, etc. Peopke can post questions and answers. They can upload pictures of their art to show others and get recommendations and critiques. It is a terrific resource!
Skip the student grade art supplies once you feel your student is showing some real talent. I cannot emphasize enough how vastly superior artist grade tools and supplies are over the student grade stuff. Even an artist cannot get a good looking drawing or painting out of the stuff that is passed off these days for art materials. Look up Dick Blick’s website and catalogue and ask at wetcanvas where other artists like to shop for supplies.
Well, my post is getting a bit long now. Just head on over to Wetcanvas and start asking questions of the artists there. You may discover that you don’t need an art tutor at all, you just need contact with other artists who love to share what they know.

If your child really enjoys art, or is really good at it, sign them up. Start at whatever age you think is mature enough for lessons, and then decide where you want them. If the child is still young, you may want to put them in a class with other students instead of just hiring a private teacher. Whe they get older and more advanced, get them a private teavher and let them get individual help. It sounds like fun! Good luck!