On Line Guided painting : why it's here

Booking and paying on line for classes was my original plan for the new website. For the longest time that seemed too far fetched but here we are, finally.

A friend had suggested I sell classes on line. She is very enthusiastic and positive, she even thought I should supply the paint. Initially I wasn’t very keen, although I kept nodding and smiling, she is very hard to say no to.

I digested her idea and of course procrastinated... a lot. Then I started to really look at the classes I had run as Guided Painting sessions. I had created 38 indivdual images for Guided classes over the five years I had been in The Art Train. As they say in corporate world, I had quite an IP (took me a while to work out what that meant). Then I started thinking about how to package a class.

The on-line Guided Painting instructions have an extensive “how to “section, which explains how to use acrylic paint. Mixing, application, what not to do, layering, value etc. I also tried to include all the things I might say in a live class. Over the time I have been teaching this style of class I have been asked lots of great and sometimes random questions. As an on-line student you get the benefit of the interesting questions I have been asked. I am confident that I haven’t missed anything out. One of my big philosophies is to be completely transparent when I am teaching. I have no time for opaque teaching styles. Being vague with a student doesn’t help them. If I can help a student achieve their potential and find their creative spark, then I have succeeded.

My daughter thought I had been too long winded with the “how to” section so she wrote a cheat’s version. We are both hate instructions, consequently we are not great with IKEA furniture. So, you can read the quick version but the long and lengthy one is there too.

There is also a list of equipment. Another philosophy of mine is to keep the cost down. Art can be a vey expensive practice. There is no doubt there are some amazing paints and brushes on the market, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to make lovely art especially when you are just starting out.