CorelDRAW Classes @ LVS Online
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Inspiration

February 2nd, 2009 Val

Funny thing. The Blogging instructor here at LVS has asked for posts about inspiration for a blog carnival. What inspires you? Suddenly everyone seems to be drawing a blank and I know we’re all highly inspired and motivated folks.

For me, most of my design is inspired first by need. The church needs a flyer. LVS needs a new class on CorelDRAW. I need to post something for an assignment. The bloggers need a blog. In the old days, they’d say that was inspiration by duty.

From that point, inspiration comes from a multitude of places. The sunshine through the window, the tilt of the dog’s ear, the twinkle in a child’s eye are all inspirational. Many times inspiration flows from a passage of scripture or a bit of music or song.

I love Neil Diamond’s song “Be” from Jonathon Livingston Seagull. It speaks to inspiration for sure.

Be
As a page that aches for a word
Which speaks on a theme that is timeless
While the Sun God will make for your day
Sing
As a song in search of a voice that is silent
And the one God will make for your way

Interestingly, I’d just created this image for the LVS Digital Art Studio when the blogging carnival was announced. It’s taken me this long to figure out that I could actually post it on my CorelDRAW blog.

Be - An Inspiration

While this blog post isn’t directly about CorelDRAW, it is about using what you’ve got to inspire you. As I’ve been telling my CorelDRAW X4 – Part 2 students, CorelDRAW isn’t just about vectors. There’s a lot that can be done in there with bitmaps. This one could be used as the cover for a compilation of songs, poems, or stories and the whole layout and text done in CorelDRAW. You don’t have to create everything in CorelDRAW from scratch. Use it with your other favorite creative programs to make something truly inspirational.

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW, General LVS info | 8 Comments »

CorelDRAW Classes at LVS – Register now!

December 28th, 2008 Val

Hi y’all!
It’s time once again to shamelessly promote the CorelDRAW classes at
LVS “where learning is fun!”. There are no new classes this session, but some of you may have
gotten CorelDRAW X4 for Christmas and would like a brush-up on the new
software. Classrooms open January 5 and Registration ends January 7,
so sign up now!

You can find the class information here:

CorelDRAW X4 Intro – Part 1
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=269

CorleDRAW X4 Intro – Part 2
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=277

For those of you with older versions, we’ve still got most of you covered.

CorelDRAW X3 Intro
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=186

CorelDRAW Continued (v.12 and X3)
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=208

CorelDRAW 12 Intro (Self Study)
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=160

and, not by yours truly
CorelDRAW 9/10/11 (Self Study)
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=2

Also, there is a FREE Intro to Windows
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=68
and a FREE Intro to Vista class
http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/product_info.php?products_id=255
both designed for the first time computer user, but I guarantee even
long-time Windows users will learn something in the first two lessons
or your money back!

Have fun!
Val P.
http://lvsassociates.com

Posted in CorelDRAW, CorelDRAW Continued, CorelDRAW Intro | 1 Comment »

Home and Student Edition of CorelDRAW X4 $99

November 24th, 2008 Val

If you’re looking for a great Christmas present for your favorite young graphic artist, check out the new CorelDRAW X4 Home and Student Edition for just $99 US. I just had a nice email chat with some folks at Corel – Gérard and John – to get my facts straight.

I believe this version is only available from certain large retailers in North America, but if you are here, it’s a bargain. You get a full working copy of CorelDRAW Graphics suite. The clipart and fonts have been pared down considerably, and there’s no paper manual, but at least for right now, VBA is enabled. Not only that, but you get a license to use the software on up to three computers.

What’s the catch? This version is just what it says. It’s meant for home and student use, so you can’t use it to create commercial artwork. Don’t think you’re going to grab it for cheap and use it in your print shop.

Let me clarify the differences between the Home and Student Edition and the Academic Version. Both contain the full program – at least at the moment. (Corel says they reserve the right to change their minds on that later, so get it now before they change their minds!) Neither one includes paper manuals. The manuals are included in PDF form on the disc, though. Neither one can be used for commercial purposes. The Academic version includes all the extras on the DVD and can only be used on one computer at a time. (The licensing for all those extras makes it more expensive.) The Home and Student edition has a more limited number of clipart, photos, and fonts. H&S can, however, be used on up to three computers in the same household so Sister, Brother, and Mom can all use it at the same time if they’ve all got computers powerful enough to run it. The Academic version is supposed to require proof that you are a student at an approved institution. The H&S version can be bought off the shelf no questions asked.

I applaud Corel for creating this version! I’ve used CorelDRAW for years at home to create all sorts of non-commercial products. It’s a wonderful program for students to use to create posters, flyers, newsletters cards, and even reports and presentations. Also, if students are learning to use CorelDRAW in the home, more folks will be interested in using it at work in the future.

I recommend checking the System Requirements for CorelDRAW X4 against your computer. X4 will run on Windows XP and Vista, but it needs a lot of RAM and a lot of video resources and a lot of hard drive space. I just don’t want you to go out and get a program you may not be able to use. Here are the requirements as listed on the Corel website. I’d say these are the absolute minimum and if you’ve got Vista, you need at least a GIG of RAM or three.

• Windows Vista® (32-bit or 64-bit editions) or Windows® XP (with Service Pack 2 or later)
• 512 MB of RAM, 430 MB of hard disk space
• Pentium® III, 800 MHz processor or AMD Athlon™ XP
• 1,024 × 768 or better monitor resolution
• DVD drive
• Mouse or tablet

Remember, if someone you know gets CorelDRAW for Christmas, send them my way to learn to use the program!

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW | 2 Comments »

Good deal on CorelDRAW

October 23rd, 2008 Val

Just in my email box today, Corel is offering the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 Upgrade edition for the usual $199.00 US, in the Box (same price as the much shrunken download) with all the books PLUS Free Shipping PLUS the first 100 orders get a free copy of the CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed e-book on DVD. If you’ve been waiting to upgrade, this might be a good time.

And if you ARE upgrading, you might want to take my new Intro to CorelDRAW X4 Part 1 and Part 2 classes – one at a time, of course!

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW | No Comments »

CorelDRAW X4 “The Official Guide” arrives on my doorstep

October 3rd, 2008 Val

Many thanks to the good folks at Corel corporation for sending me a copy of the recently released CorelDRAW X4, The Official Guide by Gary David Bouton. It just arrived a few minutes ago, so obviously this isn’t a full review. Hopefully I’ll get some time in the near future to go over the book more fully.

As with the Official Guide for version 12, there are only a few pages of color images, and they are completely new images demonstrating color models and how different combinations of effects can be used effectively on finished projects.

Just thumbing through the 800+ page book, it looks like Mr. Bouton has given a LOT of thought into not only how the various tools work, but how they can be used in the real world by real people, not just in simple exercises that don’t apply outside the computer screen. While the graphics and screen shots are in black and white except for those few color pages, there are a lot of them.

The basic outline is pretty much the same as the version 12 book, but everything has been redone and much seems to have been added, and not just added coverage of the new tools in X4. I’m looking forward to spending some time with this volume.

The book is available from Amazon, Corel, or your favorite bookseller. It should also be available soon through an LVS link. I’ve seen prices from just over $25 US to just under $50, so look around for the best deal.

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW | 4 Comments »

Corel offers FREE shipping on Academic software

October 1st, 2008 Val

Hi folks! A lot of folks go for the download version of software just to avoid the shipping costs. If you’re eligible for an academic version, and all LVS students are, so long as they’re not using it commercially, it may be time to go for a new version. You’ll get a lot of goodies on the disc versions that don’t come with the download.

Right now Corel is offering free shipping on Corel Painter and CorelDRAW Graphics Suite educational versions. Simply enter the Coupon Code FREESHIPPING in the shopping cart area. I’m sure this is a limited time offer, and not sure when it will expire, so now is the time!

And don’t forget to sign up for the November session at LVS to learn how to use your new software!

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW | 3 Comments »

Attention LVS Students!

September 30th, 2008 Val

Tell us who you are and which class(es) you are enrolled in. Feel free to add comments to let us know how LVS has affected your life. You don’t even have to have taken a CorelDRAW class to post.

We love hearing from you! Thanks for sharing with LVS staff, fellow LVS students and our blog visitors!

If you’d like to view other student’s experiences at LVS Online Classes, visit the main LVS Blog and click the Blogroll links.

Don’t forget to register for the November session.
Have fun!
Val P.

Posted in General LVS info | 14 Comments »

Register now for CorelDRAW Classes!

September 29th, 2008 Val

Time has flown and registration is now open for the November session at LVS. The current session has been great with wonderful participation by the students who have been producing some incredible work in the early weeks of the Introductory classes. Here’s the information about the upcoming session.

    Classrooms open Oct. 27, 2008
    Registration closes Oct. 29, 2008
    First lesson posts Nov. 1, 2008

For those of you using CorelDRAW X3 or X4, I am teaching introductory classes in those versions. The X3 Intro class is one single six week class. The X4 Intro is two classes, Part 1 and Part 2. Be sure you take Part 1 before you take Part 2!

There are also self study introductory classes in Version 12 and another for previous versions.

CorelDRAW X3 Intro

CorelDRAW X4 Intro Part 1

CorelDRAW X4 Intro Part 2 – NEW!

Self Study CorelDRAW 12 Intro

Beyond the Intro classes is the Self Study CorelDRAW 9/10/11Continuing the Adventure class. You must have taken either the Intro classes for v.12 or X3, or both parts of X4 before starting the Continued class. Having lots of experience with the program doesn’t count.

I wrote and teach all the LVS Instructor led classes and wrote the version 12 class. I did not write the version 9/10/11 class, but can recommend it to those of you still using those versions. I’d also recommend that you upgrade soon!

Don’t forget that LVS students are eligible for the Academic version of CorelDRAW X4 Graphics Suite. It’s a great buy at just $99 US or CAD and includes the full DVD version of the program. The only thing it doesn’t include is the printed manuals. Note: The Academic version is not licensed for commercial use and you cannot use it to later purchase an upgrade copy of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite when version X5 or later comes out.

If you have questions about the classes, please let me know, either by commenting on this blog (preferable) or sending an email to val@lvsonline.com.

Have fun! I hope to see YOU in the halls of LVS!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW, CorelDRAW Continued, CorelDRAW Intro | No Comments »

New Windows Blog set up

August 6th, 2008 Val

As of today, I’ll be splitting this blog into two. This one will stay as a CorelDRAW blog and there will be a new Windows blog at http://lvsonline.com/online-windows-classes/.

Hopefully now that the critical part of my personal move is mostly over, I’ll be able to get in here and post more often.

Don’t forget that registration is now open at LVS! I’m putting the finishing touches on the Intro to CorelDRAW X4 Part 1 course, and the last half of lesson 4 and most of lessons 5 and 6 are practically ALL new material! Yes, I’ve split the old course into two, but the new one is almost as jam packed with information as the old one!

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in CorelDRAW | 4 Comments »

Four useful Vista features

July 29th, 2008 Val

An article from Microsoft crossed my desk today, and I thought you might like to take a look. It give a quick description and even quicker “how to” on four useful features of Vista for families. Covered are the Windows Sidebar, Instant Search, the Windows Calendar, and Parental Controls. There are links in each section to more detailed articles on each one. Find the article by S.E. Slack on the Microsoft at Home site here:

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/windowsvista.mspx

And don’t forget, the Windows Vista course at LVS is now FREE starting August 11th!

Have fun!

Val P.

Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »