Today is the opening day of registration for the Fall session at LVS Online.  Remember, not only does the early bird get the worm, but the early bird also gets his or her choice of classes. Don’t be left out and stuck on a waiting list. Register now!

I’m offering two new classes this session. Both have been specifically written for Corel® Painter™ 12.

For those of you who are upgrading from previous versions of Painter, I offer “Corel® Painter™ 12: Getting up to speed“. If you have taken any of my previous classes, be assured that these new lessons have been written with the same level of clarity you have come to expect. As usual, I will do my best to address any questions or concerns you have with this new program version.

For those who are just starting out with Corel® Painter™, I am offering a brand new beginner’s class called Corel® Painter™ 12: New Horizons Part 1. This class is also specifically geared toward Corel® Painter™ 12. (If you have an earlier version of the program, please continue to read further.)

Something new: This class offers several supplemental videos in addition to the regular PDF lessons in order to help the student more fully absorb the lesson material.

Please note that if you use Corel® Painter™ IX.5, Corel® Painter™ X, or Corel® Painter™ 11, the current Painter class offerings will address your version.

If you have never taken my classes, you may be interested to read what some of my former students have to say about them.

I really hope to see some of you in these new classes. I have learned so much about Corel® Painter™ 12 while writing them, and I can’t wait to pass on the information.

It has been my privilege to be a Beta tester for the past three versions of Corel® Painter™, and as such, I’m happy to announce that…Corel® Painter™ 12 is here at last!

Corel® Painter™ 12

There have been so many changes to this version, it’s almost like a brand new program, and as a result, I will be writing new lessons which will be available for the Fall session here at LVS.

For those of you who are upgrading from previous versions of Painter, there will be a class which will familiarize you with the program changes, including, but not limited to:

• The new Panel system
• The new Document Window
• Mirror Painting
• Kaleidoscope Painting
• Workspace Customizing (It’s better than ever!)

The class will be called “Corel® Painter™ 12: Getting up to speed“. If you have taken any of my previous classes, be assured that these new lessons will be written with the same level of clarity and clear explanations you have come to expect. As usual, I will do my best to address any questions or concerns you have with this new program version.

Not sure you want to upgrade? The class is consists of 5 lessons; in week 1, you will download lesson 1 and any necessary materials, but in week 2 you will be able to download all remaining lessons (and materials), 2 through 5. If you wait until the first lesson begins to download the Corel® Painter™ 12 trial, you will be able to use it for the full 30 days and get a really good idea if this upgrade is for you.

Meanwhile, keep that stylus handy, keep practicing, enjoy your Summer, and I hope to see you in my new class in September.

Note: For those who are just starting out with Corel® Painter™, I will be offering a brand new set of beginner’s classes for those who have purchased Corel® Painter™ 12. These classes will cover approximately the same material as is covered in the current beginner’s classes, but will be specifically geared toward Corel® Painter™ 12. The names of these classes will be:

Corel® Painter™ 12: New Horizons Part 1

Corel® Painter™ 12: New Horizons Part 2

Please note that if you use Corel® Painter™ IX.5, Corel® Painter™ X, or Corel® Painter™ 11, the current Painter class offerings will address your version.

If you have never taken my classes, you may be interested to read what some of my former students have to say about them.

To be notified when Fall registration is open, please subscribe to the LVS newsletter.

In week one of the Painter Level I class, I give the students an apple outline to paint. I’ve gotten some very interesting results from some of them, but here, I wanted to show you how you can take an outline image (really, just the sort of thing you would find in a coloring book) and use it as a basis to create three entirely different finished images.

Painter is such a versatile program and once you learn to use it, I’m sure you will be able to devise even more creative things than the examples I show you here. By the way, if you’re interested in seeing a few of the paintings done by past students, you may see a mini-gallery here.

Green and yellow apple

Red Apple

Blue and green apple

A new session has begun at lvsonline.com. As you enter your classrooms and check out the pages you may notice there has been a change in the curriculum.

The curriculum is now 5 weeks long, rather than 6. Lesson 1 will be available to download on Thursday. Next week, also on Thursday, Lessons 2 through 5, and all necessary materials will be available to download. This new system will give those who have the time, the opportunity to work ahead and finish their lessons, and the class, early, providing that this has your instructor’s approval.

Even if you download all your lessons at once, please do them in order, i.e., Lesson 1, then Lesson 2, etc. Most of the classes have been written in such a way that the skills from one lesson will build up in the following lesson, therefore, doing the lessons out of sequence may cause you to miss some important information. In any case, we at LVS hope you will enjoy the new format and discover that it enhances the classroom experience.

See you all soon!

For those of you who are still using versions of Painter prior to Painter 11, Corel is offering a big discount on the upgrade through the end of August. You can buy the Painter 11 upgrade download for $139 or the boxed version for $169, and you will also get a free copy of the Painter 11 WOW book by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis which retails at Amazon for $37.79. This is a heck of a deal.

Find it here: Painter 11 Upgrade

Today is the opening day of registration for the Fall session at LVS Online.  Remember, not only does the early bird get the worm, but the early bird also gets his or her choice of classes. Don’t be left and and on a waiting list. Register now!

If you’re a moderate to advanced Painter user, you can register for my new class, Corel Painter Explorations: Adventures in Scrap Collage, here. If you’re just learning to use Painter, then try the class for beginners, here. You’ll learn a lot and have fun doing so. Read what other students have said here.

Hope to see you there!

I’m so excited about my new class at LVS. It’s called Corel Painter Explorations: Adventures in Scrap-collage,  and you can read all about it here.

You will be able to sign up for the new class when registraton opens this coming Monday, August 2, 2010. This is going to be a wonderful class. In it, you will be exploring new ways to use Painter, and I will be showing you some of the lesser-known features the program offers. You’ll be creating images which you can use to make greeting cards, or wall art, and I think you’ll also have a lot of fun.

Hope to see you there!

Although weather-wise, summer is far from over, in a few days registration will open at LVS Online for the fall session. This year, in addition to teaching both the  Painter Level I class and the Painter Level II class, I will be offering a new Painter class. No, it’s not the long-awaited Painter Level III class, but rather, a class written especially for more advanced students who enjoy digital scrapbook projects and who also would like to explore some of the lesser-known features available using Corel® Painter. The LVS staff and I are in the process of doing some last minute “tweaking”, and as soon as we are finished, I will post more information and the link where you can register for this new and exciting class…at least I think it’s exciting.

Meanwhile, beginning with the fall session, you will find that there have been some changes made to the regular class format. Unlike previous sessions where you downloaded one lesson per week for 6 weeks, from now on, classes will run for 5 weeks (the number of actual lessons will vary depending on the class). During week one, you will be able to download Lesson 1, as you have done in previous sessions. During weeks two through five,  you will be able to download all remaining class lessons and files. This will allow you to work at your own pace, so that those of you who are just chomping at the bit to learn more, may do so without having to wait a full week in between lesson availability.  I will provide further information about this new format in the classroom. For the time being, here is the current schedule for the fall session:

• Registration Opens Monday,  August 2, 2010
• Classrooms Open Monday,  August 30, 2010
• Registration Closes Wednesday,  September 1, 2010
• Lesson 1 will be posted Thursday,  September 2, 2010
• All additional lessons will be posted Thursday,  September 9, 2010

This new format will allow the second fall session to end earlier than normal and give all of us extra time during the holidays. I hope you like these new changes at LVS and I also hope to see you in my classes. Don’t forget to check back soon for more information on the new Painter class!

It’s time again to register for classes at LVS online. This is your opportunity to learn how to create your own web site, a blog, write poetry, take better photos, and of course, learn to use Corel Painter! General information about registration, and also about LVS discounts on software is here.

This session I’ve decided to do something different and I will only be offering the Level II class.

Why you ask? It has been my experience that if the Level I students take the class in May that by the time August rolls around and classes reopen at LVS, most of my students will have forgotten most of what they learned in the Level I class. Of course they could review and practice the lessons during the break, but like most of us, they are too busy enjoying their summer holidays.

So this year, I decided to finish up the 2009-2010 session by offering only Level II. This will also give me more time to write. There is a new and exciting Painter class in the works for the beginning of the new session in August.  Stay tuned for further info.

In my Painter online classes, I constantly hear my students say, “I can’t even draw a straight line!” Each time I hear this I have to laugh because I don’t know of anyone who is able to draw a straight line unless they use a ruler. A straight line is no indicator of whether or not one is able to draw. I firmly believe that everyone has the ability to draw, and what holds most people back is a total lack of confidence.

Of course, not everyone can draw perfectly, and your individual drawing skill will depend on how much, or how little, talent you possess; however, even if you’re unable to draw as well as your favorite artist, nevertheless, you still possess the ability, with practice and training, to draw well enough to achieve a personal sense of satisfaction. My belief in everyone’s ability to draw is a direct result of my exposure to of one of my heroes, the artist, Jon Gnagy.

I believe that you are an artist. I believe that everyone is an artist. When I say this I am not trying to be sensational. I merely state it as a conviction which has been proving itself for years in my beginners’ art classes.
—Jon Gnagy

Jon became very famous in the 1950’s as a result of his TV show which continued to be shown until 1970, a very long-running show indeed. I guess I was about eleven when I discovered Jon, and I lusted after his “Learn to Draw Kit”. The kit was out of the question for my mother. In those days a single parent, especially a woman, had all she could do to keep food on the table, much less buy art supplies for her child, no matter how much the child wanted them. …and so, I made do, with a #2 pencil and a rubber eraser, and I followed Jon’s show for several years, learning to master his basic shapes, the ball, the cone, the cube, and the cylinder. As the years passed, I went on to other interests, but always returned to drawing. These days, I can afford wonderful pencils, pens, brushes, and pastels, but they have never replaced the early thrill of being able to produce “art” from my simple tools, a pencil and an eraser.

More than Jon’s lessons, his philosophy is what kept me pursuing art and drawing over the years, and I believe his philosophy to be true, that everyone is an artist, and that each of us contains that spark. So, don’t let your lack of confidence hold you back. Pick up a pencil, a pad of paper, and an eraser. Set up a still life in your kitchen, go out in the yard and sketch a tree, hold your hand out in front of you and draw it, but whatever you do, don’t stop trying. You will never know where it can lead you, and the journey will be one of the best ones you will ever take, because don’t forget “You Can Draw”!