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!

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”!

Registration for the January 2010 session at LVS is open!

Classrooms open Jan 4, 2010

Registration closes Jan 6, 2010

First lesson posts Jan 9, 2010

Course Fees:

$30.00 New Students

$24.00 Returning Students

Painter Level I class

See what other students have said about this class

Painter Level II class

See what other students have said about this class

Want to see a sample of some of the things you will be doing and learning in these classes? Take a look at the Student Gallery.

Lesson 6 was made available for download last Saturday, and the official final day for the classroom is Wednesday October 15. The students who haven’t yet turned in their homework assignments are scurrying around trying to get up to date and at the same time register for Level II.

The first Level I class was a resounding success! I had such a wonderful group of eager students and terrific participation and exchanges on the board. Many of them are going on to Level II, and of course, the Level I class will be ongoing.

Classrooms open on October 27 for the next session and the first lesson will be posted on November First. Meanwhile, Lessons 1 through 5 are completed and Lesson 6 is currently being written and will be finished in plenty of time. It looks as though the end of 2008 will be very busy and exciting. I’m looking forward to it.

Elaina

Lvs and the staff would love for you to tell us who you are and which class or classes you are enrolled in. Please click on the “comments” link at the bottom of this post to enter your information, and while you’re at it, feel free to add comments and let us know how LVS may have affected your Personal or Professional life. We enjoy hearing of your experiences.

Thanks for sharing with LVS staff, fellow LVS students and our blog visitors!

Registration for the late Fall session at LVS opens bright and early tomorrow morning, September 29. The Painter X Level I class will be offered again (complete with revisions, thanks to my wonderful students), and the Painter Level II class will also be available.

By the way, for those of you who have earlier versions of the program, all of the material in Level II is also applicable to Painter IX, and most of the material can also be used by those who have Painter 8.

In Level I, there are a few items which only pertain to Painter X, but I’ve identified each of them. Everything else in the lesson also applies to Painter IX. Again, some of the lesson content can be used with Painter 8. You will have to read the page syllabus to determine whether or not this course would be applicable since I no longer have Painter 8 installed.

Level II is a continuation of what was covered in Level I with some very interesting additions. I’m still working on Lessons 5 and 6, so the syllabus is incomplete, but you can go to the class description page and read the content for Lessons 1 through 4 now. Registration for both classes is limited, so I suggest you don’t put it off until the last minute to avoid disappointment.

The image below is a thumbnail example of one of the class assignments.

Want to see a larger version? Click on this link. It’s the second one down. Btw, this is a page of samples of some of the assignments you will be doing in the Level II class.

Well gentle Reader, it’s been a little over 3 weeks since I last posted here. I’ve been busily working on the lessons for the new Painter class for beginner’s at LVS Online. Lessons 1, 2 and 3 are finished and lesson 4 is about 90% complete. As with any class, in the process of writing the lessons I find myself learning new things about the program, so although the pace is a bit exhausting, the experience is very worthwhile and rewarding.

The description of the new class, along with the syllabus has now been officially posted. If you want to see what the class will cover, go to this page. This class will be part 1 of a 2 part series, with part 2 beginning in the November session. Eventually, more parts may be added because Painter is a massive program which is capable of many, different, graphic applications.

Meanwhile, if you’re interested in enrolling, registration will open on Monday, July 28. Make a note on your calendar. Hope to see you there!

The wonderful thing about Corel Painter is that it can digitally emulate the look of almost any natural art medium. In order to derive the full benefits of the program, understanding how to paint and how to see as an artist is essential. The best place to learn how to do this is of course, at LVS online.

LVS has the perfect classes for those budding artists who need to learn the basics of what goes into a good painting. There are three classes available and they must be taken in sequence.

They are:

1. Digital Art – which introduces the basics of digital drawing and the principles of art in general

2. Digital Art, Beyond the Basics – which focuses on drawing and painting from scratch using brushes and retouch tools from your graphic software program

3. Digital Artist’s Studio – This class does not have a formal lesson plan.
Instead, the instructor gives the students weekly assignments to be completed from scratch and then offers professional critiques on the work. In each lesson you are challenged to stretch your painting skills in order to produce the best work possible.

These three classes are taught by Hillary Sadur, an accomplished digital and real-world artist who majored in art at the University of Oklahoma, and has been painting and drawing for the past 40 years. One of Hillary’s greatest pleasures is passing on her knowledge to her students.

I’ve taken all three of Hillary’s classes and I took the Digital Art Studio session several times and can personally attest to the growth I achieved as an artist because of these classes. Give them a try. You won’t regret it.