For the first time in three weeks my desk is free of camera equipment – yesterday I’ve completed filming material for the Sketching Fundamentals class. I’ve been working on this course for so long now and I’m really looking forward to finish it and getting it out to you. There are still a few odds and ends that I need to fix, but the largest and most challenging part is done.
I’m sorry I haven’t done any “normal” blogging for a while, this has just eaten all of my time. It has become quite a big project – the class will be very comprehensive as a result and also very long.
There will be two versions of the class, one that is self-paced and one that will include a weekly lesson plan and assignments over 8 weeks, with the opportunity of direct feedback from me and q&a sessions. This will be the best option for those of you who want an intense drawing training and a bit of commitment. The first run-through will be during April and May 2022.
I’m still thinking about how to integrate everything – would you like to have a classroom with community features like sharing sketches, connecting with other students, and q+a and my feedback to individuals visible for everyone (so that the whole group will benefit), or is private feedback via email preferable for you? Let me know.
As a preview, here are some of the drawings I finished for the lessons on landscapes and rocks – amongst many other things we will explore how to make different kinds of marks and textures for different materials, and how to achieve three-dimensionality in your drawings – praticing both of these aspects will in fact be a central part of the class:
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Tiene muy buena pinta, estoy deseando ver colgada la clase aunque yo cogeré una a mi ritmo porque ya lo siento,el inglés y el alemán no son mi fuerte. Posibilidad de subtítulos? Quizás es pedir demasiado. Un abrazo, ánimo.
Dear Marta, thank you for your thoughts! Subtitles are unfortunately something I can’t provide right now, since it is so time-consuming. But I’ve thought about adding text material so that everyone can re-read the content of the lessons. I definitely have the problem in mind.
I think Skillshare offers (automatic) subtitles, even in different languages (including Spanish), but I’m not sure how good they are.
Respecto a la pregunta de si contestar personalmente o en grupo creo que las dos ideas son buenas porque a veces algo que a ti no se te ocurre, ves que el compañero lo pregunta y que resuelve una duda que quizás o no se te había ocurrido o no has llegado aún a ella. Las dos posibilidades son muy buenas. Un saludo.
This looks wonderful Julia – I look forward to watching your new class on skillshare
Thank you Nicola – I’m really looking forward to publish the class very soon!
I’ve been in several different kinds of classes where the facebook group share is part of the course, however I do not find them all that helpful for learning. They have been a way for folks to connect during this time, but I found I spend too much time trying to comment and share than I do working, so I think I would prefer opportunity to directly communicate with you privately one on one…
Thanks for your input Nancy, that’s very helpful! I agree that these groups often aren’t as helpful as we wish they would be and I know many are overwhelmed by them (or too shy to post). I guess people are probably also a bit tired of a lot of online socialising after two pandemic years – I know I am.
Connect with other students versus private feedback? For me, private feedback. I’m focusing on fundamentals this year, and would benefit from honest, direct, knowledgeable feedback and tips, rather than group positive feedback from fellow students trying to be nice 🙂
Thank you for your feedback Jaci! Just to clarify – I would of course give individual feedback to each single student in either scenario, but in a classroom setting it would be visible for everyone in the group.
Julia,
Congratulations upon completing your filming. I am very much looking forward to participating in your course and would opt for private feedback from you personally. The idea of a well-structured eight week class is very appealing. Do you think I can take part even though I plan to be traveling during the Easter holidays?
Your drawings are lovely!
Best wishes,
Laura
Hi Laura,
thank you! It seems a lot of people prefer private feedback.
If you can set aside 1-3 hours per week you’ll be fine even with travel plans. There will be 60-90 minutes of video material each week, plus exercises and weekly assignments. I’ve also planned in a later week for catching up on the material, so hopefully that will allow a bit of flexibility for everyone. I know we all have a life to manage and I don’t want to stress people out with the class!
That sounds excellent. As an instrumental music teacher, I know how important the daily fifteen-twenty minutes can be for beginners. Would you say that could be true for acquiring skills in drawing as well?
Absolutely, since drawing is a lot about developing muscle memory and specific ways to see, it is very similar to learning an musical instrument (and every other kind of manual skill I think). Practicing regularly will allow beginners to make progress much more quickly, so setting aside a little bit of time every day (or as often as it’s possible) will help a lot.
Looking forward to your new class on Skillshare! I enjoy the discussion and project sharing on Skillshare so the community support works for me. Thanks so much and congratulations on your new course! I am sure it takes many hours of work and I do appreciate all of your instruction!
Thanks Karen! Yes, Skillshare already has built-in discussions and sharing features, and of course I will be answering all questions you might have in the class forum there. I hope everything will be ready at the start of April!
Oh Julia! This will be a wonderful class 🙂 I think private feedback would work better for me. I find it so challenging not to compare myself to others, and so having to share my sketches as I am learning would be quite intimidating! (but maybe this is something that would be good to work on?) I’m so excited to see this class, and I hope to be able to participate in the “structured” class in April-May. Thank you for putting this up 🙂
Great to have you on board for this, Anne! Timewise, you should have about 1-3 hours each week for the class, but I’ll include a catchup week for those of us with a busy life and schedule. 🙂 You can always come back to the lessons later, it’s just my feedback that will be limited to those 8 weeks (and I’m pretty relaxed about this and will happily answer questions afterwards, too!)
I lean towards private feedback only right now, it seems that many find the “public” reviews more intimidating than helpful, and I don’t want to push people into a system they don’t like and don’t feel good about participating in.
Sounds wonderful 🙂 I’ll make sure to set aside time for this class 🙂 Thank you for asking for and listening to our feedback!
Thank you very much for all your work and dedication for this course. I *love* your nature classes and your beautiful attitude to the natural world. I can’t wait for the course.
I’m happy to have you on board for the course, Barbara, thank you for being here!
The idea of a 8 week course sounds interesting. What would that cost?
I like the idea of getting feedback and having a regular time to commit to drawing and to enjoy and to progress.
I already follow and enjoy your classes on Skillshare.
Would there be more benefit to following your 8 week format course instead?
Thankyou for all your dedicated work to help others learn and gain skills.
The 8 week course with feedback will be around $120, and you will keep access to all the material afterwards. You can always ask me anything on Skillshare and get feedback, although the platform is not that suited for reviewed assignments (and strangely enough, not many students ask that much).
The 8 week course will have the benefit of a weekly prompt and assignments, it will be very immersive and focused. It’s good for anyone who wants to really make progress with their drawing skills and who needs a bit of commitment to stay on track – like an intensive training. And of course you’ll have my feedback over 8 weeks – direct, helpful tips for adjusting your techniques and getting more out of your sketching. I will also try to cover the more general questions that come up for everyone in the group with q&a’s.
If on the other hand you know you can work through a huge amount of material happily on your own, and you don’t really need or want the extra guidance and commitment, then the Skillshare version will definitely work well for you, too! In any case, I hope to see you in the class and I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
Hi Julia
I hope you are well! I love your work and can’t wait to get started with this new class!
Vivian
Thank you Vivian! I’m a bit tired from all the filming and editing, but I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone will like the class! 🙂
Hi Julia.
Illustration + Nature Sketching is a class I’m interested in. At this time my preference is a private class with e-mail comments.
Hi Philip, thank you for your feedback! In this class we’ll focus mostly on building foundational drawing skills, but I also offer a few other classes that explore illustration and hands-on nature sketching.
Hi Julia,
This course sounds wonderful, I can’t wait to start this drawing journey with you. 🙂 Can I also get feedback from you if I am following the course on Skillshare?
Of course, Agnes! The class won’t be structured with weekly prompts because the Skillshare platform isn’t built for that, but you can ask me any time!