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I rebranded my art teaching business The Art Train in 2019. This was a great opportunity to enable customers to book and pay online for classes and this was a prime goal for my new website.
I have been running Guided Painting classes 2 or 3 times a term since 2014. Students come along to a 3-hour session to paint the same image. I provide fully illustrated instructions plus afternoon tea for extra inspiration. The homemade cake really works to get flagging students over the line.
A few years ago a friend had suggested I sell classes online. Of course, I procrastinated... a lot, until I gradually I assessed all the classes I had run as live Guided Painting sessions. I had created 38 individual images for Guided classes over the previous five years. I had quite an IP.
The online class benefits massively from having been previously taught live I have been able to see first hand if the instructions don't make sense or I have over complicated the process. During a live class, students have asked lots of great and sometimes random questions, quite often things I hadn't thought of will come up. The feedback from students has made me a more effective teacher. For each online class I review the original instructions and then I have repainted the image for the video. This process allows e to simplify the instructions. As an online 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.
The on-line Guided Painting instructions have an extensive “how-to“ section, which explains the tips and tricks of acrylic paint. I include all the things I might say in a live class.
My daughter thought I had been too long-winded with the “how-to” section of the instructions, so she wrote a quick version.
I include a list of equipment and my philosophy is to keep the cost down. Art can be a very 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. You only need 8 tubes of paint, a palette, 4x brushes, binder, water container, an old rag and a painting surface.
The videos which accompany every class are narrated and watching me mix and apply the paint is a huge bonus. The video complements the written instructions perfectly.
There are now 15 Guided Painting classes available on my website