When I first learned about Photoshop I was a bit daunted because everyone told me how hard and complex it was. I spent years taking classes, buying books and studying with an expensive private tutor to finally learn the stuff I needed as an artist editing my own images.

I’ve condensed what I’ve learned into a basic, introductory course exclusively for visual artists.

•  The success of your work depends on having excellent digital images.

• Save loads of money on classes, tutors and manuals that won’t show you the stuff you need as an artist.

• Prevent the hassle of learning stuff you don’t need.

• Present your art to the world in its very best light!

Special Introductory Price through April 16!   $97  only $49

 

“Your training certainly was helpful. I just finished watching Video 2 of your Photoshop course. Loved it. Clarified things I’ve been doing haphazardly and guessing at for a number of years.”

– Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo  threadsofawakening.com

 

 

I made this course for you if:

• You learn best by having someone sit down and show you how to do things.
• You’re comfortable with learning software and have been wanting to learn photo editing techniques but just haven’t found the time to sign up for a class or plough through a 300 page book to find the tools you need.
• You’re afraid you’re missing out on opportunities because your digital images aren’t showing your work to best advantage.
• You have Adobe Photoshop CS1 – 6 or Adobe Photoshop Elements and don’t really know how to use it.
• You want to buy Adobe Photoshop and are intimidated about learning it.
• You took a course elsewhere in Photoshop and still don’t know how to use it!
• You can never find the info you need in the Photoshop manual you bought.
• You have Photoshop and you’ve used it a little, but feel like you aren’t getting quite the results you desire.

In it you’ll learn:

• How to use Levels to adjust the darkness or lightness of an image.
• How to Color Balance your images – adjust your images to be warmer or cooler to match your original art.
• How to use the history palette to easily reverse any changes you don’t like or get them back again if you change your mind.
• How to save images for web – what the best sizes and resolutions are and the best way to save them so they can be read on all platforms.
• Best way to save images for print.
• Which tool to use for sharpening?  Unsharp mask tool? Sharpen? Sharpen Edges?

This home study course includes:

• 2 Easy-to-follow video training sessions that you can listen to at your own pace. Pause the video when you like, relisten to parts as needed. It’s like having me right by your side, guiding you through the process step-by-step.
•  A fully-illustrated 14-page Guidebook to accompany the video trainings that gives you the same steps in a written form so you can follow along, review later and reference specific steps and tools as needed.
• A portfolio of practice images.

This easy-to-follow course is entirely online. As soon as you purchase it you will receive a link to the password protected page with all your course materials. Your illustrated manual is downloadable as a pdf file that you can print out and save, jot down notes, highlight and always have a fresh, clean copy on your computer.  You will also download the jpeg images to practice your new skills.  You will have unlimited access to the accompanying video tutorials over a 3- month period. (I don’t want this course to sit on the shelf unused! I give you this time frame so you’ll be sure to get going and start using your brand new skills to make your beautiful art shine in the digital format!)

Tuition: $97

Special Introductory Price: $49 until Tuesday, April 16

 

Here is some information outlining the difference between Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

Stain Painting with Acrylics

 

Saturday, May 5, 2012 10 am – 4 pm
at Michele’s studio in Emeryville, California

Morris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler pioneered painting directly on raw canvas to achieve unique color effects and modulations. Experience the freedom of working large on raw canvas in thin layers to achieve unprecedented luminosity.

 

Experiment with additives and paints and study pigment characteristics such as transparency and opacity to heighten the expressive potential of color in your own unique paintings. Composition, contrast and scale will be addressed as we study the works of modern and contemporary artists for inspiration.

 

Your tuition covers over $159 worth materials including:

• A large top quality 12 oz. cotton duck canvas so you can really stretch out  and experiment freely and gesturally.
• The same high quality  canvas in smaller pieces for experimentation and studies.
• A full array of gorgeous Liquitex acrylic  ink and soft body colors – every single color available. It’s like going into the art store and saying, “I’ll take one of everything!”
• A 8 oz squeeze bottle of flow aid water that you get to take home with you to continue the play!
• Use of all my brushes, containers, palettes, the works! You don’t have to lug a thing to this workshop – just your sweet, creative self!

 

$150 (USD) includes all materials

Cancellation policy: Full refund up to 7 days before the workshop, after that  funds may be applied to future workshops or programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour, Puddle, Drip
Lift, Peel, Cut
Crazy Cool Stuff You Can Only Do with Acrylic Paints

Saturday, February 11, 2012 10 am – 4 pm
at Michele’s studio in Emeryville, California

You may have seen artists using acrylic “skins” – sheets of pure paint collaged onto canvas, stacked into multilayered sheets and cut or carved into, adhered to metal or wood armatures and more. Acrylics lend themselves exceedingly well to unusual applications that blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture and mixed media.

They can be poured in puddles of various sizes, delicately dripped or threaded onto a surface or layered in clear, thick resin-like fashion. Fields of paint can spread to dry and then lifted and collaged on surfaces such as paintings, books, sculpture, wood, fabric, gourds etc. The sheets can be transparent like glass, iridescent, matte or completely opaque.

You can also create resin-like pours over surfaces with no toxic or hazardous materials, or fumes.

Learn the best paints and mediums, tools, surfaces for a wide variety of applications and save tons of time by tapping into my 10 years of experience with this technique. We’ll discuss the work of modern and contemporary artists such as Jules Olitski, Lynda Benglis and Beatriz Milhazes for inspiration.

Your tuition covers ALL materials you’ll need including:

• An abundant supply of dozens of the latest acrylic mediums.
• Huge selection of acrylic colors and inks (every gorgeous color your heart could desire)!
• Tools, brushes, mixing bottles, nitrile gloves (just because the mediums are sticky, don’t worry everything  we are using is AP certified non-toxic)
• Surfaces to experiment on: polypropleyne, canvas, paper, panels, canvas boards, acetate.
• That’s use of thousands of dollars of materials and tools in my studio for just the cost of one workshop. (If you’ve been in an art store lately you’ll know this is no exaggeration!)

Isn’t it nice to be able to just show up?
Of course, feel free to bring your favorite colors, tools if you like. And an apron is always a good idea.

Questions?  Contact info@themindfulartist.com for help!

$125 (USD) includes all materials.

WORKSHOP SOLD OUT

Email info@themindfulartist.com to be added to the waiting list.

FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO REGISTER will receive a special bonus kit of over $50 of acrylic colors and mediums.