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We love to include interesting creative techniques in our course offerings. As creatives, it's so important to continue to explore new techniques and expand our horizons when it comes to our craft. For Semester II, we are offering Cyanotype Printing.

Cyanotype printing was a method of printing invented in 1842. With its origins in reproductions, specifically blueprints (hence the name), it uses the photographic printing and development process to create gorgeous cyan or prussian blue prints. 

Aside from using cyanotype printing on paper products, I have successfully used it to create lovely unique prints on fabrics, most recently a silk scarf. While it is a process that requires patience and time (and a dark space with no light!), the results are phenomenal. In this course, we will be learning the ins and outs of the process and create some botanical prints! 

Registration for Semester II courses will open on December 12, so mark your calendars! Classes will become available on January 13, 2017. 

Next up for our Semester II courses, we have Time Management!

Whether you run your own business from a studio, balance a full time job with a side hustle and family, or anything in between, knowing how to prioritize your time is integral to running your business effectively and getting things done.

Learning how to prioritize, eliminate, stay on task and delegate is life changing - it certainly was for me! Going from working 80+ hours a week to working 36 or less and taking the month of December off gave me the energy and drive I needed to build my business and stay sane.  

I've gotten a lot of questions and feedback from students about the difficulty they face in finding enough time in the day to do all the things they need to do. In this course, we'll get into the nitty gritty of necessity, learn how to prioritize our time and tasks, and get more done in a shorter period of time. 

As with all the other Semester II courses, registration will open on December 12, with class materials becoming available on January 13th!

Get in early for Semester II registration!  We're opening up pre-registration for Semester II courses on Cyper Monday!  Use coupon code 'cybermonday' and get 20% off all Semester II courses, including the Class Pass.  

Semester II courses will open for full registration on December 12th

PRICING FOR CREATIVE BUSINESSES II

Our second semester pricing course will dig a bit deeper into the world of pricing.  We'll look at specific pricing examples in two industry categories:  custom calligraphy projects and building a pricing sheet as a paper pusher (i.e. stationer).   Pricing for custom calligraphy projects will include large scale quotes, wedding vows, family crests, large menus, large seating charts, etc.  We'll talk about how to price your time as well as the cost of product for these situations in addition to building your pricing as a calligrapher and the different pricing structures that are available.  The second example we'll get into is pricing paper, printing, assembly details, and your time as a stationer to cut down the time it takes to get quotes to clients and ensuring accuracy in  your pricing. 

CREATIVE: WATERCOLOR II

Following up our watercolor I course (color theory), we'll be moving in to more color mixing as well as understanding how different base shades mix together.  We'll be mixing custom colors to match pantone or printed shades, perfect if you're a calligrapher mixing ink to match a clients invitation. 

CREATIVE: CYANOTYPE PRINTING

Cyanotype printing, invented in 1842, originally had its origins in reproductions, specifically blueprints (hence the name) but also can produce gorgeous cyan or prussian blue prints.  We'll learn about the process and create botanical prints!  

 

CREATIVE: DESIGN BOARDS FOR CREATIVES

Following up our Sketching for Creatives and Establishing Your Creative Process courses in semester I, we'll be doing a course in design boards and how to utilize them in your own creative process to hone in on and communicate design scopes to clients.  Further narrowing your creative process allows for less time doing the back and forth with clients as well as reducing the amount of time spent with too many ideas flying around.  Design boards help both you as the creative, as well as your client, keep the end design goals in mind, stay focused, and work more efficiently.  

 

TIME MANAGEMENT

Learning how to prioritize, eliminate, stay on task and delegate is life changing - it certainly was for me.  Going from working 80+ hours a week to working 36 or less and taking the month of December off gave me the energy and drive I needed to build my business and stay sane.  In this course, we'll get into the nitty gritty of necessity, learn how to prioritize our time and tasks, and get more done in a shorter period of time. 

BRANDING 

In a creative market, branding is king (or queen, but she's a hereditary queen, so the king doesn't outrank her.  Theres a little monarchy humor for you).  We'll look at how to go about branding your own company, how to define your brand style, define your market and how to brand for it, and how to design for yourself (we're our hardest clients!).  We'll utilize design boards and sketching, working through our own creative processes.