Introductory Offer: $200 per student for each complete 10 week course (regular price $300).

Only 10 students per class! Registration takes place from December 2, 2008 to January 8, 2009, or until classes are filled. Courses begin January 9, 2009. For more information, go to: http://www.drawspace.com/courses/

Drawspace.com is thrilled to announce our very first online interactive painting and drawing courses. We are honoured to introduce Cindy Wider from Queensland, Australia, as the instructor of both courses. Cindy is an award winning and internationally renowned artist, art educator, art curricula designer, author of Paint in Your Pyjamas and six of Drawspace's most popular drawing lessons (Hoddinott Publishing, Nova Scotia, Canada).

“Cindy is a wonderfully dedicated teacher and both the quality of the teaching material and the level of support for my learning have exceeded all my expectations. Paint in your Pyjamas has been about more than just successful learning, it has been a life enhancing and deeply affecting experience. My whole life seems richer for it and I can tell you it's the best thing I have done in years.”

Carol Cassell, Marcoola, Australia (student of Cindy Wider)

• Draw in Your Pyjamas: This unique ten week course, the first of six, offers the fundamental principles of drawing for the beginner. A delicate blend of traditional methods handed down from the great masters is combined with contemporary knowledge. Through a series of simple, fun drawing exercises, you are encouraged to refine the first of four major skills, horizontal and vertical comparison (most people use this skill on a daily basis). This course is ideal for absolute beginners, who want to learn rudimentary drawing skills, and is also suitable for more experienced artists who wish to refine their skills. You need to devote a minimum of four to six hours per week.

• Paint and Mix Colours in Your Pyjamas: This exciting ten-week beginner course, the second of six, is loaded with professional techniques that quickly immerse you into painting with acrylic paints. You are shown how to mix a huge array of colours, using just three primary colours plus black and white. I then take you through the process of learning six traditional brush strokes. From there, I guide you through a series of enjoyable, step-by-step projects to paint several objects using a smooth, hard-edge style, as well as traditional realism. You need to devote a minimum of six to eight hours per week.

nice! is good to learn in draw in piyamas

I'm interested in the drawing course but I'm wondering how the interactive part works. Is there a set time to be online for a chat or webcam? or is it more self paced at your own time as long as assignments are turned in?

Hi there, dlewis, thankyou for your interest in the drawing course. There is a weekly deadline to hand your work in by. If you need an extension, just request one and we can make arrangements.

The course consists of a series of pdf files that are made available each Friday for you to collect from the virtual classroom. Save the file to your computer then print the notes to work from. You can take your course notes outdoors (some of my internet students prefer to work in their studio, at their dining table or even outside in a park! Once you have completed your weekly exercises on paper, you will then scan your work and upload the file into the virtual classroom with one click of a button. You will have the option to share your work with your other class members, or not.

I will spend time (within the week) analysing your artwork in depth. Then I will place some arrows on your work, and write comments to advise you on which areas you need to improve and how. If I can see that you need extra help, it will be given in the form of more information. I will take a keen interest in your work as a unique individual and will therefore ask you to re-do some exercises if I can see you have not fully understood. This is so that you and I both make sure you have fully understood the weekly exercises.

We work as a team on a one-to-one basis even though there are others in your group. The exercises in the course have been especially designed to cover most of the basic fundamental principles and gradually become progressively difficult as your skills improve. Therefore, if you successfully complete all of the early (easier) exercises put before you and make the adjustments to your work as advised, like hundreds of others who have completed this course before you, you should be ready to tackle the more difficult tasks such as 'Self-portraiture' in the later units of the course. This course has six units in all and they form one complete beginner level, however all the units can also be studied as 'stand alone' courses.

After 20 years of experience working in the art industry, as a certified trainer, a TAFE lecturer, a trained professional artist, published professional illustrator, gallery-represented and corporate commissioned artist, I have developed an acute awareness for noticing the subtle areas in your artwork that need improving. I have helped hundreds of people over the past ten years to refine their drawing skills both in real life classes and for twelve months exclusively by internet correspondence. Some of these people who had never drawn since a child, have become paid-commissioned artists within 120 hours over a twelve month period. Some have become award-winning artists, or just generally dramatically improved their drawing skills and confidence in the process.

The results I have witnessed after years of teaching live as well as via interactive online teaching is that the standard of drawing I receive from my online students equals if not surpasses that of my students in live classes (and I thought the results of teaching in live classes were amazing, but these results are even more impressive.) I attribute this success to several factors; including things such as, the students are not limited to the time in class, they can spend more time on their weekly exercises if they choose, I also have more time and a quiet mind to fully focus and analyse just one individual student's work at a time, compared to the more fleeting moments when pacing around the classroom in 'real' time sharing my energy and skills with ten people all at once. The one-to-one tuition you will get in these classes is the most amazing benefit to you. If you have any more questions, just ask away.

Cindy

Thanks for such a complete reply..

I'm very much a beginner who has wanted to explore. I think a little bit of structure will help me start off on the right foot. I'm looking forward to the course.

Deborah