If you are an aspiring/ beginner or intermediate artist who is wandering whether a one year long art course is too much of a commitment, here are my thoughts on how it can help you on your artistic journey.
There are several one year long art workshops that have been around for years, 3 of which I have participated on as a collaborative teacher: PYHAS (Paint Your Heart & Soul) - contemporary art on variety of subjects, styles and medium, Life Book - a lot of illustrative and story art, and Let’s Face it - painting faces in variety of ways.
First of all, what is the concept behind one year long art workshops? In few words it’s 30-40 online art teachers are pulled together, to make 2 video classes each. Starting from first week of January, students are beginning to receive by email link to different class each week.
So, why I personally love being a part of one year long art workshops as a teacher and why do I feel that participants are benefiting from them?
You can go at your own pace, open these classes any time, view videos, paint. You can do all of them or only those that you like. You can give it an hour daily, or only couple of hours on weekend - it’s up to you and how busy you are. Any amount of time spent making art is worth it. There are no strict requirements on how deeply you engage with the material.
You have lifetime access.
You can participate from any country from the comfort of your home.
Discovery of your art style and preferences is made easy, because of variety of instructors and their respective styles during the year. By end of the year you know what you love and what you don’t love, and your signature style begin to emerge.
You discover artists/ teachers that you love and can now follow directly.
Large community of other students like you will share art and support you in private FB group. By sharing your art and engaging you create art friends for life. I myself made friends in online art workshops 10 years ago, and still friends with them today, few I even travel to meet in US all the way from South Africa.
Teachers offer their support and encouragement on the same FB group.
It’s extremely affordable, when you take yearly amount of registration and divide into an amount of weeks per year (or amount of classes), it works out as something like $2 per class.
If you are thinking to give it a try, PYHAS-2024 have already opened registration for next year. I will be among teachers there 8th year in a row! In 2024 I will be teaching a story art with elements of collage, mixed media and acrylics, as you see in example below.
Even if you see this post later in the year of 2024, you can still sign up, gain access to whole year material and catch up with others. Sign up any time, go at your own pace, share if you want, ask for support, and enjoy dicovering your style.
I wish you much joy and success in your artistic journey!
“Light above me” - mixed media. (Original is sold, prints are available here.)
