Now that I have shared my practices in concepting and planning I want us to work through some worksheets...
Okay...so how do we begin to concept WHAT we want to film. We have to figure this part out before the HOW. The best way to do this is to spend a little time asking yourself some questions. We have created this worksheet so you can begin to do just that. It is key that you get a very clear picture of what you are trying to convey and share. Now, I’m not saying you need to know each and every step to your project BUT you should have an overall sense of the desired message and outcome of your video.
I'd like to discuss creating a class syllabus and how I go about it. I referred to it in the video but here are my thoughts in the written form too.
I have discovered that the most successful classes for me are relatively short, delivered all at once to the student and are structured similar to this:
In my experience, this gives the student plenty to work on but isn’t overwhelming. You hold their attention and they can move through the class with relative ease. These days the amount of online art classes is overwhelming, so I believe it is best to keep things succinct. This way you can hold your students attention before they are distracted by the next offering.
From a production standpoint, this also creates a “doable” structure for you. Sure, I know plenty of awesome and very successful 12-week classes by fantastic artists but I know myself enough to know that I just won’t want to be in the same thing for that long. Sad to say but these days our attention spans are not what they once were. Social media and technology in general have made us very distractible.
A solid class with three well thought out projects, full of great instruction, and a consistent theme will hold strong over a meandering 12 week course where perhaps you (the teacher) and your student might waver or feel the pull to do something else. Of course, this is only my personal opinion and I’m in no way putting down longer courses. I have signed up for many of them….I just haven’t finished most! Oops!
The point is, know yourself. If you like to bust through something so you can move on to something new, then seriously consider the length of your classes.
I am often asked how I come up with the concepts for my classes. I would love to tell you I have them all locked up in my head ready for action at anytime but this is FAR from the truth. My best classes are simply an expression of where I am personally in my artistic journey.
The concepts for them often arrive late at night or slowly gather in a cozy corner of my mind, building momentum - until they solidify. When that happens, I usually write down my thoughts and any names that might come along with the idea.
My next step is to create a secret pin board on Pinterest, where I squirrel away images that tie together, in both process and theme. This is the fun part! Sometimes they just hang out that way - suspended online as a visual collage.
Other ideas, the stronger ones, rise to the surface. Then, I go back to pen and paper. I write down ideas for warm ups, lessons and lectures. I consider what overall theme and or concept ties the class together.
I imagine where I want to take my student and what the journey will look like. What do I want them to achieve by taking my class. I always like to consider alternatives to my process too, for example, I will encourage the students to image transfer or trace an element onto their canvas if they are not comfortable with free-hand drawing. My goal is always to just get people MAKING ART anyway they can.
Here are some of the pin boards I created for different classes so you can see how I tie imagery and ideas together.
Also, see below a handy Class Syllabus Worksheet to help you in planning your course.
Okay! I hope this assists you in getting your thoughts and concepts on paper! You are one step closer to actually making your OWN art video or class! I’m so excited for you! Please know we are genuinely cheering you on. Nothing makes me happier than seeing other artists succeed and share their gifts. It is a blessing on this world.