Review of Art Journaling Workshops

Reviews of Art Journaling Classes Workshops

I have recently gotten excited about art journaling, which I never expected. I like that it is a low risk venture, that the worst you do is ruin a page. Now that I am selling my pottery and jewelry, they have become more of a worry, in some ways, rather than just a relaxation. So I signed up for some workshops. Some are great, and, I am sorry to say, some are a huge disappointment.

21 Secrets was the first one I signed up for. It is offered by Dirty Footprints Studio. Some of the classes are worthwhile, and some, I felt, were less so. At $59, I felt it was a worthwhile purchase, as there is a lot of good in there. Some of the better classes were the ones offered by Jodi Ohl, Dion Dior and Joanne Sharpe. Just those three made it worth the cost of the class. Some of the others were OK, but I could find better instruction for free on YouTube. I feel that a lot of these classes are geared toward the newer artist, those taking classes for the first time, and compared to the value I have found on classes on Craftsy,com and artistsnetwork.com, these offerings are very weak.

Ro Bruhn's "Flower Power" workshop was unusual, but I didn't find it very practical. Part of the lesson is using disposable plates for flowers. I didn't really see the point. I didn't feel it was a good use of my time and money.

Tammy Garcia's "WatercolorPlayground" was very basic. Sadly, I could find 20 videos on YouTube that do what she did, and do it with more detail. I wasn't feeling good about that video. Another video that I didn't feel was worth inclusion was "Where The Wild Things Are," by Carissa Paige. It was cute, but we are paying real money for these workshops, so I would like a professional type video and demeanor.

I think what my complaint is about these workshops is that this is a new field, and many people are making "teaching" videos. Yes, they are all talented artists, but not every artist is cut out to be a teacher. Many of the workshops are "cutesy," with sped up videos of the artist in goofy clothes and costumes, and while that is fun, that is not the point. The artists who aspire to this should all study Dion Dior or Joanne Sharpe's workshops for content and production techniques. They are the ones that stood out as being worth the value.

I do feel terrible telling readers that some workshops are not worth the money, but just as an author expects to receive reviews, so should artists who are being paid for their instruction. They need to offer a professional product worth the money. Most workshops online are at least $30, which is much more than most art instruction books, so,their value should be at least equal to what an author offers. Sadly, that appears to not be the case.

Case in point: Connie Hozvicka runs the website that put together 21 Secrets. It is called Dirty Footprints Studio. She also offers a 10 Month course called "Ignite" that helps teachers learn to teach and it's trademark is "Fearless." It is incredibly expensive, and to be brutally honest here, after seeing some of the work she included in "21 Secrets," I would never consider spending the thousands of dollars she charges for the class.

I am going to continue posting reviews of workshops, products, and other interesting things I am finding online. It seems to be a pretty unregulated market, and I would like to help change that.