Welcome to the online class

To get the most out of the online class, please read the following instructions carefully!

About the forum:

Enter the class forum by following the link and entering the password. You can find this link and the password in the Class mail I sent you.

Then watch the instruction video below.

Write your text preferably in a text editor first (for instance Google Docs, Word, TextEdit).

If something unexpected happens, then your text isn’t lost.

Writing a forum post on the forum itself can be tricky. The forum is not a real ‘word processor’, so if your computer unexpectedly shuts down or something like that, you might lose all your carefully crafted text.

It might work best if you first type your text in a text document, like a Google Doc or a Word Doc, and save it regularly, to avoid disappointments.

Introduce yourself in a forum post

Before the actual class starts, you can introduce yourself in the forum.

It’s best not to introduce yourself in a comment on somebody elses forum post. It might get lost in a thread of comments.

Instead, go to the Forum tab, and click on ‘Create New Post’ on the right. Select the category ‘Introduction’, that keeps all introductions orderly together, and makes it easier to find them back.

Feel free to write whatever you want to share. Think about:

• • Your name

  • Your age

  • Where you live (and/or with whom)

  • Other life circumstances

  • The work/activities you do

  • The hobbies you have

  • How long you’ve been painting (this can be zero days ;-)!)

  • Why you’ve started this course

  • What you hope to get out of this course

  • Photo’s of yourself

  • An url to a website if you have one

  • An Instagram or Pinterest account if you have one

  • Other things you would like people to know about you.

Of course, you can keep to yourself what you want, too.

Give the forum post a clear title, and a category.

Title your posts like this: Introduction –  Name, or Week number – Name. In my case that would be (for instance):  Week 2 – Simone.

This way, the forum posts stay organized.

Also, you will be asked to give your post a category. Choose from the drop-down menu whatever category fits (Introduction, Week 1, and so on). This way, the forum will be even more clear, since we all can filter the posts by clicking on the category link.

Enter only one forum post a week.

If you enter more than one post a week, reviewing and commenting on your work in an orderly and clear way becomes more difficult for me. Also, your development will be more difficult to follow for the other participants. So please, enter only one post a week (this can be a long post, don’t worry!)

If you’ve entered a forum post, and you want to change it later, that’s possible – check out the Forum Tutorial video above.

I will review the posts on Thursday, so you have the time until Wednuesday to make changes to your posts.

Post on Wednesday at last

Try to post at last at the final day of the course week (i.e. on Wednesday). This way, I can review and comment on your work in the same week as you made it. And, maybe more important: you don’t get ‘behind’.

Post anyway

Nobody is perfect, life is messy, and there might be a week you haven’t been able to paint for whatever reason. Then please, don’t hesitate and take a little bit of time to go to the forum and post exactly that – that you haven’t been able to paint! Then I (and the other participants) know that you’re still in the boat, and we can cheer you on anyway!

Turn the notifications on or off

The forum makes it possible to give you a notification if somebody enters a post, or makes a comment. That’s one of the wonderful things about a forum, but it might be too much for you if the class forum makes your mailbox spill over! In that case, turn (some of the) notifications off, or receive them only once a day together. Check the Forum Tutorial video to find out how.

I have turned my notifications off, and I read all of your posts and comments on Thursdays.

Support your fellow artists

One of the beautiful things about a forum is that we are not alone. We can grow together and support each other. It’s wonderful to cheer each other on and comment on each other’s work – of course always in a respective and supportive way. So take the time – not only to make your art, but also to support the other participants in the course.

Be mindful of the fact that the forum gets closed one week after the course

If you want to keep your posts for later, you can download them as pdfs. I will remind. you of that when the time comes.

Remember I live in the Dutch timezone (CET)

I might be well ahead or behind you. If you’re living in California, I’m nine hours ahead of you. If you’re living in Canberra, Australia, I’m ten hours behind you (or so, depending on daylight saving time). This might not make much of a difference, since we’re not meeting in person, but on a forum. Still, it’s good to keep in mind that my Thursday might not be your Thursday ;-). If you’re located far away from my timezone, you might have to wait a bit longer for my reaction on the forum. As long as you’re posting on your Wednuesday, we will be allright.

Remember I’m not a native speaker 😉

Most probably I will make lots of language mistakes in my comments/feedback. I might use clumsy formulations. If something is not clear, please ask!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the class! I’m looking forward to it!

And if you’ve any questions, mail me at: simone-at-simonenijboer.com