11 Tuesday Dec 2012
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Carla Sonheim, gift packages, greeting cards, holiday card, holiday cards, holiday gift store, online art classes, Online Classes
Hello there!
If you still have holiday shopping to do, please check out my HOLIDAY GIFT STORE: I have created some “Gift Packages” for you! All prices include PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING.
Thanks!
21 Tuesday Feb 2012
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Online Classes, online photo class, online photography class, photo silly, photography class, steve sonheim
Okay, for all you PS veterans, here we go a bit deeper. This class will follow the similar PS format with a few changes. We will do 5 assignments per week over two weeks. The assignments will still be mostly silly but will be based more on personal expression and will give you the opportunity to pursue your own interests.
• A new feature will be the opportunity to opt-in to a weekly critIque. This will be a separate posting where I will give more concrete suggestions for improving your images.
• We will also look more at the principles behind the techniques and settings on the camera.
• And I will touch on some basic editing and lighting techniques.
What you need:
• A digital camera that offers some manual control. This is a great class for DSLR users, but you could do it with something more basic. An Iphone 4s would work if you are flexible.
• An editing program that offers cropping and brightness/contrast adjustments.
• A willingness to take some chances and spend some quality time with your camera.
“It was such a nice experience to do this PS class. Love it! It’s the first time I do share my photos and that felt so good.” — Paulina, Mexico
“I want to thank you for the great Photo Silly workshop. I enjoyed the workshop very much and definitely feel more comfortable taking photographs. The assignments were very fun and you did a good job getting the information across. The critiques of the student photos was enormously illuminating and I learned a great deal from them.” — Jennifer, U.S.A.
“Thank you so much for a wonderful first-time online photo class experience! I no longer feel “funny” carrying my camera around with me. Or feel like I am going to break it all the time. My observation skills have sharpened. Looking for light, angles and just plain ‘seeing’ better and this of course, is wonderful and important for photography as well as other art endeavors. One of the best parts of the class for me was all the other great people I ‘met’ here.” — Kathy, U.S.A.
And here are some photos from former Photo Silly students:
lezaarsky
Artteacher
Plateresca
Kateletterplay
Krapprotdunkel
And see Steve’s work at www.sonheimphoto.com
04 Saturday Feb 2012
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art of silliness, downloadable art worksheet, downloadable worksheet, online art classes, online class, Online Classes, test worksheet
Silly 5’s got their first worksheet today, their “test” one so everyone will be up and running by the start date, Wednesday:
I’m trying to remind myself how I painted the flowers so I can do a little tutorial for you later this month:
Light painting in a photo shoot with Tracy Moore at the Play Retreat:
And a couple of shots of Liam when soaking up the sun a few weeks ago!
14 Saturday Jan 2012
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Animals, colored pencil, Drawing Imaginary Animals, gouache, marker, online art classes, Online Classes, painting, Paintings, watercolor
Watercolor, pencil, colored pencil, marker, gouache on watercolor paper (5″ x 7″)
Hello and how are you today? I worked on this guy off-and-on the past few days (in between computer stuff). My drawing table is just behind my computer table, so I just spin my chair around when I need a little drawing fix.
My motto is, “Why DRAW, when you can DRAW?”
Have a great weekend!
_____
P.S. The process for making this guy is the core of the Imaginary Creatures online class, which starts Monday. It’s not too late to sign up!
24 Sunday Apr 2011
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Created by my talented son and daughter-in-law, here is the very first “Sillymercial!”
Silly 4 starts in just a few days… please help me spread the word by re-tweeting, facebooking and sharing this commercial (if you are so inclined, of course). THANKS!
22 Friday Apr 2011
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A few days ago I was contacted by Ainslie Hunter, who had signed up for “The Art of Silliness 4” and wondered if she could interview me for her wonderful blog, “Courses that Matter.” My answers are below, but please do check out her site as she is starting an Online Education Revolution!! Thanks, Ainslie!
************************
Could you start by telling us a bit about The Art of Silliness 4?
Yes. Silly 4 is the fourth session of my online class, “The Art of Silliness: Drawing Worksheets for Adults”. Each session is basically the same – 30 days / 30 worksheets – but with different “ingredients”. It is a drawing class both for those who feel they “can’t draw”, and those who can draw but want to start approaching it in a way that is more light hearted and fun.
It is set up so that each day the participant downloads and prints a worksheet, third-grade style. My idea is to kind of bring you back to that time in your life when drawing was easy, no big deal, before the judgment kicked in. And didn’t you just love filling out worksheets?
I did. So I thought it would be a fun way to teach drawing.
Some people go through one workshop and feel “done.” Others have signed up for all four sessions, as they enjoy the daily prompts and the month-long community that is formed each time. (And what’s not to love about a bunch of people brave enough to take a “silly” class?!!)
How did you decide to structure the course the way you did?
I am a workshop instructor for adults, having first taught children in my sons’ elementary school classrooms. I try to make drawing fun for everyone. I had been thinking about an online class for about a year before I did the first one. But I was stuck; I didn’t have the video equipment/skills necessary to do it the way others were doing it.
When I thought of the daily worksheet/PDF idea, I was so excited that it was something I DID know how to do (upload PDFs to a website and send a daily email), that I quickly wrote a blog post about it and jumped in with both feet.
Can you tell us a bit about the planning involved in the course? > How long have you been thinking about the idea? How long from idea to launch?
Oh my goodness, this is slightly embarrassing. As I said earlier, I had been trying to figure out the online class thing for awhile — at least a year. But when I got the idea (early one Sunday morning in
March 2010), I wrote the blog post about it and the class started less than two weeks later. I even laughed at myself about it in the post (I am somewhat impulsive.)
Anyway, one of the main IDEAS of the course was that it would be created AS THE CLASS WAS GOING ALONG. In that way, I could keep it fresh, react to the students a bit more, AND eliminate that laborious pre-planning stage… I really thought I would do a better job it I could remain spontaneous about it, and I do think it works. I priced it accordingly I think, too!
What do you think are the most important features of an online course and why?
I think a good mixture of fun (silliness), content and community. At least it works for the Silly Series!!
How are you going to communicate high expectations in your course?
Actually, I don’t really worry about it…. I have high expectations for myself, and I think that is evident in my communications, both in the worksheet instructions and my emails…. and perhaps that rubs off. But I think that life can be hard, and we need to be gentle with ourselves, too. Sometimes people sign up for the Silly class and life gets in the way, and they can’t get to the worksheets for awhile. That’s okay. The worksheets will always be there, and when the time is right, they’ll get to them. (If not, well, it was only $25!)
Will you emphasise the importance of completing tasks in the course?
No, not overtly. Again, I want people to LIKE drawing, and putting a gun to their heads is not effective in my experience!
In this class uploading the drawings and/or completed worksheets to the flickr site is completely optional. Students also have the option of emailing me assignments (if they’re shy about posting publicly), but it is not required.
In what ways will you respect the diverse talents and ways of learning of your students?
Because there are 30 different worksheets, and often each worksheet has one, two or even three different things to do (write, scribble, draw carefully, etc.), I think I’m able to speak to everyone. (Plus, it’s good for really “neat” people to get messy once in a while, and really messy people to slow down and work more carefully… we do it all.)
How will you encourage active learning throughout the course?
Well, the online Silly class is basically a tangible example of how I seem to live my life, which is to constantly learn, try, adjust, correct, delight, mourn and start all over again. I will ask people to look up giraffe photos online, for example, or ask their spouses to make a drawing (learning that, my goodness, Bill is GREAT at it! And it was so easy for him! Maybe it’s not that big of a deal after all!)
Are students able to receive feedback from you during the course?
Yes. I comment to almost every photo uploaded on the flickr site, and am also available by email throughout the month. I try to answer general questions that I think would be of interest to everyone in the next day’s group email.
Is engagement encouraged between the members?
Well, I’m not sure how it happens, but each session the participants just ENGAGE each other… on the blog but mostly on the flickr site. Everyone comments on everything; it is a lively, positive, and very supportive group.
Do you see yourself as a teacher in this process? Why? Why not?
Only in that I truly love to see people drawing, and am enthusiastic in my comments!
I believe that teaching can transform lives and create a ripple effect (either in the teacher or students.) What transformation have you seen because of the Art of Silliness?
Yes. I have seen it happen so many times, where a silly assignment will create these awesome family moments that just make me cry almost! One example: an assignment for a “Silly Saturday” was to
straighten their shoes (as extra credit they could draw them). One student created the following video with her daughters.
Beautiful.
Any last words of advice?
I have kept the price low and have a very liberal policy when it comes to the classes; each household needs only to pay once and everyone (including the kids) can participate. Also, teachers are allowed to copy worksheets for use in their classrooms. I do this for several reasons:
First, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND how it feels to be broke and not have money. $25 is about all I could ever pay (especially before I moved to Seattle in 2010), and I would want to be able to share it with my family guilt-free if I were taking the class. I figure, if enough people sign up each session, then I am “okay”. Two, my website is on each worksheet, so if a teacher uses them in her classroom, then I might potentially pick up a future student or two. Finally, I want as many people as possible to “catch the drawing fever,” so, the more the merrier!!
Also…I really wanted my online class to be a reflection of who I was, as a person and a teacher, and not just something that I THOUGHT people would pay for. It took a long time to come up with the Silliness idea, but when I did, I didn’t hesitate, even though I had no idea that it would become as popular as it did.
I was lucky in the fact that at the time my (freelance photographer) husband was fairly busy, so that freed me up that month to make a little less money if it turned out to be a complete bust.
I really appreciate all of the wonderful people who have taken the class, and helped me fill the classes by spreading the word, etc.
Thank you!!
+++++++++++++++
P.S. Silly 4 starts in just 10 days! Go here for the details or to sign up!
02 Saturday Apr 2011
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Students who took my Silly 3 course a few months ago were introduced to some photo assignments from my husband, Steve Sonheim. We had so much fun coming up with those assignments we decided to put together a whole class!
June 13 – June 26, 2011
This class is about looking at the world a little differently through your digital camera, and bringing more photography into your art, and more art into your photography!
Here’s the scoop:
• Every day for two weeks (14 days), you will get a short, silly, and fun project to go and do with your camera.
• You will also spend a little time each session gaining a better understanding of some of the more technical concepts of digital photography. (And some computer stuff, too!)
• A “Photo Silly″ flickr site will be created so you can (optionally) share your photographs and get feedback from your fellow students, as well as enjoy and learn from others in the class. (However, if you are shy about posting your photos, Steve will be available to you to look at your work via email.)
• The class material will be up and available until August 15th, 2011, if for some reason you need to miss a day.
• Requirements: Any digital camera that you can download images to a computer and a basic photo-editing program. (Steve suggests either a trial [free] version of Photoshop Elements or Picasa by Google, also free. These are both easy to use and he will be giving instructions for both as we go along.)
• This class for anyone with a digital camera, a computer, and a willingness to take some chances.
Cost: $35
(or email me at carla@carlasonheim.com for other payment arrangements)
Note: When you sign up you will receive a welcome email confirming your registration within 48 hours. On June 1st, you will receive your first email from Steve with your supply list, passwords to the class website, etc.
P.S. Please help us spread the word. THANK YOU!
About Steve
Steve has been a professional for 20 years and has a BA in Applied Commercial Photography from Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. He currently specializes in hotel and resort photography. He has taught photograhy classes at Wheaton College and has had gallery shows with his abstract imagery.
31 Thursday Mar 2011
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SILLY 4 is over… so sad!!
SILLY 5 is currently scheduled for January 2012, but I am working on some other online classes for the summer and fall — stay tuned! (Or sign up for my newsletter to get all the updates!)
Please join me for the fourth installment of my online class:
(30 Worksheets/30 Days/25 Bucks!)
May 4 – June 2, 2011
(This class is open to ANYONE, whether or not they took the first classes — because “silly” has no prerequisite!)
Here’s the scoop:
• Each day I will create an Activity Sheet just for you. Worksheets may include one (or more) of the following: drawing exercises (can’t draw? YES YOU CAN!), writing prompts, vocabulary words, drawing games, puzzles… (just to name a few). FUN!
• Here is a SAMPLE of the first worksheet from the “The Art of Silliness 2” (Fall 2010):
(Non-threatening and easy!)
• The worksheets will be created as the month goes on… in other words, this course is not preplanned down to the finest detail. (We are spontaneous over here at Silly Headquarters, Inc. Company.)
• Each day you will receive an email from me with a url link to the new pdf worksheet, which you can download, print, and complete!
• The daily email might also include stories, jokes, and all the Silly News.
• 30 days, 30 handouts. At the end of the class you can bind them all together for your very own Silliness “4″ Workbook!
• Our goal: to get you to just PLAY, just 10 minutes a day, with pen and paper, thoughts and images. (You will be surprised how a shot of silliness like this will positively inform the other goings-on in your day, including your regular artwork.)
• Every handout will have an “Extra Credit” section, in case you want to spend MORE than 10 minutes that day creating like a kid.
• Speaking of kids… this is a perfect class to do together with your children!! Each household can download as many sheets as they like.
• TEACHERS!!!! If you do this online class, you are welcome to photocopy the worksheets for use in your classrooms.
• A blog dedicated to the class will be created and administered throughout the month and will be the place for you to post comments, questions, and/or links to your finished Activity Pages.
• A “Silly 4″ flickr site will be created so you can (optionally) share your worksheets, drawings, artwork, and enjoy and learn from the artwork of others. (However, if you are shy about posting your art, I will be available to you the entire month to look at your work via email.)
• Prizes? Of course!!
• The class material will be up and available for download until August 15th, 2011, if for some reason you need to miss a day (or a couple of weeks).
• Here’s what people are saying about the Silly Series so far:
“I want to say that your online Art of Silliness drawing workshop caused something of a paradigm shift in my perspective on drawing, more specifically, my ability to draw. I draw all the time now. No big deal, no worries, no “I’m not having fun this is too ugly”, none of that. I am now and forever more a person who draws. Because of you.”
— Jennifer W.
“The Best X 3:
Best drawing class I’ve taken on-line or off-line.
Best teacher who made drawing fun.
Best time spent that brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart
— Judith W.
• I promise to make it fun. (Do you want to join me?)
Cost: $25
(or email me at carla@carlasonheim.com for other payment arrangements)
Note: When you sign up you will receive a welcome email confirming your registration within 24 hours. If you DON’T receive an email, try checking your spam folder. If it’s not there, email me! carla@carlasonheim.com.
The Art of Silliness 4
May 4 – June 2, 2011
(though you will be able to access the pdfs until August 15th)
And please help me spread the word. THANK YOU!
Carla Sonheim, A.K.A. The Silly Queen
P.S. A note to OLD-TIMERS
Why take Silly again? Well, one reason is…
Let me explain. You’ve tasted strawberries before, but that doesn’t mean you would say “no” to another bowl, right? Even though the experience will be similar, it deserves to be repeated because it “tastes good!”
Yes, it will be similar, but different. Why? Because now you are several months older. The weather has changed, and your energy level has increased (or decreased). That distracting situation with your neighbor is now resolved. In short, you are a COMPLETELY different person now and will thus respond differently to Silly 4!
(And though there will be some repeat exercises — such as Fleep lists and blind contours — the subject matter will be all new. The Squeen never just recycles material “copy and paste” style. That is my Silly Promise.)
17 Thursday Mar 2011
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Sometimes I like to highlight on this blog things my talented friends are working on! Today it is a new four-week online course titled “Write Your Story: The Magic of Journaling” (June 6 – July 1) by my long-time friend Wendy Murray. From the class description:
This course focuses upon cultivating an intentional approach to writing in a journal, which ultimately gives voice to the narrative of your life. By means of specific writing exercises you will put pen to paper to begin developing a theme and structure that serves to build your life’s narrative while igniting your inner reflection and imagination. This class prepares you to write your own story and further, to keep writing your story, in a way that enables you discover and appreciate the unique gifts and perspective that you alone bring to your life’s sojourn. You will also develop your individual style and creative expression.
You will work with a published author who has kept journals all her life and turned their contents into three published memoirs.
I highly recommend Wendy as a writer, teacher and all-around great person. Registration is now open… For all the details, click here!
