SVS Survey

TessaW

Honestly, they all sound great to me. I think I would always give assignments a 10. As for the others, I see a need for all of them, and my answer would be different depending on where I was at in a moment in time. A few years ago, curriculum would have been very helpful to me- now, not so much. I don't need a portfolio critique now, but can see wanting one in a year or two.

So if I had to choose for this moment in time it would be:

Curriculum: 1
Live/Interactive feedback: 6 It would depend on if I found a class I wanted to really immerse myself in.
Assignments: 10 Doing assignments is the biggest way I've seen myself improve. I look for their inclusion when I pay for a course.
Crits: 5 This would probably jump up higher when I get a portfolio together.
In person workshops: 6 It would all depend on timing, location, price, and content.

Curriculum: This would be a guide for which classes to take and what order to take them.

(3) I downloaded the spreadsheet someone made earlier (thanks!), so I have that. Might be nice to integrate it into the site, though.

Live/Interactive feedback: This would be higher priced offerings with instructor feedback on your work

(10) Yes!

Assignments: This would be more downloadable assignments for the videos in our subscription offering.

Crits: Reasonably priced crits on individual images ($100 range) and full portfolio crits ($450 range)

(10) Yes!

Live in person workshops and classes: We have a new building now, so this may be possible. Also traveling workshops, etc.

(4) I like the idea in theory, but I live really far away and have to use my travel budget to see family, so it doesn't seem likely I could attend a workshop.

I would be interested in taking one of the live online classes with assignments and feedback, especially whichever one might directly follow the original children's book illustration class. This is to say, I've watched the whole children's book class twice so know a lot of the content, but would still love to expand on it, especially if it meant live feedback and critiques. My only request is that it be something that someone 9 hours ahead of Utah time could pull off. Haha! I know that's not so easy, but 9 am your time is 6 pm in much of Europe, so that could work!

Oops, forgot assignments.

(6) Nice, but it's not terribly hard to make our own if we're just working independently.

Miriam

Curriculum: 10 I think I e-mailed SVS to suggest this. I agree with other comments that say it should be optional, and different lists would be great (i.e. beginners, material/medium {traditional and digital}, format/style {comics, kid lit., gallery, …}, etc.)
Live/Interactive feedback: ? This would be amazing! Unfortunately, I can’t afford it, and I’m a beginner, so it would probably be better to wait until I’ve gone through more classes and had more practice anyway.
Assignments: ? I have appreciated the assignments in the classes I’ve watched so far, but to be honest, I probably wouldn’t pay more for additional assignments. Personally, I don’t like it when I subscribe to something, and then they’re trying to up-sale left and right. It makes sense for things like personal critiques and live classes, but for other little things, I find it annoying and makes me feel like my subscription / loyalty isn’t appreciated. (Keeping’ it real!) Also, I’ve been meaning to send an e-mail regarding the file-size. If you could break up the larger ones into multiple downloads (or maybe offer it both ways) it would be helpful for people with slow internet connections.
Critiques: ? Unfortunately, as with #2, this is out of my price range. I agree with what someone else said: It would be great if videos of critiques were available—I have benefited from watching critiques of other people’s work, and have been hoping that you’ll continue to do them, since it seems like it was a monthly thing, but it hasn’t been done recently (unless I’m just not seeing them!).
Live in person workshops and classes: ? This would also be a great experience! However, I don’t live close by & it wouldn’t be in my budget.   ———  I also like the suggestion of adding certificates / badges. I had been thinking of suggesting the same thing.  I think it would add some fun / motivation / sense of accomplishment for many students. A certificate sounds like it’s from a graded class (like with an accredited school), so “badges” or another name would probably be more appropriate.  Or have the ability to earn certificates for the live classes in addition to badges (or whatever you name them) for the video classes. But then you’d get into the issue of grading (which I’m guessing you don’t do in the classes) or issuing the certificate to anyone who participated, which would make it less meaningful, so maybe it’d be better to just have “badges” for those classes as well. These could be in conjunction with the curriculum idea.  I’m pretty new to SVS, so I’m not too familiar with everything that is offered / covered in the classes, but I am expecting / hoping for classes starting with the absolute beginner (for someone who’s never taken an art class before)—all the way through to a professional level. Right now, I need classes that cover the basics and fundamental principles.  Things like: Materials & how to use different mediums (all the stuff you’re supposed to know—like keeping your paints clean & how to care for your brushes, different hardness of pencils and what they’re used for, different papers/surfaces, etc.), Drawing Fundamentals, Design Principles, etc. I don’t even know what all I need—ha, ha!

Thanks for asking us what we think! I've enjoyed everything on SVS so far, and appreciate that you and other SVS staff participate on the forums. You've created a great supportive community here!

SmallsOrd

Curriculum: 6
Live Feedback: 8
Assignments: 1
Crits: 8
Live workshops: 20!!

Love you guys, SVS is just amazing and I look forward to whatever the future holds!!

Lee White

@miriam Thanks for the info. In terms of pricing for assignments, we are just exploring that option. At our subscription price point, we just don't make much money (which is why the subscription price has to go up, otherwise we would go out of business). Our costs keep going up up up with hosting fees and paying teachers for new videos, etc. and if we don't keep up, we won't make it as a business.

Most companies make money from additional items. Restaurants make it from drinks, Airlines make it from seat upgrades and luggage fees, apps make it from selling upgraded items or coins, etc. So we have to have options to make the experience better for the students and we have to be able to stay in business. By making upgrades to the base subscription, it gives options to people who want it, and doesn't make everyone pay for it.

I hear you though. No one likes to be "bait and switched". We hope it never seems that way with our school. : )

jbrannan

Curriculum: 5
Live / Interactive feedback: I would LOVE live meetups, but it depends on how much.
Assignments: 8
Crits: 4
Live in person workshops and classes: 7

I'm just getting started with SVS and am super glad to be here and happy with the classes thus far, but don't know enough to chime in any further. I'll come back and let you know if I think of anything though!

Miriam

@lee-white
Thanks, Lee. That does make sense & we all want SVS to keep doing well!

Curriculum 10! I'm new here at SVS; the offerings were overwhelming at first. Maybe a beginner, intermediate, advanced curriculum lists?
Live/Interactive feedback 8
Assignments 10
Crits: These seem fairly reasonable given editorial prices I see for manuscripts and your level of expertise.

Live in person workshops and classes: 1 I would love to go to these, but I'm a bit far in California.

I know that this is an illustration site, and you have mentioned SCBWI, but what about videos on querying, since author/illustrators must also go through that process, and how you guys take a manuscript text and decide what to illustrate.

RajSolankiArt

(10!) Curriculum: This would be a guide for which classes to take and what order to take them.

(2) Live/Interactive feedback: This wold be higher priced offerings with instructor feedback on your work

(10!)Assignments: This would be more downloadable assignments for the videos in our subscription offering.

(3) Crits: Reasonably priced crits on individual images ($100 range) and full portfolio crits ($450 range)

(10+!)Live in person workshops and classes: We have a new building now, so this may be possible. Also traveling workshops, etc.

MissMushy

(10) Curriculum: This would be a guide for which classes to take and what order to take them. yes please as a beginner I would find this helpful. also, if there was some guidance on how to know when you are good enough to level up

(5) Live/Interactive feedback: This wold be higher priced offerings with instructor feedback on your work probably couldn't afford it but always good to know it is available, if I need it

(8)Assignments: This would be more downloadable assignments for the videos in our subscription offering. Maybe there is a way to package these assignments with crtiiques for those who want it

(5) Crits: Reasonably priced crits on individual images ($100 range) and full portfolio crits ($450 range)

(1)Live in person workshops and classes: We have a new building now, so this may be possible. Also traveling workshops, etc.Not likely to travel there but would welcome seeing videos of classes if offered

Thanks for the opportunity to offer feedback!