Children's Book Pro Early Bird Sign Up Date!

ajillustrates

The level of excitement is growing!

Valerie Light

I'm really interested in this class, @Lee-White. From watching the promo videos, I think I could get a ton out of it. I want to make the most of the opportunity, so I'm going to try to schedule work for my day job around this class.

Can you give us any more info about the timing of the zoom meetings? (time of day as well as the start date, and how many weeks it runs)

Lee White

@Valerie-Light It runs 10 weeks in total, although you can go at your own pace. The zoom session will be at different times to accommodate different time zones and countries. They will be recorded so everyone can see them though.

Lee White

BTW, The video we did today on how to use narrative to design your backgrounds is KILLER! We all design one as a demo from scratch showing our process the entire way. Then the other guys ask questions, etc. along the way.

Valerie Light

@Lee-White to be clear, I am interested in scratching up the extra money to enroll in this class only if I can fit the zoom meetings into my calendar, and participate in real time, so I'm trying to plan my 10 weeks around that. Is there really not a specific start date?

Lee White

@Valerie-Light Oh sorry, i missed that part of your question. It's looking like Tuesday May 25 is the start day of the class. The zoom meetings will be for Q&A and maybe a few critiques to help if there is a general problem we want to address. Note: the zoom sessions are NOT crits of all student work. At no time will you turn your work in during this class. The instruction content is pre-recorded which is what we have been working on for the last 6 months or so.

mag

@Lee-White since it will be self-guided, will it be an issue if I started with the course in June? (I’m super busy in may but really really excited about the course!) Thank you for working so hard on it, I love the fact there’s always SO MUCH to learn!

LauraA

@Lee-White I am still a bit confused about how this course works, especially in relation to the future, guided version of the class, and because there has been so much talk about limited spaces. (I'm still smarting a bit about not being able to participate in office hours last year because I didn't sign up right away, thinking there would be future go rounds for which I would be more prepared.)

The preview videos have done a good job of hinting at the content. Many of us are ready for it. Great!

Questions:

As I understand it, once you buy this class, it's yours. Thus we would be able to participate in a future guided session even if we buy it now when this guidance is not available? (And I'm assuming this guided part would at a proportional discount for those who would have already bought the class as compared to those who haven't.)
Like many people, I am signed up at the site, but how limited is "limited" enrollment? It sounds like it night not accommodate everyone who has preregistered. If we miss out, when will the next go round be?
Will the guided sessions be held this summer, also for ten weeks? Will the enrollment be similar to the live classes you used to have, i.e., about 15 students?

You guys have obviously done a great job of generating interest and reiterating the limited availability, but it seems to have reached the point where the long-time SVSers who are your primary target audience are becoming anxious and may compete excessively against each other, which isn't so desirable for community's sake. More information about future sessions and enrollment numbers might help us to plan better and thus not create a situation in which people who don't need the course just yet, but might be ready for it in a few months, trample over one another like it's some kind of mega Black Friday sale. I am exaggerating, of course, but you get the idea! Also, some of us are semi-professionals by now (or professionals in other fields) and we would like to plan how and when we can perhaps fit the course (especially the live version) into our busy schedules. This becomes even harder if we don't know whether there will be space for us to enroll.

SVS has been a huge part of my growth as an illustrator. You guys do such a great job of developing content and having continuing events such as Critique Arena and Jump into the Studio (I have particularly loved the Jump sessions!). The one area where I get a bit tripped up sometimes is not knowing what direction SVS is taking in enough detail to plan ahead. What is going on with the live classes on SVS (not the new site), the illustration track, office hours and/or portfolio reviews? We know you guys are busy and we truly appreciate the new offerings, but a bit more info on all the changes of course we only see after the fact would be very helpful, especially to long-term subscribers.

Isabel Reyes Feeney

Hi @Lee-White can I ask what the weekly live zoom sessions entail ? Also you mentioned it’s a 10 week self paced course. If it’s takes longer then the 10 weeks how long do you have access to the classes and videos once you have made the payment. My last question is apart from the live zoom sessions, why is there a limited space ? Thanks

Isabel Reyes Feeney

Hello again @Lee-White . I just rewatched the fairytale inn critique and I see you and Jake basically already answered all my questions maybe just the question about how long we have access to the videos once purchased the course.

Neha Rawat

@Isabel-Reyes-Feeney I think Lee mentioned in one of his other posts that this is a one-time fee. Once you have purchased the course, you will have lifelong access to it.

Isabel Reyes Feeney

@Neha-Rawat that would be awesome if it’s so

Laurel Aylesworth 0

@LauraA You've stated so eloquently what I suspect many of us are wondering. I'm looking forward to hearing the SVS team's response to your questions.

LauraA

@Laurel-Aylesworth-0 I thought pretty hard about writing what I did, because I didn't want to chance stirring up controversy or sounding adversarial. There's already way too much of that on the internet! But we are within a week of release and I still didn't feel I had enough knowledge to make a sound decision yet, and besides I have been hearing so much "through the grapevine" that suggested anxiety or a stampede, that I felt it was important to let the guys know what things look like from our POV. After all, they've worked hard on this and are quite busy with the production, and we all want it to be a success!

Jeremy Ross

Hi @Lee-White, thanks for the update! Super excited about this course, alongside many other fellow SVS’ers (I.e., “Rabbits”)

Do you guys have a single page that describes the course in greater detail with what’s included and excluded, especially more clarification regarding the synchronization of zoom sessions and asynchronous learning environment at our own pace?

Also, it would be really cool if long term Rabbits (say 1yr or longer) could be offered a loyalty discount of 10%? I understand the program needs to be profitable, hence the marketing and free 6 video series; however, I’ll buy it now because you guys are pro’s and amazing teachers.

Just a few thoughts for consideration.

PS. Loving the videos so far!

Heather Boyd

@Neha-Rawat Does that also mean I can buy it later or just when it launches because I don't have the time to included it in my schedule now? Or does that mean I buy it now and then use it later? Thanks tremendously!

Neha Rawat

@Heather-Boyd I I think you can buy it whenever and learn at your convenience. But I'm really not clear on the synchronisation of the live zoom sessions and mentorship with the course.

Kim Hunter

If we sign up, will we be able to access the videos over and over like the rest of the SVS courses? I rent goats for a living and right now is the start of my super busy season. I'll be offline for days at a time but will try to get back to the farm for any live lessons, etc. I really want to do this. It sounded like we'd get some one on one critiques on our work. Did I understand that correctly?

jakecrowe

@Kim-Hunter the videos are yours to own forever. It sounds like the zoom sessions are more support sessions to answer questions and what not. They have specifically stated that they are not critiques.

Lee White

Video Access: You guys are correct, you will have lifelong access to the videos once you purchase.

Upgrading to guided version: If you buy the video series now, you will be able to upgrade to the instructed versions later. The cost will take your purchase into account and apply it toward the overall fee.

Zoom Sessions: These times will vary to try to accomodate different time zones, etc. but they will happen once a week. They are for Q&A and some light instruction. Not full critiques.

Drip Schedule: The videos will come out weekly over 10-12 weeks. You can keep pace with that or watch them anytime you want. The zoom sessions will end at the end of the class though.

Limited Release: For this first round, the sign up will only last a week or so. Then the class will not be available for purchase again for a little while. It WILL come back around though if you miss this round. The reason for this is so we can sync our zoom sessions to the weekly drip schedule.

Hope that helps clear up some questions. : ) Let me know if you need anything in the meantime.