Check out the Get Started page for some ideas on where to get started. 

Take your time to look around the Art School. You don’t have to do all courses and tutorials at the same time! Have a look around and make yourself familiar with what is available and where everything is. Say hello in The Art Cafe community and settle in. The main areas in the school are:

•  The Art Cafe (community forum)
• The Library (short tutorials and articles) 
• Workshops (upcoming) and Workshop Library (archived workshops) 
• Courses (video courses).  

Browse around and pick what you want to do first. You can also take a look at the Roadmaps, which will help you create a path through the school, going through most of the learning material available. 

Of course you can also post in The Art Cafe and ask for suggestions. I am sure your fellow students will be more than happy to make some suggestions. 

Post your work in The Art Cafe (and use the appropriate topic) and ASK for feedback. Tell us a little about the work (size, material, problems, inspiration, goals etc) and simply state you’d like some feedback. 

Course and workshop assignments should be posted inside course Studio where Sophie and your  fellow students will provide encouragement and feedback. Just follow the link underneath each lesson to go straight there. 

Check out the Support page for short videos on everything inside the art school; from how to post in the forum, to how courses work and more. 

I do not prescribe a specific set of materials in my courses. I believe that you should use what suits you best. There is no point in literally copying someone else's favourite colours and brushes. Most courses and workshops will have some notes on the materials required though. If you have any questions about the materials needed for a course, or you are just not sure what to get, just let me know and I’ll give you some suggestions.

If you are a member or have purchased a course and you cannot get access to it, please try the following steps: Double check you are logged in. Clear your cache. Allow cookies so the system can remember you. Refresh the page (perhaps a few times). If you still cannot access your content, do contact Sophie. 

Underneath every lesson, you will find the direct link, which will take you straight to the community Studio. Click the link or key-button and you'll be in the right place to post your work!

All course communities live within The Art Cafe, in separate sections called Studios. You will find the direct link (key button) under each lesson inside a course. The lessons usually invite you to post your assignments or questions and give you a link to the community Studio. 

If you have a good idea for a workshop or a course, please just let me know, as I always love to hear suggestions. Feel free to post your idea in The Art Cafe, email me or send me a direct message.  Of course I cannot promise I will make the course, but I will certainly take ideas on board. 

Double check your password and username. Make sure you are not accidentally using your login detail for The Art Cafe. You can click ‘forgot my password’ to reset your password. If all fails, just contact Sophie who can reset your password for the Art School for you, after which you can change it to anything you want. Do note that you need a separate account for The Art Cafe, which is on a separate web site. 

I am sorry to see you leave, but cancelling is really easy. Just go to 'My Account' (top right) and then click 'Account' and ‘Subscriptions’. Click Cancel, and you’re all done. 

Please don’t feel intimidated. Everyone was a beginner once! It really does not matter how ‘good’ you are, only that we all love creating art. The students in The Art Cafe are here to improve and learn just like you. They might have been painting and drawing for decades so it might not be fair to compare your work to theirs. They and I are more than happy to support and help you in your own creative journey. They are a friendly bunch and will only cheer you on, I promise!  And don’t forget.... there might be others who feel the same as you. And if they see you post your work, they might feel a little less shy about posting their work too... and before you know it.... 

If you are really not sure how to post and what reactions you might get, but want to join in, please do contact Sophie who can help you make your first post. 

Although I know that having to login twice is not ideal, I find the way The Art Cafe is set up much nicer than traditional forums. Traditional forums usually show a list of sub-forums and/or a list of post titles. It is not very inviting to join in! The Art Cafe runs on the Mighty Networks platform that provides us with a community where the focus lies on engagement. Unfortunately there is no integration between Mighty Networks and other websites so we work with two separate websites for now. I have made it easy to hop back and forth between the two sites by putting links all over the website. Underneath every course, tutorial or lesson you will find a direct link to the community and on the community there are links back to the school website in many places.