IDSA Boston @ MASS Art

Recently I was invited by IDSA Boston to host a Visual Communication and Sketching workshop with local designers and students alike. I had a great time working with the crew there. Initially I was slated to go for only about 4 hours, but we were having so much fun, I went for a whopping 6.5 hours of sketching and instruction. From what I hear, it was well received, and I just want to give a shout out to the crew there – Jeremy Ogg and Ryan Foote and anyone else who helped out.

So what’s in a workshop and why do I do them? Read on to find out more.

idsketching.com was started as a means to share knowledge and skills with others and to give back to the community as a whole something that I didn’t have as a student. To put it simply, I love my craft.

Sketching is merely a subset of visual communication – or as I like to put it, our visual language. As designers, we think visually, we speak visually, and we sell our ideas visually. Of course, there are several ways to do this, however I find that quick and effective sketching is the best, low cost, low commitment means of doing so.

While the videos on the site do allow one to practice and be better at sketching, working on-site with me as an instructor has its distinct advantages -

1. Specific content presented to your group’s needs and skill levels.
2. On site/ In person review and critique.
3. Interactive activities that allow for group participation.
4. In person observation of techniques presented.
5. Presentation of advanced techniques for rendering.
6. Additional Materials and resources in handout form not found on the site
7. Q/A sessions

All in all, flexibility is the key here and I cover a range of topics as needed for your group.

Typically things are kicked off with a short 30-40 minute presentation on visual communication which is then followed by demos and whatever other tailored activities for the group.

As I mentioned with IDSA Boston, sometimes things go a little longer than planned, however, workshops can be anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on the need. Frankly, the interest and involvement of the group in attendance will be the major deciding factor as far as the length goes. I’ve had small and large group workshops and in most cases, 6-7 hours tends to be just right.

Interested?

Currently, my workshops are only available to groups and not individuals. I may offer individual online sessions in the future, however, that’s not a part of my plans for now.

Workshops tend to be quite affordable and at any rate are a steal by industry standards. Travel costs and  a small day rate are expected as part of the package. Material costs may vary. International travel is okay as well.

If you’re interested in having me in person for a live workshop, contact me at spencer [at] idsketching.com, or use the contact form below and tell me a little about what you’re looking for and what time frame you might be thinking about. I tend to get booked out a lot, so the sooner the better for contacting me.

Tags: group help, News, workshops

This entry was posted on Friday, October 1st, 2010 at 10:48 am and is filed under Interesting Things, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.