Card Design Seminars coming to OWH

On Saturday, January 29th, Operation Write Home will be launching the first of our brand new Saturday Seminar Series covering topics of card design. These will be FREE seminars, offered every other month here on the Stars and Stamps blog, and will be taught by professional graphic designers!

The Seminars will cover design principles like Focal Point, Texture, Color, Contrast, and more. They will apply the concepts specifically to papercrafted greeting cards. Sample cards will illustrate the before-and-after in several styles, clearly showing the difference that the application of one simple principle can make in a card, and a gallery of juried projects will be added to the OWH card gallery. A preview of the January 29th seminar has received rave reviews, so  you won't want to miss it!

1. How will an online Seminar work? A blog post here on S&S will explain the principle, show examples of before-and-after cards, and give instruction on the homework assignment. 
2. How do I enroll for the Seminar? Pre-registration is not necessary. The day the Seminar is posted, you'll be able to use InLinkz to post an assignment, and once you post your first one, you'll be emailed the code to use for an "Enrolled" badge for your blog. Any other Seminar participants who see that badge on your blog will know you are practicing the design principles, and can give you feedback based on what you attempted. We hope this will encourage all your classmates to view work and provide encouragement.
3. What if I don't have a blog? Flickr, or other online photo accounts can be used, and since we'll use McLinky for submitting cards during the weeks of the review period, you can upload a card from your computer (though comments will not be possible for that option, so we recommend Flickr.). For these seminars, please do not use Facebook images; our team and other classmates will be visiting the postings, and if you aren't already friends on Facebook, feedback is not always possible. If you use a photo service, please be sure there is an ability for feedback, and if registration with a site is required, that it be free and easy for visitors.
4. What kind of assignment can I expect? To encourage us all to learn at the level we're already at, we'll be asking you to find a card you've made in the past that did not employ the design principle, and "re-make" it. Not always with the same supplies, but something similar that will allow you to exercise your new knowledge. You can use a photo of an old card, or if you still have the old one, take a side-by-side with both cards. We would like everyone to practice the Seminar principle for 2 weeks, making as many cards as they wish to practice the concept, and leaving the "enrolled" badge on their site to solicit feedback from other class members.
5. What happens after the Seminar? After two weeks of practice, choose ONE of your before/after pair of cards to submit to our Seminar galleries on our Cards page. The instructor for that class will be approving all gallery submissions, so pick your best, and take a really nice photo of it. Once you are approved for the gallery, you'll receive a special blog badge to display.
6. Will the Seminar be open past the initial posting? Yes! The content will be there anytime for new folks or for review; but we'll be asking for submissions for the gallery between week 2 and 3 following the posting of the seminar. We'll eventually have a tab at the top of the S&S blog with links to all Seminar topics, so it will be an ongoing resource for cardmakers all the world over. 
7. Is this an ongoing series forever? Who knows! We plan on one every two months for a while and will see how it goes. Your feedback will help us figure out when it's 'over.'

Mark  your calendar for Saturday January 29th for the first in the Saturday Seminar Series! Please help us spread the word by posting the badge below on your blog - and leave us a comment if you think you'll be attending! We want to see lots of you here joining in on the fun!

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Are you going to join us for the seminars?