A detailed guide to help you plan, create, manage, and fulfill your Kickstarter project.

A Kickstarter Project on “How to do a Kickstater Project”

Pledge $20 and get the $29.00 Video coarse free

kickstarter

This post is to invite YOU to be a part of this Kickstarter project. The Kickstarter companioin book. We are looking for $20 pledges to help Heidi create this How to Guide in video form. The course will cost $29.99 when it is made available this October, but will be given to our $20 pledgers for that pledge. DEADLINE: Monday, March 31st, at 11:59 PM CDT.

Kickstarter is a Crowd Funding Website 

Kickstarter has become a valuable resource for many creatives looking to raise money to fulfill their dreams and ideas. It’s a crowd-funding website based on a  fixed-funding model which means, unless a project reaches its funding goal during the duration of its campaign, no money is taken from backers. So you could go through a lot of effort and receive no money. Or you could go through a lot of effort and get the money you need plus more. Kickstarter is also project based; some thing must be produced at the end of the campaign and given to backers as rewards for their pledge money. That thing can be physical (IE: a book, CD, art print, etc.) or electronic (EX: PDF, MP3, FolioAcademy courses, etc.). A Kickstarter project is a fabulous opportunity and great responsibility when it succeeds.
Heidi Berthiaume
My name is Heidi and since 2009, I’ve backed over 80 Kickstarter projects. I love how Kickstarter allows creators to connect directly with the people who would most want their creations. I promote a lot of Kickstarter projects and get a lot of questions about Kickstarter. But I could only answer questions from the perspective of a backer, which is quite different than the perspective of a creator.

In order to be able to give more thorough answers, she ran her own Kickstarter project in June, 2013 – 1000 Origami Wish Cranes.  Thanks to a $25 funding goal and over 260 Backers from around the world, her project funded over 6000%.

She wrote a book to answer all those questions and more

After her Kickstarter success, she received a lot more questions about how to run a Kickstarter project. With over 15 years of experience with information architecture (Organizing stuff and writing technical documentation for non-technical people, like artists), she’d not only backed a lot of Kickstarter projects, she had analyzed them and was able to provide a lot of detailed answers. So she wrote a detailed guide to help people plan, create, manage, and fulfill their own Kickstarter project and called it the Kickstarter Companion book. She ran a Kickstarter project to raise money for the editing and ebook formatting, and to print limited edition copies which contain the names of all the backers who supported her project. The Kickstarter Companion Kickstarter project reached its funding goal on March 29th, and we’re currently working our way through some reasonable and attainable Stretch Goals before the campaign ends on Monday, March 31st, at 11:59 PM CDT.

Get the $30 online video course by pledging just $20 now.  

One of the add on items we’re very happy to offer backers of her project is access to a video tutorial based on the Kickstarter Companion book which will be available at the Folio Academy website in October. Different people learn information differently, so she wanted to make this information available not only in print, but also as a video course for those who prefer that kind of format. Backers of the Kickstarter Companion can add the video tutorial for an additional $20 to their pledge, compared to the $29.99 it will cost when it is released this fall.

 

 

 

Whichever crowdfunding website you use for your project, We wish you great success in achieving your ideas and dreams. ~Heidi Berthiaume.

Pumpkin Carving Ideas

HOW TO CARVE A PRIZE WINNING JACK-O’-LANTERN  

50% off till Halloween

Big mouth pumpkin with horns and crazy eyes.

I’m very happy to announce TWO things  today. Our new video course staring me, Wayne Andreason, How to Carve a Prize Winning Jack-O’-Lantern, and even though it is only $9.99 we are offering it at half price through October, Happy Halloween.

50% OFF? How so? Promo code pmpkn

You will have to go here to our secret promo code page that is truly hard to find with out a link. I have always have a tough time finding it every time I try to link to it or send it to someone and I work here. And type in the promo code pmpkn that’s all lowercase by the way.

Could You Just Carve a Cool Pumpkin Like This without buying the course?  

An artistic cat such as your self probable doesn’t NEED to sit and watch me carve this thing. You could pretty well look at it and just do one yourself, or one like it for that matter, BUT if you like that step by step instructional video courses that we offer then by all means, purchase this one while it is only $5 and give it a look.

Why I carved this great pumpkin.

Last year my mother-law, who lives in my home unfortunately, (unfortunately for her of course, did you think I was complaining?) had this BIG Halloween Work Party and the highlight was their Big old Pumpkin Carving Contest. So naturally she made me carve her pumpkin. Yes, they said anyone in the family could carve a pumpkin and grandma, that is what we call my mother-in-law, could enter as many as she wanted. In fact my boy Zeke who helped me, I mean, whom I helped a little, OK, a lot with his pumpkin, took second place with his Jack Skellington looking pumpkin.
So I decided to carve the winner and let grandma pay for the parts. So we bought the pumpkin etc. and I made my daughter film it so I could pass it on to all you peeps.

Pumpkin Carving Process.

I start by designing it, drawing it, then drawing the face on the pumpkin, gutting it, carving it and then sculpting out the teeth, and the tongue. I attach the eyes, horns and tongue then carve a little pumpkin to put on the tongue and then paint and attach the little guy.

$50 GRAND PRIZE WINNING PUMPKIN!

(that does not say 50grand as in $50,000)
Grandma was so happy she spent the money on me and the kids. Ice-cream for the whole family. It is a lot of fun, you should do it, then you’ll have some cool pumpkin pics to put on Facebook or a video on youtube. And you may win a the prize at the company party.
Halloween is almost here so I better go clean him off the front porch and make room for this years pumpkins and Jack-o’-lanterns. Besides, I don’t want any trick-or-treaters slipping in him and getting hurt.

Don’t Let “THEM” Define YOUR Success!

Don’t Let Them Define Your Success!

A Self Defeating way of thinking. 

Too often I hear up and coming illustrators, animators, and comic book artists say, “Hopefully I can make it someday and get freelance work.” This is a self defeating way of thinking…if you never get hired does that mean you didn’t make it? Is there a such thing as all or nothing as an artist? Is this easy for me to say because I make a living with my art?

Keep Creating even if you aren’t “working”.

I don’t think so because I remember those very discouraging times when I wasn’t getting work. But more importantly I would be creating art even if I wasn’t getting hired to complete freelance assignments. I don’t create for my clients – I create for myself. My publishers get to publish my work. I own it and stand behind it and even though I work closely with them they don’t own it – I do. I take responsibility for the quality of my work and place a higher standard for myself than my clients demand – therefore – it’s mine.

Do Commissions Equal Success?

The problem with thinking that assignments equal success is that you let forces outside of your control define your value. It’s a dangerous game to play because at what point to you throw in the towel and say, “well, time to quit – nobody hired me.” Success can be defined in many ways and I understand the need to generate income with your craft. I think it’s important to remember that some artists start earning a decent income within a year after school. Some might take 1-5 years. Some much longer.

What if you don’t find work right away?

I once had a student who stated, “I need to start earning money with illustration right after graduation.” I didn’t know quite how to answer that and I failed to give a good answer at the time. What I would say today is this: “So, what if you don’t? does that mean the past four years was a waste of time? What if you could see the future and you are able to generate more money than you could imagine but it takes you 10 years to get to that point – is that worth it? Do you have the commitment to make it through the 10 years of below expected income levels? What if your experience was like my friend who struggled for 4-5 years after school and then was asked to illustrate: “A Series of Unfortunate Events”? Would that be worth it?

The tendency is to want the rewards with little sacrifice. If you really truly want it you will have to dedicate your life to it – this is good news for most because you’re in control of it! You have many years ahead of you of hard work! Embrace it. Fall in love with it. Cherish the time you have with your craft.

What does “success” mean to you?

If being successful means being chosen to work for someone else – you might be disappointed if your work is easily good enough but you aren’t being seen by the right clients.

If being successful means earning enough money to pay your bills – you might be judging your potential before your work is marketable.

If being successful means winning awards – you might be creating art that is unappreciated by the trend police.

If being successful means selling a certain quantity – you might be disappointed if the right audience never sees your product.

The previous is inspired by Seth Godin who says we’re now living in a time where you can’t afford to wait for someone to pick you – rather you must pick yourself.

Nobody hired me to make ebooks but I picked myself and published them.

Nobody hired me to make video tutorials and online classes but I picked myself and created them.

Nobody hired me to run my youtube channel but I picked myself and publish videos every month.

Nobody hired me to write this blog but I picked myself and now I have a place to share my ideas.

If you set attainable goals you can be successful every day, month, and year. It starts with a commitment to excellence and improvement. It ends when you die. I can promise you that I will be creating art until that day. I don’t work -I create. I live and breathe knowing that I have much more to give. I am successful because what I create makes me happy. Do you want to be an artist? Then be an artist and be successful by your definition, not THEIR’s.

Folio Academy has teamed up with Kwiksher for a limited time.

Get Four of Folio Academy’s video training courses FREE when you purchase Kwiksher. 

Bring your interactive stories to life, without code. Creating your own apps can be fun and fulfilling and now anyone can do it with Kwik 2 at kwiksher.com.

What is Kwiksher? The best way to create mobile apps from Photoshop!

click below to See Kwik in action.

Improving Your Work, Training with the Best

Alex Souza, the founder of Kwiksher says, “I am a believer that there is always space for improvement (in our lives, skills, and so on). Of course this applies to Kwik made apps.”

Picture of four bonus video courses: Beginning Photoshop for digital painting, Digital Painting in Photoshop part 1 & 2, and How to Design a Drawing

Quality is one of the top reasons for successful positions into store rankings.

Thinking about that, I partnered with Folio Academy and Will Terry, one of the top children’s book illustrators in the world, to provide quality instruction to anyone willing to improve illustration and painting skills with Photoshop.

Will’s life’s goal was to become a children’s book illustrator, and to date, he has illustrated over 25 children’s books with great publishers like Scholastic, Random House, Leap Frog, Houghton Mifflin, Dial, Albert Whitman, and Simon Schuster.

I am really a fan of what he is able to do and I believe everybody will get great insights from his blog

Every new Kwiksher customer (till end of April) will get the following four training videos for FREE.

Every Kwiksher customer can get a 50% discount (till end of April) on the following four training videos by Will at Folio Academy. But even better, all new customers who purchase Kwik 2 at Kwiksher.com will be given, all four of these wonderful lessons. ~Alex

 

  • How To Design A Drawing: explains what it means to design a drawing as well as an introduction to the design principles and elements. Honestly, I wish I had this information while in college;

Together, these tutorials cost US$100 so, don’t miss the opportunity to get them with the discounted price.

Buy one, Get one FREE Art Lesson Videos

For the month of Dec Folio Academy was running a buy one get one free special (equal or lesser value of course)

 

Merry Holidays

enjoy a gift from folioacademy, 50% off all courses through December.

How it works: Just go to this link and use this promo code. w1966 and all the courses will be 1/2 off, unless you wait till December is gone.

We were doing a buy one get one free thing. It was a little cumbersome as we were having our peeps purchase one of the two that they wanted and then they had to email us and tell us which one they wanted for their free one. Don’t get me wrong, we do love to hear from our friends and fans like you. but we were pretty busy updating everyone’s account.

We finally, and I mean yesterday, figured out how to run a promo code on our website. So now we can just send our loyal peeps to our promo page with a “secret”  pass-code like w1966 and every thing is half off. COOL HUH?

So Happy Christmas and Merry New Year everybody. Thanks for being a part of FolioAcademy, and if you haven’t been a part of folioacademy thanks in advance for when you are. We will do our best to make folioacademy the ARt education site that you want it to be.