• Belinda Lawson:  artist and private art lesson instructor Belinda Lawson website specializing in 4-12 grade and Beginning adults .Contact artqueen57@yahoo.com
• Shirley Dawson, Photographer/Artist, computer and digital painting instruction, Contact sdawson@classicnet.net

Improving your skills

There are many ways to improve your art skills.  Via tutoring from skilled artists, attending workshop and seminars by artists whose work you admire; attending art classes at colleges; studying the many art books and courses available now and even taking advantage of many online artist forums and teachers.

Personally I have used many of the above methods to improve my skills, but there several online instructors that I would recommend if you are a skilled computer user and enjoy web-based learning.

• Tim Gagnon, an acrylic and oil artist from Maine provides some wonderful online art lessons that you can purchase and download for reasonable fees.  Check out his blog, lessons and website at www.timgagnonstudio.com

• Richard Robinson, an impressionistic oil and acrylic artist from New Zealand is another artist who provides some great online art instruction DVD's.  Check out his website, blog and DVD lessons at www.thecompleteartist.ning.com

• Matthew Archambault, an artist from New York.  Matthew teaches at the School of Visual Art and offers online drawing and painting instruction, blog and forums.  Check out his websites:
  www.drawing-tutorials-online.com and www.painting-tutorials-online.com

• If you are interested in Digital Painting, then Tim O'Neil and Karen Bonaker run a wonderful online school and forum at www.digitalartacademy.com 

• Another and different learning method to learn more about art history is from courses from The Teaching Company.  Sign up for their catalog and email notifications of specials at:   http://www.greatcourses.com/

Forums

There are also some great online artist forums for both digital and traditional media artists that offer you an opportunity to learn and interact with other artists you may never meet in person.

• A very large forum with almost 300,000 members  (mostly traditional artists, but there is a section for digital artists also) is WetCanvas at www.wetcanvas.com/
• The Empty Easel - the online art magazine with practical advice, tips, and tutorials for creating and selling art.
• Fine Art American has some great artists discussions, basic membership in FAA is free.
• Well-known digital artist Tim O-Neil runs a great forum at www.digitalpaintingforum.com/forum/
• Paint My Photo - an online group where artists and photographers meet.  Artists can find great photos to paint.
• If you are a photographic artist, then you might find the following forums very helpful:
  • http://www.pro4um.com/ The Pro4um is run by Kirk Voclain, a successful photographer and speaker from Louisiana.   The forum has photographers from around the world as members who share their knowledge and advice freely.
  • Lots of sharing and learning goes on at the Photography Schoolhouse  http://www.photographyschoolhouse.com/phototalk/forum.php  A great site for aspiring photographers.
  • Concept Art has another great forum and lots of galleries for inspiration: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/