FAQ TOPICS
Class Troubleshooting
Here you will find a list of commonly asked troubleshooting questions on how to use and download your classes.​
If you still require further assistance, please contact Alyce here any time - no question is ever silly :)
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For our Technique Classes (Skin and Hair, Clothing, Nature, Animals, Perfecting Pencils, please visit the
HOW TO GET STARTED - MONTHLY CLASSES
Welcome to the Kit and Clowder Monthly Classes! When we try something new there is often a learning curve to understanding how it works, and the same goes for your classes. Don't worry if you feel overwhelmed - once you have had a go it all becomes much easier and familiar and then you will be on your way to getting started. If you feel stuck on any step at all and would like some more information, please don't hesitate to email Alyce any time at alyce@kitandclowder.com.
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Here are some basic instructions on how to get started on your classes that I would personally follow. As with everything though, you may find you prefer your own routine to getting started and there is no right or wrong way to do this. These steps do not have to all be done in one go, and neither does your class need to be completed in one go. Take any pressure off and work at your own pace and with what you are comfortable with. Learning anything new can be overwhelming at the start, but as long as you don't ever let it stop you from trying then you will continue to grow at your own pace every single time you try.
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1 - Open your class email and take a read through everything first
Your Monthly Classes are email only so you will have to access all information through your class email and not through the website. To make sure you don't accidentally delete your email, I recommend to create a Kit and Clowder folder on your email account and move the email here. If you would like further instruction on this or you accidentally lose your email, please feel free to email me. If you don't like keeping emails, you can simply download the videos and booklets (more information below).
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Reading through everything first will just allow you to get in the mindset of your classes and to see where everything is located before going to the next step.
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2 - Purchase stamp using coupon code in class email
Scroll down to the Stamp area and you will find links to purchase from the featured stamp company of the month and your coupon code. Stamps are purchased direct through the artist so it is fair and transparent for them, plus they always provide a minimum 50% off coupon code for you!
3 - Download or open the class booklet and navigate to the stamp size directions
Click the STEP BY STEP BOOKLET button to open the booklet. For information on downloading, scroll down on this page. Your booklet contains a lot of helpful information including colour blends, alternative colours, how to set up your page and stamp size, and step by step colouring instructions,
It's always a good idea to print the image the day you receive the class or soon after as then the setup prep is done for you and makes it easier to get started whenever you have a spare 10 minutes. The table of contents on Page 1 will show you which page the Page Setup instructions are on.
If you aren't familiar with how to resize stamps, I've created a handy tutorial for Microsoft Word or Pages that you can find under the Resizing Stamps heading on our FAQs page. You can also find information on papers here if you are unsure of what to use for your pencils or markers.
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4 - Get your class colours ready
Open your Step by Step Booklet You will find the colours I have used on the first page of the booklet, and other brands shown on the next few pages. If you don't have some of these colours, you can still easily join in - having the same colours is convenient, but no easier than using alternatives. I am always happy to help you pick what to use from your stash if you don't wish to purchase more products. Please feel free to contact me here any time. I recommend to keep colours in a cup or similar so if you are only doing a small amount of colouring at a time then you don't have to waste time setting up or packing up.
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5 - You are now ready to colour!
Click the video button to open your class videos. You can either watch online or download to watch offline. For details on how to do this on different devices, please scroll down on this page.
Your class video has been broken down into chapters so it is easy to watch small portions of the class at a time. Create a small goal for you to get started to take away some of that feeling of overwhelm. You may start just with the skin today, one part of an outfit, or one petal of a flower. You do not need to sit and colour for hours to learn so take the pressure off yourself and have fun with your colouring. Even if you can only do 10 minutes in a week or a fortnight, it is enough to keep learning and growing an can be a great way to zone out on a creative task to give you some destress time from everything else going on around you.
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Remember, learning new things takes practice, and your class work is about experimenting, not about perfection
Remember that every colouring you do is just a practice - your first piece is meant to have mistakes because you are learning new things. Write PRACTICE on your page to help give yourself a visual reminder that however your colouring piece turns out today it is practice and a step forward to growing your colouring. Even though it is normal for you to want your colouring to look like the class sample, I have had a huge amount of practice behind me, made tonnes of mistakes, and have learned in my own time. Take the pressure off needing your colouring to look like anyone else's because we are here to progress and learn, not here to be perfect :) Enjoy!
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If you feel stuck on any of these steps, technology, or would like private tutoring and colouring tips on your work, please reach out to me (Alyce) absolutely any time at all so we can work together to help you feel the most confident.
TECHNICAL TROUBLESHOOTING
VIDEOS
To watch the class videos, click the VIDEOS button in your class email. You will be prompted for a password that you can find directly above it. Please make sure this is copied exactly as shown as it is case sensitive.
For your convenience, every month the class is broken down into several chapters to give you some easy to manage goals rather than just watching the big video at once. You will see each chapter listed on the video page, as well as the full video as the last option. You can choose to watch/download each individual chapter, or watch/download the full video - the choice is yours as to how you best learn.
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Downloading videos to a Computer/Laptop
1 - Click the link in your Monthly Class email to be taken to the private Vimeo viewing page. Vimeo is a viewing program like Youtube but for longer uploads.
2 - You can watch the video in Vimeo without downloading simply by entering your unique password contained in your Monthly Class Email and clicking play (all email log ins and ip addresses are logged to prevent sharing). This is called Streaming.
If you experience the video stopping and starting regularly, this is called Buffering, where the video is only loading at the speed your internet connection will allow. As everyone has different internet speeds and bandwidth allowances, this is unfortunately out of our control. However, a good tip is to press Play and then once it starts press Pause and leave it sit for about 10 minutes. This will give the video a chance to load while in Pause mode so that when you press Play it should not be loading as you watch.
3 - To download to your computer scroll below the video player and click Download. You will see the following settings for download. Please choose whatever option suits you prefer based on your viewing device and requirements. The higher the quality, the better the video will look but it also will take longer to download and take up more computer space. If viewing on a TV, then HD is recommended, but if only viewing on a computer or phone then SD should be more than ok.
Mobile = lowest file size and resolution quality. Good for viewing on small screens.
SD = Standard Definition (smaller file size but lower quality)
HD = High Definition (high file size but high quality)
Original = Highest quality, highest file size
Downloading videos to an Ipad / Tablet / Phone
There are two options when downloading to these devices.
- Download via your pc and upload through ITunes like you would a normal video/song
- Download the Vimeo app and follow instructions below:
1 - Click the link in your class email to go to the Class Video Channel. The video channel is hosted on Vimeo which is like Youtube but for longer premium videos.
2 - To download to these devices you will need to register for a Vimeo account if you do not have one yet. Follow onscreen instructions to do this - it is free. You will also need to download the Vimeo app to your device.
3 - You can watch the video in Vimeo without downloading simply by entering your unique password contained in your Monthly Class Email and clicking play (all email log ins and ip addresses are logged to prevent sharing). This is called Streaming. If you experience the video stopping and starting regularly, this is called Buffering, where the video is only loading at the speed your internet connection will allow. As everyone has different internet speeds and bandwidth allowances, this is unfortunately out of our control. However, a good tip is to press Play and then once it starts press Pause and leave it sit for about 10 minutes. This will give the video a chance to load while in Pause mode so that when you press Play it should not be loading as you watch.
4 - To continue downloading, click the CLOCK icon on the video page. This will turn blue once selected. Once blue, this will save the video to your "Watch Later" section in your Vimeo Account.
5 - Open your Vimeo app on your device.
6 - In the top left corner, click on the blue smiley face to open the menu. Select Watch Later to open all videos saved to your watch later file.
7 - To download, select the video you want and swipe from the right to left. When you do this, by sliding just a little it will highlight yellow next to the tile. If you release the tile while it is yellow it will remove it from the device and you will have to repeat step 3. You will need to slide until you see orange next to the tile in order to download that video. It will immediately begin the download.
8 - Once you have downloaded the video, you will see a downwards facing arrow on the video's tile. The video is now downloaded to your iPad. If you want to test the video to make sure, then you can turn your device onto Airplane mode (no internet connection) and reopen the app. When you click the Video it should begin to play. If you receive a refresh error on the page, you can ignore this. The video is now downloaded to your device.
BOOKLET
Click the STEPBY STEP BOOKLET button in your class email to be taken to Google Drive where you can view or download the booklet file.
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Once you have opened the link, click the down arrow to download (do not right click), You need to click the Arrow above the file to download (do not right click).
If on an ipad or phone please click the icons above the image that appear as they may be different to a PC. You may need to try an alternative browser like Google Chrome if you get an error message.
For printing, I recommend not to print from the website. As it is a very large booklet, errors may occur. Instead, download the file and then reopen in Adobe PDF Viewer (or similar) and print from here.
