FAQ TOPICS
Technique 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. For general FAQs on your Technique Classes, please visit the FAQs page here.
For Monthly Class Troubleshooting, please visit the Monthly Class page here
HOW TO GET STARTED - TECHNIQUE CLASSES
Welcome to the Kit and Clowder Technique 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.
Our Technique classes are jam packed with so much information for you and can be used in two ways - you can complete the class starting from the beginning and work through, or use the class more like a reference encyclopedia; referring to particular lessons as you want or need based on what you are colouring from your collection. The class does not need to be done in order and you do not need to complete every single tutorial for you to have learned a lot and grown your colouring. You also can you use favourite images instead of the class images, and your favourite colour blends instead of the class blends to practice techniques - this is a great way to tailor the class to you, helping you problem solve to grow quickly.
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.
1 - READ THROUGH THE HOMEPAGE OF YOUR CLASS
On your class homepage you will find an introduction to your class and some motivation on how to approach your class. You will also find a QUICK LINKS section which links directly to the class booklet, colouring sheets, and video channel.
You can choose to do the lessons either via using this QUICK LINKS sectiuons on the homepage of your class using the booklet and video channel, OR via each lesson page within the classroom, depending on how you wish to learn. The Quick Links may be easier for offline viewing and downloading, whereas you may enjoy the lesson pages to see the videos, colour information, and step by steps in one place.
1 - CLASS BOOKLET
It's a good idea to save a copy of your booklet so you can view this either on the computer or print out and use as a reference guide for when you are colouring your favourite images. It's a great companion to help you while you are watching your videos aswell as it contains valuable colour information and even some extra material.
After clicking the Booklet button, 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. When printing, make sure you have "Fit to Page" selected and that you have selected your actual page size - the document may default to Australian settings of A4 so if you have troubles you may need to manually adjust this. If you get stuck, please just reach out for help anytime at all at alyce@kitandclowder.com.
2 - CLASS COLOURING SHEETS
You will also find the colouring sheets for use with your class on the Booklet page aswell. These have been sized to be the exact same size I am using in the videos. If you would prefer to use your favourite images with the lessons instead you can absolutely do so. Print your colouring sheets on your favourite cardstock for markers or pencils. For more on paper types, please view the Colouring FAQs page here and scroll down to Papers.
3 - VIDEOS
Lesson videos can be accessed via either the Classroom Video Channel quicklink on the homepage of your class, or via each individual lesson page, depending on how you prefer to learn. All of the class videos are fully downloadable for you to keep forever and use offline. For full technical help with downloading, please scroll down to TECHNICAL TROUBLESHOOTING on this page.
The Video Channel is every class video all in one easy to access location, whereas the lesson pages have the actual lesson specific video embedded on the page, along with the colour and step by step information below it. Please note you will have to use a password for accessing the videos which you can find in the grey box at the top of each lesson page. This is case sensitive. Please do not share the class videos or password - you have a single use personal license and sharing with others or reproducing the video techniques to use in your own tutorials or classes is prohibited. If you would like help in creating your own content or what can be used please contact Alyce at alyce@kitandclowder.com.
4 - Get your class colours ready
Open your Step by Step Booklet You will find the colours I have used on the each lesson page, including other popular brands. 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, or you can use our handy Colour Blends charts located on our website. Please feel free to contact me 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.
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. I recommend starting with the FUNDAMENTALS lessons especially if you are new to colouring. While learning the theories is not always as fun as jumping right in, they are very valuable techniques that we refer back to in every single lesson. If a class is in both pencils and markers like our Skin and Hair and Nature Classes, it is in the Fundamentals area that we will learn more about pencil work.
Please remember that you don't need to put aside hours of colouring time to do your lessons - little steps of 10 minutes at a time is perfect and will keep your colouring skills active and help you to retain the information. Make sure you take any pressure off - it is not about what the result looks like, but that you have given yourself the chance to try, to practice, to troubleshoot and learn.
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!
5 - PRIVATE TUTORING
All of our colouring classes (even our freebies) over at www.kitandclowder.com always come with free private tutoring tailored to you, so if you feel like something isn't working or you are feeling nervous to jump in, don't wait or put it aside - reach out now so we can work together to help you feel the most confident to keep going :) We always go through real constructive feedback + tips to help you grow your colouring, help with technology, colour blends, or help to get started.
.
If you are a member of our Facebook Group, this is a great place to share your work with others who are learning just like you, however I do not do feedback in here and comments you may see are extremely different from our private feedback. For feedback, please message me privately or email alyce@kitandclowder.com and ask for feedback anytime at all so we can work together to help you feel most confident. No question is ever silly, no colouring ever not good enough - I've made every mistake possible so we can work together to help you learn the most efficiently.
TECHNICAL TROUBLESHOOTING
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
VIDEOS
Downloading videos to a Computer/Laptop
1 - Click the link in your class lessons (or via the Quick Links on the homepage of your class) 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.
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)
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.
