Sequential Artists Workshop

The year-long certificate program isn’t simply ‘online classes’. This new low-residency program includes a structure of 4 six-week sessions designed to be taken in order, to bring you to a full synthesis of your learning after 9 months (the last 3 months are for your own peer-to-peer sharing and learning in the group.)

Each session has a drawing component, an idea generation component and a context component. All of these complement each other, and each session has a single, shared assignment.

While past classes won't be credited to the certificate program, we want to make sure that every student is receiving new and engaging learning opportunities that meets their needs. Contact us and together we can figure out the best approach for you!

Our online courses are a kind of 'best of' teaching resources from our faculty so there may be some cross over with past class content. If that's the case, we have a growing catalog of alternative classes that can be substituted for any student who feels like they're repeating a class they've already taken.

The biggest differences between the three options is the availability of resources, price and time commitment to study.

The online only includes, A program of 9 core classes with unique SAW course material, community accountability and personal mentoring to help you achieve your goals and reach the target, optional classes at additional price.

The Low-Residency program includes these things as well as, 3 intensive weeks at SAW. 2 out of 3 of these workshops are required, with the third Visiting Artist Workshop optional. During these 3 weeklong intensives students have direct access to instructors and faculty.

The Full Immersion program includes access to all of the above as well as, 24/7 access to the SAW studio, classes with our Gainesville teachers, mentors, and community, with ongoing extracurricular programs throughout the year.

NOTE- due to COVID-19 we are suspending our Low-Residency and Full Immersion options until April 2021.

Our online classes are run through Thinkific. Each student has access to the course material through a personal portal. Our online forum operates through The Mighty Network. We already have a thriving community there, with a mix of free and pay walled resources.

As to tech support, we’re still just two people - Tom and Emma - who are an email or direct message away. Whatever issue you’re having, we will respond within 24 to 48 hours.

And yes, you will continue to have access to the course material through Thinkific when the program is completed.

The classes are pre-recorded and released each week and remain available to you for as long as you need.

The interaction in the community with Tom, Emma and other instructors is available 24/7 in our network.

There will be weekly Zoom calls with Tom and/or Emma and at least one one live Q+A with the Sidney and Justine each.

Emma Jensen and Tom Hart will be the main proctors/guides/instructors in this program and one of them will be available in the Mighty Network nearly every day. Our other instructors, namely Justine Andersen and Sidney Davidson will be in and out during their sessions, based on their schedule.

Each will provide one Zoom call at the end of the session.

Online classes can be hard to stay engaged with, we know that! Facing a computer each day, it can be difficult to feel like you’re part of a community. We have a three fold strategy for keeping students engaged.

Number 1. A pass, fail system for classes. If you are unable to demonstrate your engagement with the course materials and homework tasks, you are unable to move on to the next set of classes.

Number 2. The low-residency weeks are intended to bring students together to put faces to the names of the online community and function as a goal during the semester while students are working independently.

Number 3. Our Mighty Network group is active 24/7, wherever you are in the world. Not only do you have access to your classmates, but you have access to other comics lovers. Each week there will be discussion opportunities, as well as work sharing not only with your peers but with the course instructors.

We believe being able to work independently and motivate yourself is a huge part of being a professional artist. Our goal is to give our students the tools and inspiration to leave the classroom fold and continue to create comics for themselves!

What you pay depends on the program you’re taking, and how much you earn.

SAW currently operates on a sliding scale payment option. Payment is based on your yearly income and is tied to which program you choose to engage with. That means, depending on the program you’re in, we ask you to pay what you can, over and above our minimum tuition fee.

This system is really important to us as a non-profit organisation, and helps us in our commitment to make comics available to everyone.

Our refund policy is to return payment within two weeks of the beginning of classes.