Beginners Guide To Conducting An Art Workshop

Conducting an art workshop is a great way to share your own technique and sense of art with the community, which will possibly help you to earn some extra income as an artist. This can also be a good way to boost your presence as well as increase your art sales.

Having said that, it is not always easy to start to do something new, especially conducting an art workshop. We all know how much time and effort is needed even for a professional artist to create a piece of art, imagine teaching a number of people to do it at the same time, how tough would it be?

However, if you are actually passionate about teaching your art, sooner or later, you will make it! And fortunately, we are here to pass along some ideas as well as guides so that you can actualize your best first workshop. Check out our easy step-by-step guide on conducting an art workshop, and start making it happen.

This is the very first art workshop of your own and you undoubtedly do not want to mess everything up. That is why you will initially need to create a plan and try to stick to it.

So, what should be included in the plan?

First of all, you have to finalize what you are going to teach in the workshop and the targeted students. On that basis, sketch an outline of what you will be doing during the workshop.

Second of all, think about the budget. It is always necessary to know your budget well before you start planning anything, and conducting an art workshop is obviously no exception. Within a limited amount of money as well as other resources, it is crucial to specify the expected number of attendees so that you can arrange everything accordingly.

What’s more? Do not forget to price yourself! You might be thinking to give your first lesson for free, which is understandable and realistic. However, make sure you know how much you should be charging for the next ones unless you do not want to earn from your workshops.

Now the plan has been drafted, you are aware of what to do. Time to answer the “when” and “where” questions.

The workshop should definitely be carried out in a convenient time for the targeted attendees. For example, if you are delivering a basic sculpture workshop for kids, the last thing you ought to do is to place it in school hours of a school day.

Simple as that, the venue also has to be picked wisely. If you already have a place for it with an affordable price or even free of cost like your own home or a classroom in a school at which one of your friends is working, that’s perfect. Otherwise, you better start working on it as soon as possible so that you will have time to shop around to catch the best one with the best deal.

Truth is, none of the successful events misses out promotion, ever, no matter how they conduct it. You have seemingly been blessed with a creative eye and the gift for bringing art into life. You are planning to teach one of the best quality painting workshops of all time. Still, people will not show up when the day comes if they have no idea about the event.

Clueless about where to begin? Do not forget that Google can teach you almost anything. Try looking for How to Promote a Workshop and such key phrases. You can include more details to specify your need. For instance, you are conducting an art workshop on a tight budget so you do not want to spend much money on promoting it. In this case, try putting Budget-friendly Ways to Promote a Workshop in the Google search bar and you will surely find bunches of useful things.

One of the most common and efficient one might be to leverage the trends. People have the tendency to search for trending things and to some extent, you can always take advantage of that. For example, Christmas is around the corner and you are promoting for your art and craft workshop, it would be perfect to plan it as a Christmas greeting card making workshop or something like that. If that does not work for you, at least try decorating the classroom with Christmas tree, and that theme should as well be visible on your promotion channels.

“I would highly recommend artists who are planning to teach a workshop or class choose a very specific project that will be completed. When creating it, notice anything that did not work as planned. Make mental notes of those nuances, so you know to share them with your participants! When you are creating your example, be thinking of what you will say to describe the process to your audience. Take notes to include these thoughts as well as the exact materials you used.
Take a photograph of your example and use a photo of it in all marketing communications and materials! People are more likely to get excited about your workshop if they see what they will be creating!”

– Tammy Hornek [Founder, Fun Art Night]

The clock is ticking. Your workshop is happening soon! Trust me, I know how you are feeling right now, very well. And I am here to make sure you do not by any chance drop anything in that fixed feelings.

Again you will be in need of a to-do list. Yes, you will have to do it yourself. Fortunately, suggestions are available.

The first thing to be recommended is probably to check with the venue owners/managers to confirm the date and time. Then do the same thing with the material suppliers. Basically everything should be double-checked just in case.

Do remind your attendees ideally a day in advance. Sometimes people just lose their sense of date and time among the hustle and bustle going on around them. And most importantly, prepare carefully what and how to teach your students. Practice a few times by yourself or in front of a close friend, a family member to make sure everything will go smoothly.

Finally, the day has come. This is the part that takes the least time in the whole process, yet also the one that matters the most. Eventually people come to your workshop to learn what you show them. Of course, you want your first art workshop to be a success. Then it is high time for you to earn it!

While you want attendees to walk away with newfound knowledge and skills, keep in mind what you would want to get out of the workshop as a student if the process is daunting enough. Try to create an inviting atmosphere where students get to learn real techniques with your one-on-one guidance.

Last but not least, keep your workshop lighthearted and relaxed. Apart from the quality knowledge, this should be a full of fun experience as well! Having the right amount of excitement will make students want to come back for more, instead of treating it like a chore.

Congratulations, you have made it! No matter how your first workshop went, never forget to thank as many people as you can ideally in person, and for those you could not, send them thank you notes.

Chances are, word of mouth is one of the helpful ways to promote your workshop and right after a workshop is done, it is the best occasion to encourage your attendees to spread the word about your amazing workshop.

If you plan on running the same workshop again, or even on a regular basis in the future, then take the time to reinforce the relationships that you made while assembling your event. Just simply start by talking about how you feel, what you enjoyed the most during the workshop and why. Listen to your attendees and naturally encourage them to share their experiences as well. Remind them why they came to your class in the first place and give them at least one reason to come again next time.

One of the beautiful things about hosting a workshop is that you do not only teach people to do something nice or to be aware of something but you can also learn a lot from your students. It is nothing but a fascinating never-ending journey. No matter at which stage you are, remember to keep asking for feedback and innovating as much as possible. Don’t just conduct an art workshop, make it your art!