New SVS website questions

[Reb Erlik]

I'm currently going through the classes on a monthly subscription that just renewed this week.
Will I lose access on November 29th?

The Illustration Sketchbook tier has only one course (How to draw everything) and the Desk/Studio has that plus 25 classes. Where are all the other classes going?
Do I have to watch all the classes this week before they disappear?
Which ones will still be available?

[Lee White]

Hi Reb! This is a good question and I'd be happy to answer. Since you are a current subscriber, you would be automatically transferred into the desk tier at your current monthly payment which is less than someone who comes directly into the new site will pay. You will have that pricing as long as you are a subscriber. So you will have access to all the foundation classes, plus a few more classes that we are adding in there such as inking, etc. Once people move through the foundations, we are focusing on pro level courses to really hit the ground running.

The thing we really want to stress is focusing on going through these 25-30 classes in a real way. All these classes were built with an outcome in mind, so those are the ones we are going to really stick with. The other classes we have now are great, and there are a lot of them. But many are dated and really feel like an elective. Building a whole community focusing on working through the foundation in a meaningful way is the way we can bring the most people up together in terms of quality. And having too many videos that were just taken at random seemed to be a hard way to teach. In the new community we will be doing live demos, interviews, portfolio reviews, and a whole host of things that just aren't happening now. In the highest tier, people will get weekly zoom sessions and even 24 hour help on any problem or question they have. It's a way for us to service people moving their illustration career forward vs. just watching some educational videos.

I hope all that makes sense. We know the transition will be tricky and there is no perfect way to do it. But we hope you will join us in there and give it a shot! Please let me know if you have any other questions about it at all. : )

[Reb Erlik]

@Lee-White Thanks, Lee! That makes a lot of sense and it sounds pretty exciting!
Okay, so this week I'll watch the classes that are not part of the curriculum/not about inking, since those are the ones that are leaving if I understand correctly.

I had a few more questions if you or anyone else on the team has time to answer:
So the month to month subscription option will be gone, correct? Will I have the option to sign up for 6 months or does it automatically put me on the annual plan?
Will it bill starting from November 29 or from the end of my current month (Dec 16?)
On November 29, will the old website change into the Circle website when I log in?
Or do I have to make an account on Circle?
Thanks for answering my questions!

[AthenaBeana]

@Lee-White I'm subscribed for a year and am currently working through the foundation courses. I do want to do the electives, but I was planning on doing them later. Will I not be able to access them anymore either?

[StudioHannah]

@Lee-White I have a related question. If I sign up for the $300 tier and then decide in a few months that I’d like to upgrade, would the higher tier’s price be prorated?

[Lee White]

@StudioHannah @Reb-Erlik @AthenaBeana Thanks for all the great questions! We are doing a live Q and A on monday night if you want to join that. It will be on youtube and we will put a link here in the forum for anyone to join.

[Lee White]

@Reb-Erlik You will be "grandfathered in" to the monthly payment plan. Meaning that as long as you are a subscriber, you will pay the same rate and time frame you have been. So you will just continue to be on a monthly plan. Anyone new who signs up will only have the option of 6 month plan or annual.

[StudioHannah]

@Lee-White Excellent, thank you! I might be traveling that day but if not I'll try to be there!

[Reb Erlik]

@Lee-White Great! Thanks, Lee!

[evka8D]

Ok so if I have yearly plan that should renew in May it will continue at that rate even with the new page? Also I would like to ask if I currently use my Google account to log in into SVS site will I be able to continue to do so or will I need to create a new login. Thanks in advance for your reply.

[charles92027]

@Lee-White What if I was in the 14-day free trial when the new pricing took effect. My free trial ends on December 3rd, will I still be getting the monthly account I signed up for? Or, will I be charged under the new plan?

[LauraA]

@Lee-White My question is about the studio level. At what times will the live events be? Will there be a time slot that is more comfortable for peope in Europe and farther east? And if so, what time is that? Thanks!

[AustinShurtliff]

@LauraA Right now, the office hours are scheduled to take place on a rotating schedule, at either 10 am or 7 pm Pacific Time each Monday. The other weekly events will be as follows:

• Week 1: Podcast livestream at 1 pm on Thursday
• Week 2: Pro Demo or other live event at 7 pm on Tuesday
• Week 3: How to Fix Your Art livestream at 1 pm on Thursday
• Week 4: Hot Seat livestream at 7 pm on Tuesday

You can also submit questions for office hours before and watch the recording afterward if you can’t make it live. All live events will be available to rewatch for a few weeks, and Pro Demos will be saved in their own space in the community to rewatch anytime.

[LauraA]

@AustinShurtliff said in New SVS website questions:

Week 1: Podcast livestream at 1 pm on Thursday
Week 2: Pro Demo or other live event at 7 pm on Tuesday
Week 3: How to Fix Your Art livestream at 1 pm on Thursday
Week 4: Hot Seat livestream at 7 pm on Tuesday

Thanks for the quick reply, Austin. Honestly, those hours aren't going to work out very well for me. Even the 10am/7 pm one comes right on the tail of a class I have every Monday, and then I'm responsible for the family dinner. I mean, yes, there's the rewatch, but the live aspect is a big part of the appeal. I know, it's hard to find a happy medium between CA and continental Europe!

[LauraA]

@Lee-White, I'm tagging you because you know my work.

I watched the Q & A session on playback today and I have been thinking really hard about this. It does look really great! Here's the deal:

I have been an SVSer since 2017. By now I mostly come up with my own ideas and mostly work on my own projects. I feel like I’ve been on the edge of pro for a couple of years now. I am a member of two high-level critique groups, one illo/writing and one writing only. I have been in talks with agents, but so far no contract. I am also waiting on a contract for a book from a small publisher. I did CBPro and the portfolio review, and have gotten some individual mentoring. But I would love more, lots more, mentor-y pushing and sharp feedback. The hot seat sounds like just the thing! So the studio option appeals to me.

Here’s my quandary. I’m in Europe, and every one of those regular live events is going to require some pretty major fanagling to be present for. Some, like the hot seat, are during the wee hours. Sure, I can watch the video playback, but isn’t live participation the point?

Curriculum-wise, I have watched most of the basic courses multiple times. I have done the work for the more advanced ones. My basic drawing skills are good (I used to be a professional oil portraitist). I’ve been pushing character design for the past two months, trying to work on consistency. I know something about the industry. My gestures, storytelling and ideation could still use work, but it's more a matter of feedback and accountability than intellectual knowledge. And mostly, I’m still slow, despite increased emphasis on ideation. As as result, my social media presence suffers. So I am super frustrated right now.

Given my needs and what is offered, is the studio level a good fit? (Sadly, the $800 wouldn’t be a tax write off for me even if I got work.) Could I use the platform to get feedback on my own projects rather than the coursework? (For the most part--but I will use the evaluation to target what coursework I still need.) I know enough about how competitive kidlit is to realize that being competent isn't enough. I need someone to push me to do truly creative work. That and someone to force me send out postcards!

Thanks for any feedback! It's a lot to pay if it's not a good fit, so I want to make sure.

P.S. If I sign up for the studio version for one year, and can’t participate in enough of what I need to keep going, may I go back to my present subscription price?

[Lee White]

@LauraA All great questions laura. I'll try my best to answer. One thing we really pride ourselves on is not trying to oversell something that might not be right. If our program isn't the right fit, then I really want you to go find something that is right for you.

I would obviously recommend the higher tier for you since you seem to fit that mold. We will be alternating the times for zooms and demos so we can accommodate different times zones. Typically that has been at 10am and 7 pm (PST). We will be doing weekly zooms and of course everything is recorded as you mentioned. You can ask for weekly feedback and even get feedback within 24 hours in that tier on an individual piece. I can't guarantee it will be me that answers it each time, but i'm going to really make an effort to be in there daily.

So ultimately, that is what we have to offer. Is it a perfect fit, I dunno! lol. I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you if it is. I can say that I don't know of anything better than this right now unless you spend a fortune on a custom college level program and even then it might not fit. My masters degree was sort of lame and it cost me almost $40 grand. So, my recommendation is spend the $400 for a 6 month test for that tier. If it doesn't work, you wont be out that much and I can guarantee the stuff going on in there is worth $400 for that much time. I mean my internet subscription is more than that (if broken down monthly). Once you sign up, you are in that tier for the minimum 6 month time frame as I don't think you can switch from a high tier to a lower one during the time frame you sign up for. I'm still learning how that works though so let me double check that

[BetsyElam]

I have the annual SVS Subscription, plus I bought CBP and SPP. Will I still have access to my CBP and SPP for a lifetime as promised? Or do I only have access if I maintain a SVS subscription? I'm happy to have the current subscription model for where I am now. Is that the one that is grandfathered into the mid grade model that costs new students $300? Also, I certainly hope you keep the Jim Madsen video. I've watched it more than once. Even though it is outdated in some ways, it is timeless in terms of transferring painting skills to digital.

[LauraA]

@Lee-White Thanks for the detailed reply. Obviously you don't have a crystal ball, although you do have a very nice deck of tarot cards!

What I meant was that, if I upgraded to the studio level and the membership expired, could I go back to the previous subscription price I had, or does upgrading interrupt that?

[Lee White]

@LauraA Once a term is up, you can switch to any other tier you like. : )

[LauraA]

@BetsyElam That was really my question about downgrading, too. Not, is it possible to do so, but if I do, will I be able to go back to the previous price, or will I have to change to the new price for my current, mid-tier level? That is, once you upgrade to studio, does that reset your middle tier price to the new annual one and jettison the old monthly one I am currently paying? Because as an OV, I’m pretty well grandfathered in and that’s one reason I’ve stayed subscribed even just to go back and watch a course now and then.

I hope that is super clear now.

I gather that people who subscribe at the middle level will keep paying their current price, but I’m not anyone official, so I can’t say for sure.