Online Scrapbooking Lessons - 6 Things To Look Out For

By Fiona Carter

There’s no doubt that teaching via the internet is going to get bigger and scrapbooking is a craft that lends itself well to the medium. But with any increase in quantity, there comes a variety in quality. So how can you select the scrapbooking wheat from the chaff?

Here are some indicators to look for:

1. A good teacher

Well that would be a good start. In this case it should be a combination of someone whose work you have seen and admire and someone who is able to teach some aspects of their methods, approach or technique successfully. Remember that the two do not necessarily go together – there are plenty of good scrapbookers who struggle to teach and there are plenty of people who would like to make money from teaching online but don’t have the pedigree that demands you part with your hard-earned cash. So before you sign up, check out the teacher’s own work. Is it a style that you like? Does she offer something that will expand your skills or approach?

2. Easy to follow instructions

In a face-to-face environment, it’s quite easy to ask when something isn’t clear. When you’re online, it can be a bit harder – particularly if you are in a ‘difficult’ time zone. So the best way to avoid having to ask follow up questions is to get a very clear set of instructions in the first place. And if those instructions are accompanied by clear photos of the techniques being used then so much the better.

3. Easy to source materials

‘For this lesson, you need to source brads made from the finest platinum, available now from Uzbekistan’s only online store’. Hopefully this is an exaggeration but restricting you to particular brands or suppliers’ materials may be a source of frustration as well as additional expense. There will always be some materials that are absolutely necessary for the look of the layout but if the lesson allows you to substitute your own generic supplies which are already on hand, you’ll end up getting a quicker and cheaper result.

4. A gallery for submissions

One of the best ways to expand your horizons is to see what others can do with the same set of inputs. So if your online scrapbooking lesson environment offers the ability for pupils to post their finished examples for others to see, that’s a definite plus. And of course there is the opportunity for you to showcase your talent that has been neglected and hidden for too long!!

5. Free samples for you to review

Before you sign up, it’s a good idea to get a lesson sample to check out some of the characteristics listed above and to make a final decision on whether you want to go ahead. And hopefully the sample will be a true reflection of what will actually be provided in the real lessons.

6. Don’t over-commit.

I’m sure there’ll be the usual ‘special offers’ available. You know ‘sign up know for a full year and it will only cost you a dollar a day’. Be careful. Apart from the fact that it might work out to be very expensive, it’s likely that there will be lots of change over the next 12 months with an ever increasing array of offerings and (hopefully) they will get better and better. So avoiding commitment to a long time period will give you greater flexibility to do what you want, when you want.

If these thoughts strike a chord with you why not visit http://www.fionacarter.com to check out some great online scrapbooking lessons.