The Creative Enamel Color Class

A Unique Approach to Teaching & Learning
The goal is not "enamel perfection"
The goal is "to be able to imagine something that you care about,
and then developing enough skill & creativity to make it to your standards.

Many Other Enamel Classes	The Creative Enamel Color Class
Students ask the teacher questions, the teacher provides the "right answer"	Students learn to ask themselves more and different questions, so that they can begin to learn how to answer their own questions.
Teachers provide the "right" or "best" way	Ricky helps students explore the different "variables" so that they can learn "What it depends on".
Teachers provide a project for students to follow or use as inspiration	Students are challenged to discover their own inspiration, deconstruct the image into smaller pieces, and learn to make the enamel imagery that they desire for their vision
Students follow along step by step with specific colors	Students create "personal tutorials" to practice different mindsets as they apply their choice of colors in different ways
Students learn enameling techniques	Students learn enameling and visual thinking skills
Students learn the Rules: What is the "Right Way"	Students learn Scientific Principles so that they understand what the materials "want to do"
Students are curious about finding the  one right answer	Students are curious about finding different types of questions.
Students focus on "How-To?" questions	Students change their questions from "How-To?" to "Why do I care?"
Students compare/evaluate their pieces to the teacher's pieces and to the pieces of the other students	Students consider what they SEE, so that they can consider what is possible to change, or to do differently on another piece.

Students create their own "Personal Tutorials"
This is an approach that I have designed to help you learn how to "teach yourself",
which is what we do when are designing and creating our artwork
When you are actively engaged designing your lessons, your learning "sticks".

When you are "making your artwork",
you are teaching yourself how to make something that is in your imagination.

• You search for inspiration
• You use your inspiration to imagine something
• You invent possible ways to "make it"
• You have conversations with yourself about how, why, where, and when.
• You enter into a dialogue with your tools, materials, and ideas.
• You create a plan and jump in. It can be a loose or specific plan.
• You begin
• You see results
• You make changes and "fix" it until it gets closer to what you imagined or are now imagining
• You use different mindsets: you play, you experiment, you translate visual images into media-specific images, you edit to get it closer to something that you like.
• You go back and forth using these different mindsets as your questions change

This is not your typical class. There are no specific projects.

These are the 5 Tutorial Styles that you will learn to create.

Demonstration
step by step "how-to"
tips and tricks​

Experiment
to understand Variables
to develop Control

Play
to learn what is Possible
to learn what you Like

Translate
to turn your visual images into enamel Images

Apply
use it in a piece
consider design

Each week you are challenged to create 5 different tutorials.

• I show you how I do it: What are my questions? What do I see? What am I choosing? Why?
  
• You don't copy my lessons, you create your own.
  
• You are teaching yourself "how to learn".
• It's like creating a game for teaching yourself.
• Do as few or as many as you can.
• Your tutorials build upon each other in complexity.
• Challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone; some types of tutorials will be more challenging for you.

Here is what you get...

• Six weeks of lessons
  
• Five different types of tutorials
• Seven different "enamel layer" techniques
• 58 Lessons
• 142 Video Tutorials
• Seven Bonus mini-courses to introduce you to foils, science, color preparation, cloisonne´ wire work, and more. Start watching as soon as you register.
• Focused online Group Forum with discussions about our assignments, inspirations, questions, and creative process.
• Video lessons available for 3 months!
• Memberships available ($25/month) for extended access to all content.
  

*The "self-paced" class does not include Zoom Meetings

You will not follow directions to make something pretty.

I will rarely show you the "right way" to do something.

I will coach you to learn to "think in enamel".

You will discover a way to get in touch with your "inner artist" and express yourself using enamel.

You will not make the same piece as anybody else in the class.

I will show you the many ways that I combine enamel colors and layers to create unique enamel imagery.

You will teach yourself to make YOUR enamel imagery.

Just think of everything that you need to learn as a...
Skill
Your skills grow and improve as you use "Baby-Steps" to incrementally move towards your goals.

Everything that you want to learn can be considered a skill...

• Remembering the enamel science
  
• Learning your enamel colors
• Your enamel skills and techniques
• Learning to SEE your world as design elements
• Using the creativity skills of cropping, changing, and combining
• Developing a new enamel vocabulary
• Connecting with your "light" to find your point of view
• Each result is a learning experience. Failure is as valuable as success. It is feedback that helps your improve your skills.
• EVERYTHING is a skill that you can learn, improve, and master!
  

Here is what happens...

• We will set challenging goals
  
• We will break your goals down into smaller, more realistic goals.
• We will break those goals down even smaller, so that they are just outside of your comfort zone. You can take "baby-steps".
• All you have to do is challenge yourself slightly to succeed.
• Mini-goals become mini-successes.
• You are creating new synapses in your brain.
• Your brain is changing with each new experience of success.
• Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes PERMANENT.
• Keep setting new goals that are slightly outside of your comfort zone and you will improve and grow.
• Incremental changes will create BIG changes.
  

Why?

You want to...

• learn and improve your enameling abilities.
• make something that you like and love.
• make something that feels meaningful and unique.
• be more creative and expressive with your enameling.
• move beyond the "project-based" classes and understand how to apply what you learn in your own way.
  
• study with someone who has over 43 years of creating enamel jewelry and 20 years teaching enameling who is dedicated to your artistic growth.
  

Samples from video tutorials

What?

Sample from video tutorials

You will learn...

• the skills and techniques that I use to  apply and combine my colors and enamel layers.
• to develop a personal visual imagery and translate it into enamel imagery.
• to let go of fear as you play and ask more questions.
• develop a process to help you move towards your artistic goals.
• create complete tutorials so that you can teach your yourself in your studio what you want to learn.
• to become a self-directed and focused artist.
• observe and provide feedback to support yourself and other students.
• let go of needing to like everything that you make as you achieve small goals to help reach your larger goals.

How?

You will...

• watch more than 20 hours of specially-created video tutorials (3-4 hours each week).
• see Ricky model not only what he does, but how he thinks as he learns, designs, and creates his artwork.
• learn to use and apply Ricky's "Seven Enamel Layer" techniques.
• be challenged to create 5 different types of enamel layer tutorials each week.
• share your results and receive feedback on our dedicated forum of current and former students (not Facebook).
• participate in two Zoom classes each week (one 2-hour and one 1-hour) to explore creativity,design, and story-telling with enamel.
• begin a journal/vision book to help you explore, record, and brainstorm the many new ideas that you will have.
•  access all of our content for 3 months after the course has finished.
• be part of Ricky's Creative Color group forum after the course to keep you inspired and motivated.
• have 6 weeks of access to Ricky's (43 plus years) of enamel jewelry experience during the course.
  
• use the Bonus mini-courses in the Creative Enamel Color Bundle to refresh your basic enameling skills and science.
  

Samples from video tutorials

Student Samples & Testimonials

Register now