Big lough - yes, Terri, you are absolutely right.
Buddy
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Hi, I’m Sharon from Adelaide, South Australia.
I am very much an amateur.
I’ve been dabbling in acrylics on canvas and charcoal portraits for several years (when time permits).
But more recently, I’ve taken an interest in coloured pencils and pastels (specifically Pan and pencils).
Am loving the courses I’m currently progressing through, here on The Virtual Instructor.
I just had a quick look at the shared work of other members. Wow! You are all SO advanced! How intimidating!!
I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m looking forward to doing more of Matt’s courses. 
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Hi Sharon. So happy to see you here. Please don’t be intimidated. The secret to good art is good instruction to get you going in the right direction and then LOTS of practice. That means anything you see here, you will also be capable of doing yourself.
In addition to the great lessons here at The Virtual Instructor, I suggest you devote a half an hour every week to watching the Members Minute, a critique that Matt does of artwork that has been submitted by members. We all continue to learn so much by watching these.
Finally, I encourage you to post your work here on the forum. We love to cheer each other on, and if you are struggling with something or have questions, this is a supportive place to reach out for feedback.
Terri Robichon
(sometimes referred to as Terri with 2 R’s - because there is another Teri here who is Teri with 1 R)
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Welcome Sharon, this is a great community of artists. We are all in different phases of learning, but all love the joy of creating art & sharing that work. Sometimes we just post the artwork & there are times when we ask for feedback, critiques which are given as a friend gives advice to another friend, supportive & loving. Looking forward to seeing your work.
Jim
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Welcome Sharon @shazjmorgan . I hope you will ejoy the information gained here through both the classes and sharing of thoughts from the other members. Looking forward to seeing some of your work.
Lenet
@shazjmorgan
Nice to meet you Sharon, we’re practically neighbours, 
, well at least in terms of the reach of Matt’s membership, I’m in Hobart. I second what the other guys have said. You will love this group, I like that it’s so diverse, covering whatever type of art you may want to explore all in the one place. You can always get help and advice from the more experienced members, they’re incredibly friendly, caring and helpful.
Cheers Cathy
Hello @shazjmorgan,
Welcome to the forum. We all love to share, encourage, and support each other. Also, we all have different media preferences, strengths and weaknesses. So I really to see you around here sharing often!
Sonia @Meme5
Welcome aboard Sharon. Don’t be intimidated. One thing you will realize is that all levels of experience and all styles and medium are welcome here. The forum is a great place, full of respect and kindness. We are all here for one reason: we love doing art.
Patricia (a.k.a. Sterlingsiam)
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Hi, from South Africa. I’m excited to pursue my art dreams here. Have done some drawing and now some watercolour. Most grateful for The Virtual Instructor making so much accessible.
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Welcome to the community Nan. You will find this forum to be friendly & informative. We are looking forward to seeing your art.
Jim
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Hi Nan and welcome to our community. One thing I always recommend to new members is to check out the Members Minute every week. (to find it go to the Community tab, and under that select “Critique”). All artists (beginner to experienced) will learn from these and they are less than 1/2 hour long.
If you have questions of any kind, reach out to us here, and we will do our best to help you.
And of course, we’d love to see the drawings/paintings you are working on.
Terri Robichon
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Welcome Nan, great you joined TVI. I am sure, you will find a great and kind support in this group.
@robichon Terri is right. The members minute is one of the great places to go. Hope you love it.
Buddy
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Hi! My name is Lisa Siegel and I’m returning to my love of drawing and painting after a long hiatus. Matt- let me just say that I have learned more from you this last month than I have from instructors of my weekly art class. Your clear and concise lessons are fabulous and I look forward every day to partake in one!
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Hi Lisa,
Welcome to this great group and thank you for your invitation. I totally agree with you. Matt & Ashley are just perfect.
Dive in, enjoy, relax, learn - welcome,
Buddy
Greetings; Trying to figure out how to post to this community. Long time sketcher, fond of cartooning, on again off again drawing (pencil and some ink attempts) Reason for Post: I am looking for a book that helps develop the habit of daily cartooning exercising…Amazon search is no help.
Regards to all.
Hi @Dave -
Nice to see you posting. Sorry that I have never seen a book like the one you’ve asked about. Please post some photos of your work in the forum. It would be fun to see.
Also, since you mentioned you like to draw with ink, I suggest that if you’re a member of The Virtual Instructor that you take a look at the current Members Minute where Matt critiques my drawing of a cat in the closet where I use a very unique ballpoint pen.
Terri Robichon
Hey Terri;
I will check out that Members Minute. I like the look you can get with ink but it is far less forgiving than pencil! As to the book…several/many books on daily drawing exercises but the ones I have seen are multi medium guides vs specific to cartooning…my quest continues.
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Hi everyone ! I’m a longtime YouTube follower of Matt and Ashley from the UK , geeky science nerd here lol and new to art just before the COVID pandemic struck , but continued to draw in graphite and challenge myself since then , with variable results. I enjoy Getting Sketchy Live though it broadcasts late in the evening here , so usually catch the recordings instead. I’m hoping to try some different media but find going back to total beginner in a new medium frustrating , particularly watercolour. I look forward to seeing other members posting art on here and hope you like some of my attempts. Best wishes
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Hello @trevowen,
Welcome to the forum. You’ll find all kinds of skill levels in here. Everyone is very supportive, positive. There are some overachievers, of course. In my case, watercolor, ink and wash, and acrylics are my most challenging of all, as well as oil. I’ve given them all a try and will continue trying.
Graphite is one of my favorites to draw with. I hope to see your posts often in here.
Sonia Alonzo
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Hi Trevor -
The Virtual Instructor is a great place to give different media a try. I’ve been member for three years now and have enjoyed all of it. My favorite media are watercolors, ink drawings and painting
, colored pencils and graphite. Since joining TVI I have also used acrylic and oil painting, pastels and scratchboard just to name what comes to mind.
But there is so much more to learn regarding composition, lighting and the importance of having a good range of values. I recommend all members set aside 20 minutes a week to watch the “Members Minute”, it is a weekly critique of member artwork and even if it isn’t you own art you are sure to learn something. That applies to those of all skill levels.
So WELCOME to this positive and supportive group. Hope you decide to hang out with us.
Terri Robichon
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