Live Continuing Education Courses
Live Virtual Summer Camp | July 13–17, 2026 | 12pm MT / 2pm ET | + 6 Month Access
CE DES 151 Image Generation, Smart Objects, & Mockups in Photoshop
Instructor: Aja Fillmore
Every time you launch a new product you should not have to schedule a photo shoot. CE DES 151 Image Generation, Smart Objects, & Mockups in Photoshop teaches you how to build reusable, professional-quality product mockups so you can swap in new designs in minutes instead of hours. Over five live sessions you will learn smart objects, photo editing with Camera Raw Filter, Photoshop's AI image generation tools, layer styles, and Perspective Warp — and bring it all together in finished mockups ready for your Etsy store, website, or client presentations.
Who it's for: Etsy sellers, small business owners, and creative entrepreneurs who want to create their own professional product mockups without hiring a photographer or reshooting every time they have something new to show.
What they'll learn: How to build reusable smart object mockups, edit and enhance product photos, use Photoshop's AI image generation tools, apply layer styles and Perspective Warp, and produce polished product images ready for any selling platform.
Format: Five live online sessions via Google Meet, one hour per day — July 13 through July 17, 2026 at 12:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Eastern. All sessions recorded and available for rewatch for 6 months.
Level: Beginner friendly. Some familiarity with Photoshop is helpful but not required.
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Live Virtual Summer Camp | July 6–10, 2026 | 12pm MT / 2pm ET | + 6 Month Access
CE DES 131 Procreate Patterns
Instructor: Aja Fillmore
Pattern making is one of those skills that looks deceptively simple until you try it and the repeat does not line up. CE DES 131 Procreate Patterns is a five-day live workshop that takes the guesswork out of building repeating patterns in Procreate. Students work through the full pattern-making process from setting up a canvas correctly to exporting a finished mini collection they can apply to their own creative projects. The course covers seamless repeats, half-drop and brick structures, toss patterns, geometric designs using Procreate's symmetry tools, colorways, and how to present finished work in a simple style sheet. Every session is hands-on, and every technique is taught with troubleshooting built in so students know what to do when things do not align.
Who it's for: Beginner to intermediate Procreate users who have basic drawing fundamentals and want to learn how to build correct, professional-quality repeating patterns.
What they'll learn: How to construct multiple types of repeating patterns in Procreate, troubleshoot alignment issues, build cohesive colorways, and present a finished mini pattern collection.
Format: Five live online sessions via Google Meet, one hour per day — July 6 through July 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Eastern. All sessions recorded and available for rewatch for 6 months.
Level: Beginner to Intermediate. Basic drawing fundamentals helpful but no prior pattern experience required.
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Live Virtual Summer Camp | July 27–31, 2026 | 12pm MT / 2pm ET | + 6 Month Access
CE DES 150 Photoshop Character Design
Instructor: Julie Thompson
Photoshop can feel overwhelming when you first open it, especially when you want to use it for something creative like illustration and character design. This course changes that. Over five live sessions, Julie Thompson walks you through the Photoshop interface from the ground up and guides you through creating a single polished cute cartoon character illustration complete with a background. Each day builds on the last, from setting up your canvas and sketching your character to adding color, shading, and finishing effects. By the end of the week you will have a completed character illustration and a confident working knowledge of how Photoshop's core tools fit together. No prior Photoshop experience required.
Who it's for: Graphic design students, illustrators, hobbyists, small business owners, and anyone curious about getting started with Photoshop and character design.
What they'll learn: How to set up a Photoshop document, sketch and refine a cute cartoon character, work with brushes and layers, apply flat color and shading, and export a finished illustration for digital use.
Format: Five live online sessions via Google Meet, one hour per day — July 27 through July 31, 2026 at 12:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Eastern. All sessions recorded and available for rewatch for 6 months.
Level: Beginner. No prior Photoshop experience required.
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Live Virtual Summer Camp | June 22–26, 2026 | 12pm MT / 2pm ET | + 6 Month Access
CE DES 130 Procreate for Beginners
Instructor: Aja Fillmore
Have you ever opened Procreate, felt completely lost, and closed it again? This five-day summer camp is your fresh start. Aja Fillmore walks you through the Procreate interface from the ground up — brushes, layers, blending modes, and how to actually use them together. By the end of the week you will have built your first finished floral illustration from scratch. No prior drawing experience required. Just bring your iPad, your Apple Pencil, and your curiosity.
Who it's for: Complete beginners, adults and teens who have never opened Procreate, and anyone who does not consider themselves an artist but wants to start creating.
What they'll learn: How to navigate Procreate with confidence, build and use custom brushes, work with blending modes and layers, and complete a finished floral illustration.
Format: Five live online sessions via Google Meet, one hour per day — June 22 through June 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Eastern. All sessions recorded and available for rewatch for 6 months.
Level: Beginner. No prior Procreate or drawing experience needed.
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Self-Paced Continuing Education Courses
Self-Paced Continuing Education
CE DES 102 Illustrator Unlocked
Instructor: Dr. Carina Gardner
Illustrator Unlocked is a beginner-friendly course designed for creatives who have always wanted to work in vector art but did not know where to start. Through 4 modules of pre-recorded video lessons, learners go from setting up Adobe Illustrator for the first time to drawing original illustrations, building repeat patterns, and creating marketable products. This course removes the intimidation factor of vector design and replaces it with a clear, approachable process that builds real skills from lesson one.
Who it's for: Beginners with no prior Adobe Illustrator experience who want to start creating vector art and design marketable products.
What they'll learn: How to set up Illustrator, work with shapes and tools, draw original illustrations using the pen and pencil tools, and build simple repeat patterns for marketable products.
Format: Pre-recorded video lessons (self-paced), 6 months access
Level: Beginner
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Self-Paced Continuing Education
CE ART 110 Watercolor Foundations for Travelers
Instructor: Dr. Carina Gardner
Watercolor Foundations for Travelers is a beginner-friendly course designed for people who love to travel and want to capture the world around them through art. In one focused class session covering 10 watercolor techniques, learners build a practical foundation in watercolor painting using supplies specifically chosen for travel. No prior art experience needed. Just a curiosity about watercolor and a desire to make something beautiful wherever the journey takes you.
Who it's for: Beginners and travelers who want to learn watercolor as a portable, practical creative practice they can take anywhere.
What they'll learn: Ten foundational watercolor techniques, how to select and use travel-friendly art tools, and how to start painting on the go with confidence.
Format: Pre-recorded video lesson (self-paced) plus downloadable workbook and guide, 6 months access
Level: Beginner
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Self-Paced Continuing Education
CE DES 120 Design Meta Ads That Convert
Instructor: Dr. Carina Gardner
Design Meta Ads That Convert is a self-paced course built for creative entrepreneurs, small business owners, and designers who want to stop paying agency prices and start creating Facebook and Instagram ads that actually work. Through 4 modules of pre-recorded video lessons, learners build a working foundation in ad design from sizing and layout to typography, conversion principles, and hands-on practice in Canva, Adobe Express, Photoshop, and Illustrator. This course teaches the visual language of ads that get clicked and gives learners the tools to produce them independently.
Who it's for: Creative entrepreneurs, small business owners, and designers who want to design effective Meta ads without hiring an agency.
What they'll learn: Ad design foundations, conversion-focused layout principles, hands-on ad creation across four design platforms, and how to use AI to enhance ad visuals.
Format: Pre-recorded video lessons (self-paced), 6 months access
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Self-Paced Continuing Education
CE BUS 101 Start Your Design Business in 6 Weeks
Instructor: Dr. Carina Gardner
Start Your Design Business is a 6-week self-paced course built for designers who are ready to turn their creative skills into a real business. This course covers the practical business side of running a design company from building product categories and setting up an Etsy shop to mastering SEO, creating mockups, and troubleshooting products that are not selling. No design projects here. Just the business knowledge designers need to get their work in front of customers and start generating income.
Who it's for: Designers at any skill level who want to launch or grow a design business and need a clear, practical roadmap for doing it.
What they'll learn: How to build and organize products, set up an Etsy shop, write SEO-optimized titles and descriptions, create professional mockups, and solve common sales problems.
Format: Pre-recorded video lessons (self-paced), 6 months access
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
Self-Paced Continuing Education
CE AI 101 AI Mastery Suite
Instructor: Dr. Carina Gardner
AI Mastery Suite is a 6-month program designed to get designers, artists, Etsy sellers, and creative entrepreneurs fully activated in AI. Through 8 weeks of pre-recorded video content plus 3 live Q&A sessions, learners go from AI-curious to confidently building custom tools that work for their specific creative business. This course focuses primarily on Claude with references to ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI platforms, giving learners a well-rounded foundation while developing real, working skills they can use immediately.
Who it's for: Designers, artists, Etsy sellers, and creative entrepreneurs who want to integrate AI into their business workflow at a beginner to early-intermediate level.
What they'll learn: How to prompt correctly, train AI to understand their voice and process, build projects and skills, and create AI agents that function like employees in their business.
Format: Pre-recorded video lessons (self-paced) + 3 live Q&A sessions
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Certificate of completion awarded upon passing the quiz within the 6-month access period
