Archive for the 'Premium Products' Category
July 10th, 2008 by admin
I must admit, I haven’t been updating this blog for quite awhile. That’s because I’m caught up in a couple of new projects, AND I’ve had to move house (very stressful for me) twice in the first 6 months. So I’m kind of forced to make do with whatever little time I have left to work on my online projects.
I figure it’s about time that MyArtPassion.com has its own second premium product. It’s been more than 6 months now, since the launch of MyArtPassion Drawing Method Home Study Course. Thank you to all you kind folks who’ve shown me your support. 
Well, over the course of the past few months, I’ve gotten to know the members on my list a little bit better. And the most frustrating thing for many aspiring artist is that they find it difficult to capture the image in their head on paper. I can only find one reason for that - a lack of drawing skills!
Now given time, I believe that every single one of you (with persistence) will eventually get it right. Just keep observing, learning, experimenting, and practicing!
But if you think you could use a little help to shorten the learning curve and speed up the process, then you may be very interested in what I’m going to say for the rest of this post.
I’m going to come up with a second product called THE BIG BOOK OF DRAWING ACTIVITIES
And I guess the title kind of says it all. It’s going to be a big book filled to the brim with drawing activities so that you can get spend hours and hours working on your drawings until you eventually find it EASY to draw the images in your head!
Here’s your chance to tell me what you’d like to draw, so that I can include it in this latest activity book. Now is not the time to be shy. Let us know what it is that your heart desires to draw (your idol, manga, whatever…), and I’ll certainly see what I can do.
So leave your comments below, and let’s see what you’d really like to draw…
Oh, and if you haven’t join the mailing list, you can do so here: Online Drawing Lessons
January 25th, 2008 by admin
I was working on Vol.2 of the Home Study Course and received an email from a customer who just bought Vol.1. Apparently, she thought the Free welcome email was all that she was getting.
There must be confusion in the communication process that allowed this to happen and I told myself, “This wouldn’t do!”
So I immediately stopped what I was doing and wrote this blog post.
First of all, I want to assume responsibility for what happened, and I want to apologize to ALL customers. If there’s any confusion in the download process that caused you some miscomfort, I’m truly sorry.
Now I want to do something that make sure the same thing don’t happen again.
1) I’ll be including CLEAR download instructions in all future sales copy for the premium products.
2) I want to clarify that this is a DIGITAL purchase. You won’t be receiving any physical products. This is a digital purchase for several reasons. I’ll explain more on this in the sales letter for vol.2.
DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS
Right after the purchase, please DO go ahead and click the “CONTINUE” button and you’ll be brought to the download page immediately.
There’ll be no welcome email until you join the customer email list on the download page.
Hope that clears things up.
Again, I apologize for any inconvenience, misunderstandings, confusions etc. Thank you all for your kind support and purchase.
Darren Chow
January 18th, 2008 by admin
I have more illustrations I want to do for tomorrow. So I’ve decided to post up some preview drawings today.
Instead of posting them one by one, I’ve combined them into one file, so that you don’t have to click a thousand times just to view a few pictures 
These drawings are meant to teach something, and they are made that way for a very specific reason.
Check them out.
January 16th, 2008 by admin
For the past few days, I’ve totally shut myself in to work on Vol.2 of the home study course. I’m not even half way through this volume and I’ve already filled over 40 pages.
I’ve expanded this volume from 10 chapters to 13 chapters. 10 chapters is just not enough given the amount of material that I’d like to include! So what’s new?
Let’s see…
First, I completely missed the chapter on Goucahe paints. I’ve already planned for this chapter but I didn’t remember it until I was taking photographs of the different types of paints.
The next new chapter is one that would come as a surprise. I’ve decided to include a chapter on oil painting as well. Now that’s A LOT to take on. I hope I don’t kill myself doing this…
Finally, I’m going to include a workshop style case study of working with mixed medias. I think this will give me the perfect opportunity to demostrate the application of the many different theories that I’ve included in this volume.
Other than adding a whole bunch of new chapters to burn myself out, I think the vol.2 is turning out pretty well. I’m pushing very hard to make sure that vol.2 launches in time (end Feb). That looks like a long time away, but given the demands of vol.2, I think it’s a reasonable time frame.
I want to thank you for being patient, and I promise you, it’s going to be worth the wait.
I better sign off soon…I’m doing the “night time” blogging thing again. So I better stop before I start typing gibberish. I think it’s starting soon…
Have a great week ahead!
Oh, before I go, I hopeeeeeee (cross fingers, cross toes, cross hair) that I’ll be able to leak some illustrations out in my next post, but no promises though.
And if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to elaborate on, now is the time to leave some comments!
January 10th, 2008 by admin
I’ve had the chance to sit down and ponder over the contents that I want to include in Vol.2. Once I complete this volume, MyArtPassion Home Study Course would be one of the most complete drawing resource on the Internet.
And I’m not saying that to put a feather on my cap…I’m saying that because I’ve done my research and have seen the products out there there are being offered by other websites. They are practically screaming, “What is in it FOR ME?” What do I mean? Let me explain.
The goal of MyArtPassion Home Study Course has always been to build and strengthen the foundation of any aspiring artist. So the focus and emphasis will be on sound drawing techniques and principles that all artists can use in their drawings and paintings.
When I was developing Vol.1 of the course, that was exactly what I had in mind. I didn’t think about how much I’m going to charge for the course, or how much profit I’m going to make and all that nonsense. Those are valid business considerations to run a successful site but it’s not the right time to think about that when I’m developing products.
When product developers lose their focus and start thinking about their bottom line, the inevitable happens. Not enough value is created, and the product cost more than the actual value delivered. We see this happening all around us more often than we know.
Think about the last time you bought a crappy book or some substandard materials that you paid good money for. How did that made you feel? Not too good, I believe. So if you’re going to make any purchase, choose to buy from a vendor who cares about your goals, and understands the meaning of value. That’ll save you a ton of money.
On the other hand, how do you feel if you’ve purchased a product that’s worth every penny that you’ve spent? That vendor automatically becomes your trusted source for valuable information.
That’s the primary aim of MyArtPassion.com. That’s why I always immerse myself completely into the process when I’m developing a product. If I’m going to launch something, it has to be a killer product.
Having said that, I want to put my neck out on the chopping board, and just say that I want MyArtPassion Home Study Course Vol.2 to be EVEN BETTER than vol.1.
I carry with me the experience and the momentum from launching vol.1, and am definitely confident of doing a good job and delivering valuable and useful information.
For the past 2 weeks, I’ve taken some time in between my marketing activities to ponder over what I want to include in vol.2.
Most of the chapters you see below are a manifestation of the most challenging problems faced by artists like myself. Some ideas sprouted from my own research, and others just came from my own experience as an artist. So here they are…
Table of Contents for Vol.2: Drawing in Color
Chapter 1: Understanding Colors
This is the perfect chapter to start of vol.2. Without a deep understanding of the physical characteristics of colors, the artist will find it hard to express himself or herself well in a color drawing or painting.
Chapter 2: Coloring tools
Unlike vol.1, which teaches drawing in monochrome, vol.2 allows us to explore a wide range of options. It’s easy to get lost in the wide range of tools available in the market, so this chapter aims to provide some clear guiding principles when it comes to choosing which tools to work with.
Chapter 3: Planning and decision making
There are some key issues that the artist will have to take the bull by the horn and make some sound decisions. These decisions have a strong impact on the final outcome of the painting, so care and wisdom is required when considering these matters.
Chapter 4: Application of basic drawing techniques
This chapter displays the basic drawing techniques when using different drawing tools and coloring mediums.
Chapter 5: Key color challenges
This chapter will discuss some of the most common subjects that the artist will encounter when drawing in color. Key subjects include drawing skies, drawing foliages, painting portraits, painting metallic textures, and creating flesh tones.
Chapter 6: Working with color pencils
Chapter 7: Working with oil pastels
Chapter 8: Working with watercolors
From chapter 6 to 8, we’ll be examining each type of drawing medium in greater detail. These drawing tools have different characteristics and behave differently, so we’ll need to spend some time tackling those issues. In each chapter, we’ll explore how to use these drawing mediums to overcome challenges discussed in chapter 4.
So chapters 5-8 will be the highlights of this volume.
Chapter 9: Moods and atmosphere EXPANDED!
Vol.1 touched on the theoretical aspects of moods and atmosphere. It’s now time to put them into practice and see what comes out! This is going to be an interesting chapter.
Chapter 10: Finishing off with style
Finishing has always been an important stage in the drawing process. In this chapter, we’ll explore the different ways to finish up a painting with style.
Bonus chapter: What a colorful world
I’ll play the “secret” card for the bonus chapter and not reveal too much at this stage.
Workbook for Volume 2.
And yes, there’s a workbook for volume 2 as well. But my idea for this workbook is that it’ll not be as hands on as the one in vol.1. Instead, it’ll be a workbook filled with fun mental exercises that you can complete to sharpen your thinking skills. These activities will arm you with the appropriate knowledge to work (very) comfortably with colors. The answers will be at the end of the workbook.
Remember that the above is not something that’s cast in stone. In this early stage of development, anything can be changed.
So I welcome all IDEAS and COMMENTS that’ll help make this product into a killer product. Comments anyone?
December 9th, 2007 by admin
On 6th Dec, 2007, I launched the first premium product of MyArtPassion.com. When the launch email was broadcasted to all the 236 members, I knew I had to wait 2-3 days for the members to open the emails and visit the website.
What makes the launch so exciting is this…if you’ve been following the progress of myartpassion.com, you know that the site cannot move forward if no one wants the premium products that we put up.
An unsuccessful launch would mean the site would come to a standstill. It cannot move forward until someone actually takes action and support the site by purchasing the Home Study Course during the launch.
So I sent out the email, and had to hold my breath for 2 whole days to see if the launch is going to be a total train wreck, or if there’s going to be some results.
I was very jittery the whole time, not know what to expect. Whenever I checked my inbox, there was nothing. As time passed, the wait got more gruelling. But I think some higher being has already decided for me the outcome…
On the second day, I switched on my computer as usual and fire up my usual programs…i.e. Firefox web browser and Microsoft Outlook. I told myself not to have too high hopes so that I wouldn’t get too disappointed if the product launch failed.
I watched Outlook starting to download the emails…it went “Receiving messages 4 of 5″ until the download completed. I thought the emails were just the usual email alerts that I get whenever a new member joins the site.
But when I looked at the subject lines, there it was: “Notification of Payment Received”! I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was sooooo happy and excited that I immediately called my wife and told her about it.
It didn’t matter if it was just $19.95. It didn’t matter that the premium product took weeks to create. It didn’t matter that I had to be patient for a full month before launching the product.
What really mattered at that moment was that I knew there was someone on my list who cared enough about HIS own goals as well as MINE to take some form of action to support the site. Made me felt as if every bit of time and energy that I’ve invested in the project is well worth it.
Well, that was the first sale. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has shown their support and making the product launch a successful one (you know who you are).
MyArtPassion.com is surging forward with new free reports and new bonuses to strengthen the offer, so look out for more killer content in your inbox!
Once that’s done, I can finally finally work on setting up the affiliate program for the site.
Again, thank you sooooooooooooo much for your kind support.
Talk soon!
December 6th, 2007 by admin
My greatest fear I have when executing a product launch like this is the fear of screwing up the sales letter.
I think my eyeballs are becoming swollen (if that’s even possible) from editing and proofreading the sales letter for the 100th time.
Again, I find myself awake in the middle of the night typing, typing, typing. If anyone cares about what I’m doing or what I’ve done…here’s a whole list of activities:
1) Polished the couple of free PDF reports available for download.
2) Set up the download page for the Home Study Course, complete with the email communications program for members to receive free udpates.
3) Edited and proofread the sales letter for the 101th time.
4) Started working on NOT ONE BUT TWO new reports for the members of this site (not sure if I want to give both away for free)
5) Created a brand new list of 28 different ways that I can market MyArtPassion.com
6) Blog about all the above.
Actually, I think I’m losing sleep because I’m TOO excited about the upcoming launch, which is going to go live in about…let’s see…less than 12 hours.
The site now has 236 active members. Out of these, maybe only 10% are loyal subscribers. That means 23.6 loyal subscribers. Question is, out of these 23.6 subscribers, how many will actually TAKE ACTION and support this site by investing in the Home Study Course?
Maybe zilch, maybe 1…I don’t know. Is it going to be a complete train wreck? Or have I created enough value for somebody to WANT to support this site?
We’ll find out soon enough…stay tuned…
November 6th, 2007 by admin
Hi everyone!
I’ve received a number of responses requesting for a free copy of our first premium product, and I want to thank you for participating. I’ll be contacting you soon to ask for a few pieces of information, and once it’s completed, I’ll be shipping a copy to you.
That’s right, it’s a physical product. I’ll print out a complete copy and ship a copy to you, and I’ll even pay for the shipping cost. All I ask is an honest and sincere review from you, and your willingness to be friends with me
But even though this is a free product (at least for now), I want to address a valid concern here before I proceed further. First, why should you read anything written by me? A valid question, and I want to address that in this post.
I’m not a professional artist, and I draw mainly for leisure and all the other non-tangible benefits that come with it. Drawing is a part of me. Nobody taught me how to draw, and I just kept drawing and drawing and drawing…
Now even though I may not be the best artist in the world with an impeccable track record, I am however, more than able to put together a book jam-packed with valuable, valuable information.
While we’re talking about value, let me share a little story with you…
Some months ago, I opened a bank account with a local bank. It came attached with a free service that sends an automated email alert every week, letting me know my account balance. It’s free anyway for the first 3 months. After that, a charge of $20 applies per month.
So I thought, “Ok, since it’s free for now, let’s take it and see what happens. I can always cancel it 3 months later.” BIG MISTAKE.
I soon learned that I have no need for such a service. Before I knew it, the 3 months were up, and I received my first receipt, saying that 20 bucks have been deducted from my account for this eAlert service.
There was no warning, nothing. It’s easy to forget that such a service exists. The bank knows this. It’s banking that I won’t do anything about it. But I didn’t really need the service. I can always check my bank balance anytime I want via the Internet. So I called them up to find out how I can cancel it.
As it turns out, they made the termination process a biggggg hassle. I have to write out a termination letter and bring it in physically to one of the branches. I did that and when I got to the branch, I had to join the queue and waited another 45mins for my turn.
Why the big hassle for terminating a small subscription service? It all comes down to this…is the service really a valuable service to the customer? At least for me, it really isn’t. 20 bucks just for an email with a couple of lines in it, with information I don’t really need…well, no thanks.
Why am I telling you this story?
You see, even big big corporations screw up on creating value for customers. They try to do the minimal, and then attempt to “lock” the customer with some funny contract terms, or in this case, hope that the client conveniently forgets. Here’s a word of advice for you: DON’T GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO RIP YOU OFF.
Here’s another example of information with value. Let’s talk about something that’s closer to everyone: Art. I know that many customers are complaining about their art supplies arriving in broken pieces.
Sometimes, this is not the retailer’s fault. The nature of certain art supplies, like oil pastels, are soft and they break easily. There could be other stuff, like poor handling, that could be affecting the quality of the shipped package, and the poor retailer has no control over this.
So I went to do a little bit of research, and every major manufacturer boasts of making between US2.5 to 5mil in annual turnover just selling art supplies. Let’s assume here that a retailer does a mere US 1 mil selling and shipping oil pastels.
If I am a retailer, you know what I’d do? I’ll put up the message, “Stringent quality checks for oil pastels. No broken sticks!” right smack at the top of the page selling oil pastels. And really work with the manufacturers to deliver that promise.
Guess what, it’s inevitable that sales for oil pastels will increase for that retailer. By how much? A 5% increase means an additional $50k increase in annual turnover. Just by adding an additional guarantee.
Now what if the annual sales for oil pastels is $5mil? 5% increase will mean $250k. Now this information is only going to be valuable to the retailer if they do something about it. By the way, I don’t see any retailer doing that, and going the extra mile for the customer.
The whole point of this example is that if I’m going to spend time dishing out premium products, you will be guaranteed to receive only valuable, valuable information. Period.
Ok, that brings us back to our premium products. I dont’ want to turn this post into a rant. I think you get my point.
Here’s the table of contents that I’ve already began working on.
- Getting Started
- How to pick the right reference images or subjects every time
- How to nail the proportions every time
- How to draw quickly and efficiently
- How to create exciting and interesting drawings
- How to create moods and atmosphere
- How to draw hair, fur and feathers
- How to draw hands and faces
- How to develop your own unique style of drawing
- Finishing off your drawing
- Bonus chapter: How to draw cool graffiti
- Bonus chapter: Chinese zodiac special project
While I’m working on these chapters, I hope you can participate by telling me which particular chapter that you want me to expand on. Just choose the single most important chapter to you that you want me to expand on. Leave your choice in the comment box below.
And finally, I have a couple more copies of the product to give away. If you changed your mind after reading this post, I welcome you to request for your free review copy.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to reading all your comments!
