About DrawPj.com
We’ve been established online since 2009, but, even before DrawPj was born course co-founder Cindy Wider had already been sharing her passion for drawing, painting and creating art in real world classes for more than ten years.
It’s this real world understanding of how students really learn to draw that makes our combination of in-depth course curriculum so successful for our students.
A brief history of DrawPj.com
The story of DrawPj.com and our art classes starts way back in the late 90’s when the internet as we know it today was still young.
DrawPj.com co-founder Cindy Wider (then Cindy White) was living in South Australia and had established herself as a prominent Eyre Peninsula artist with many awards, scholarships and touring exhibitions to her name. When Cindy began teaching live art classes her course became the most popular and successful art tuition program in the region.
In late 2002 Cindy met her husband Stuart Wider (at the time Stuart was a talented up-and-coming Brisbane based Artist working at the Queensland University of Technology). Together they moved to Noosa on the Queensland Sunshine coast and formed ‘StuartCindy Art’.
Combining their wealth of experience they created a revolutionary new six unit drawing and painting course which set the firm foundations for the course presented on DrawPj.com today.
Art Classes at the StuartCindy Art School quickly became the most popular privately owned live art tuition program on the Sunshine Coast as word spread about the astonishing results achieved by students.
The StuartCindy Art Studio
In 2004 to cater for demand Stuart and Cindy opened the ‘StuartCindy Art Studio’ as a permanent base, where around 80 students per week eagerly mastered the fundamentals of drawing and painting.
Paint In Your Pyjamas! – The Book
In 2006 Cindy published the book ‘ Paint In Your Pyjamas’ and at around the same time Brenda Hoddinott (Author of ‘Drawing for Dummies’) was seeking published online instructors for DrawSpace.com.
Cindy converted and refined the live ‘StuartCindy Art Course’ into an online format and became the first ever online art instructor on Drawspace. During this time Cindy established herself as one of the leading online art instructors on the internet. Amazingly the results that students achieved through the online art classes often surpassed the results of students in the live art course.
DrawPj.com is Created
Stuart and Cindy realised that the online art classes needed their own home and so in 2009 they created DrawPj.com as a very special space where students and art instructors could be brought together in a genuinely caring and personal internet community.
Unlocking the Secrets of Online Art Tuition
As one of the earliest professional on-line art instructors Cindy has unlocked the secrets of teaching art students effectively online and developed the very specialized commenting methods that can bring the best out of each and every student. These exact same commenting methods are now used by DrawPj’s specially selected certified instructors each of whom have been personally trained by Cindy.
Why the name DrawPj? (pronounced draw-pea-jay)
Cindy’s first book ‘Paint In Your Pyjamas’ was based on the idea that if you really want to learn to paint or draw and (like most people) you already have a busy life then you can achieve amazing results if you consciously choose to use the ‘small blocks of time’ that you have available to you, rather than waiting for a big blocks of time that might never come. These small blocks of time might even be when you are wearing your pyjamas, hence the book title ‘Paint In Your Pyjamas’ and later the title ‘Draw In Your Pyjamas’ for the online art course (shortened to DrawPj to make it much easier to type!)
Just a few pictures from StuartCindy Art Studio History…
Huge student awards nights, busy happy students learning new skills and a whole lot of fun. All part the community experience at the StuartCindy Art studio. It is here that the foundations for DrawPj.com were laid.
Action Painting Workshop
Cindy demonstrates action painting technique
Studying the Masters
A student studies a work and recreates it in pastel
In the StuartCindy Art Studio
Students celebrate their pastel artworks with Cindy
Pastel Class in the Studio
Busy adult students enjoying their pastel class
Action Painting Workshop
A group of action painting students celebrate their success
Action Painting Workshop
Stuart and Cindy show off their action painting creations in the StuartCindy Art Studio
Another Huge Awards Night!
Big crowds pack out the South Pacific resort for the student exhibition and awards night
An Award for Brigitte
Cindy presents an award to Brigitte Back who went on to become an Instructor!
Birthday in the StuartCindy Studio
A class gets together to celebrate a students birthday
Awards Night
Huge turn out for the awards night and exhibition at the Butter Factory
Cindy at the Awards Night
Cindy Addresses the crowd at the Butter Factory exhibition
Annual Art Exhibition
Big crowds turn out for the Annual StuartCindy Art Exhibition
Outback Art Lessons
Cindy takes her tuition to the outback town of Goondiwindi
Certificate Awards Night
Graduates celebrate their success with Stuart and Cindy
In the StuartCindy Art Studio
Kids busy with their projects
In the StuartCindy Art Studio
Kids show off their projects in the Studio
Microsoft Commission Presentation
Stuart and Cindy present a commissioned artwork to Microsoft at their annual conference
Paint In Your Pyjamas Book Launch
Cindy with a Paint In Your Pyjamas fan
Paint In Your Pyjamas Book Launch
Cindy signs books for Paint in your Pyjamas fans
Annual Exhibition Night Prize Table!
Lots of trophies to be won for our excellent students
Action Painting Workshop
Stuart gets into some Jackson Pollock style creativity!
