American Painting Contractor Magazine has recognized Anything But Plain School of Decorative Finishes as an outstanding school two years in a row. This year we were named best Faux Finishing School in the Nation.   At Anything But Plain School of Decorative Finishes, we are dedicated to teaching professionals and beginners new and exciting Faux and Decorative Finishes, using the latest techniques, with the finest product, in a creative and lively atmosphere. Our exceptional teaching staff offers the most comprehensive workshops and technical skills necessary to achieve their artistic goals.   “For the past five years I have thought about taking a class at your studio. I thought however it would be a waste of money since I have been in the business 10 years already.  How wrong I was.  The tips, tricks, and techniques I have learned this past week were truly remarkable. I have invested in many things: college degrees, husbands, real estate and the stock market but the money I invested in your school is by far the best money I have ever spent.  Because of the product information and the training I received, I will be able to increase my profits almost immediately. I am throwing out all my old archaic methods and products.  I can’t thank you enough for providing me with your valuable experience and knowledge.“ -Susan Wishlinski Classes                                       Go Pro Instructor: Janie Ellis The Foundations of Faux Finishing 5 Day Class (This class is a prerequisite for many other classes) This fast paced 5-day class is specifically designed for the student who wants to get a jump-start into the faux finishing business or learn how to get professional looking finishes for their own home. Our years of experience in the trade, wealth of product knowledge, and practical application can help you turn your obsession into your new career. We cover set-up, room prep, dealing with clients, as well as instructing you in the creation of the best selling wall finishes in the market today. Simulated Fabric, Leather, Semi-Transparent and Semi-Opaque Glazing, Old World Finishes, Textures, Embedded Art Imprints, Crackles, Faux Stone, and Metallics are just a few of the diverse samples you will complete under our personal guidance. Using a large array of products plus the unlimited possibility of combinations makes this an exciting course for beginners and professionals alike.   Course Fee: $1695 (Deposit $850) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am - 5:00 pm (Monday-Friday) Class Dates: June 9-13, 2008                          August 4-8, 2008                          September 8-12, 2008                           October 13-17, 2008 *rescheduled                          November 17-21, 2008                           January 12-16, 2009                          February 23-27, 2009                          April 27-May 1, 2009                          June 8-12, 2009   Furniture & Cabinetry Faux Finishes Instructor: Trisha Collins 5 Day Class (Must have taken “Go Pro” or at the teacher’s discretion) All trim, cabinets, and furniture can profit from this intense 5-day class and so can you! Using drawer fronts and moldings, students will learn Aging, Distressing and Staining Techniques, as well as create Embedded Art Imprints, Crackle detail, Textural application, Faux Burl and Ribbon Wood, “Shabby Chic” look, Gilding, and many, many more fabulous finishes for stunning results. Customize your pieces further when you learn how and when to enhance your samples by applying such details as edging, tipping, toning, frosting or amplification by using water based products that changed the industry! Explore alternatives to traditional topcoats when spraying is not an option. Course Fee: $1895 (Deposit $950) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am - 5:00 pm Class Dates: October 27-31, 2008                           March 30-April 3, 2009   Textures, Venetian Plaster & Italian Walls Instructor: Trisha Collins  5 Day Class (Must have taken “Go Pro” or at the teacher’s discretion) Artistically textured finishes continue to dominate the home decor industry. The reason is simple. New revolutionary products can be used in endless combinations to create the finest in realistic dimensional finishes. Your clients will love the tactile quality of Crumbled Plasters, Vibrant Metallic Waxes, Tuscan like Frescoes with Embedded Art Imprints, Raised Patterns, Lime Washed Stone, Refined Venetian Plaster that are among the numerous finishes you will complete in this class. Troweling techniques will be emphasized.   Course Fee: $1895 (Deposit $950) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm Class Dates: December 1-5, 2008                          May 11-15, 2009 Ja Decor Instructor: Tim Bell 2 Day Class (No Prerequisite) The addition of Ja Decor wall covering will put your company on the cutting edge in the world of wall finishes. Ja Decor cotton wall covering is troweled on the wall, has acoustic and thermal value, and is seamless and repairable. The design variables are unlimited and allow you to tune in specific color and component for each project. Ja Decor is a green building product and will open new doors for you with Architects and Design firms. Give your clients more value for their decorating dollar. This is a turnkey training that will give you the tools required to do the installation, a scale to weigh the material, and marketing expertise to get you started.   Course Fee: $895 (Deposit $450) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am – 4:00 pm Class Dates: February 4-5, 2009   StucoLux™ and LimeLux™ (New Class) Instructor: Trisha Collins 2 Day Class (Must have taken “Go Pro” or at the teacher’s discretion) You will love the easy workability of these high shine plasters. Mineral-based StucoLux™ comes pretinted in 21 colors plus fabulous metallic and Hi-Lite colors. LimeLux™ is a lime-based plaster. Both of these products will be used to create rich and elegant finishes on their own, as well as incorporated as a base for more elaborate finishes. These Green products are now in demand by interior designers and builders. Let us show you how to make them shine.   Course Fee: $695 (Deposit $350) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm Saturday                        11:00am- 5:00 pm Sunday Class Dates: December 6-7, 2008   Business of Faux Instructor: Janie Ellis 1/2 Day Class (No prerequisite) This 5-hour seminar gets right to the heart of a faux finish business. How Much Do I Charge? By the job, hour, or square foot? How do I figure my costs and overhead? This class covers bidding, estimates, marketing techniques, and making a profit. IF YOU ARE NOT MAKING MONEY, YOU ARE NOT IN BUSINESS! Learn to be the pro you know you can be...Join us and learn how!   Course Fee: $250 (Deposit $100) Includes snacks. Class Time: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Class Dates: November 22, 2008                           February 28, 2009 Spray Class Instructor: Trisha Collins 1/2 Day Class (No Prerequisite) Make more money, save on product, and work faster with an HVLP Spray Gun System. Find out why this is the faux finisher’s best friend. See how simple it is to use while you learn the parts of the gun as well as maintenance tips, and practice the application of Aqua Bond, Color and Crème, Textures, Top Coats, and Spray Patterns.   Course Fee: $250 (Deposit $100) Includes all materials. Class Time: 9:00 am – 12:00pm Class Dates: November 1, 2008                          May 16, 2009   Trompe L'oeil (New Class) Instructor: Sharon Leichsenring 5 Day Class (No Prerequisite) Trompe L’oeil (French for “to fool the eye”) is mastering the use of painted light and shadow to turn flat surfaces into believable three dimensional works. In this class, you will learn to understand these principles in a clear, no-nonsense method. Your portfolio will include Sharon’s “Trompe tricks” that will elevate your work. You will create traditional moldings, including egg and dart, draped fabric, fluted pilasters and carved ornament. You will learn how to transform a plain, painted room into an architectural feast for the eyes with molding and coffered (raised) panels. If this weren’t enough, you will learn how to paint chiseled letters. Your teacher, nationally award winning artist, Sharon Leichsenring, promises an extraordinary 5 day experience. Come well rested and be prepared to surpass your expectations!   Course Fee: $1795 (Deposit $900) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am - 5:00 pm Class Dates: November 10-14, 2008   Rs Series (New Class) Instructor: Gary Lord  3 Day Class (Go Pro and Textures a Prerequisite) HGTV's fabulous Gary Lord takes you to an advanced level of textural finishes with the NEW RsSeries™ (reactive solvents). Use the revolutionary RsGlaze™, RsActivator™, RsPlaster™, RsStone™, RsGranite™, RsTravertino™, and RsWater Wax™. Complex and very dimensional in appearance but simple when you know how! Come join us for a peek into faux finishing of the future! Course Fee: $1350 (Deposit $650) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am - 5:00 pm Class Dates: January 28-30, 2009     Mastering the Mural  Instructor: Sharon Leichsenring 5 Day Class (No prerequisite but Trompe L’oeil is suggested) National award winning artist, Sharon Leichsenring, shares her time-proven methods for painting effective and dramatic murals. In this innovative class, she breaks down each part of mural painting in a fun and easy to understand method. Learn composition, transferring the design to the wall, color mixing and brush technique. Sharon will take the mystery out of perspective as you create and paint your own panel. This class is invaluable to the beginning muralist; the experienced painter will find a treasure trove of tips and time-saving methods. Brushes not included. Recommended brush list will be sent to student upon registration.   Course Fee: $1795 (Deposit $900) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm Class Dates: April 13-17, 2009     The Ultimate Clouds Class (New Class) Instructor: Sharon Leichsenring 2 Day Class (Must Have Taken Go Pro) National award winning artist, Sharon Leichsenring, promises a jam-packed 2 day class that will fill your portfolio with jaw-dropping cloud samples. Using a variety of materials, your sample pieces will include Sharon’s signature Renaissance clouds in a stylized Trompe L’oeil frame. Another sample will simulate a dome, and fill it with billowing clouds. Sharon will give you easy-to-understand and effective methods to lay out the cloud formations. An outstanding pair of samples will complement each other: one sample of a rosy hued sunrise, complete with a silhouette element as well as an inviting twilight cloud composition. Cumulus clouds will be rendered in a “painterly” fashion using artist’s acrylics, complete with atmospheric perspective background. A money-making technique designed especially for large domes (or mural backgrounds) rounds out this action packed 2 day event.   Course Fee: $695 (Deposit $350) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am - 5:00 pm Class Date: April 20-21, 2009   Mirror Mirror on the Wall (New Class) Instructor: Timothy Poe  2 Day Class (No Prerequisite) Wait until you see the beautiful mirror and glass samples you will create using mirror patination with patterns, glass etching, gliding and reverse painting. Add a dramatic effect to existing mirrors, windows, tabletops or glass table. Reflect your creativity!!   Course Fee: $795 (Deposit $350) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm Class Dates: January 21-22, 2009     World Tour Collection (New Class) Instructor: Donna Phelps 3 Day Class (Must Have Taken Go Pro) Donna Phelps travels to Houston to share her innovative techniques in a custom curriculum designed especially for Anything But Plain, Inc. Since this is Donna's first teaching visit to Anything But Plain, she has put together this special workshop that combines everyone's favorites from her "World Tour Collection" (introduced at the 2007 Meeting of the Masters) with a selection of her most popular and top selling finishes from a few of her other collections. She shares her "outside the box" creativity and skills of composition with product training, tricks, and techniques enabling students to create these beautifully unique finishes. Utilizing top selling Faux Effects products along with specialty tools and materials, these decorative stylings are sure to shine in your portfolio!   Course Fee: $ 1195(Deposit $600) Includes all materials and catered lunch. Class Time: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm Class Dates: April 6-8, 2009     Open House Extravaganza!! Adults only please.  This is a special invitation for those who have not visited our school to come by and see what is it that we do here at Anything But Plain, Inc. and to meet all our wonderful teachers. For our returning students, get a preview of what techniques you’ll be learning in each class plus a demo by the instructor. This will be a free all day event with free food, great give aways, demonstrators, and book signing.   Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Date: October 25, 2008 DEMONSTRATION SCHEDULE 10:00 am – Sharon Leichsenring will show Trompe L’oeil, Murals, and Clouds. 11:00 am - Gary Lord will demonstrate R.S. Series of Faux Effects, Reactive Series of stone plasters,                        glaze, and travertines. 12:30 am – Donna Phelps will share her innovative techniques from her World Tour Collection. 1:30 pm – Trisha Collins will showcase Textures, Furniture, and Spray. 2:30 pm – Janie Ellis will present Go Pro and Business Class. 3:30 pm – Timothy Poe will demonstrate the Antique Patination System.