Meet Valerie Englehart

Before taking Immersion, I was a fine artist dabbling in digital illustration using Procreate. After stumbling across the world of surface pattern design, I knew I needed to learn Adobe Illustrator if I wanted to make myself more well rounded as an artist. 

I discovered Bonnie through Instagram, and I felt like she was talking directly to me in her posts about the Immersion course. At first I worried about the cost of Immersion, but when I considered how much a college course costs, that really put it in perspective for me. 

Immersion definitely did what it said it would: it immersed me into the world of Adobe Illustrator. The lessons were easy to follow, but I did have to put in the work (which is how things should be). I love how I can go back to lessons, especially for things that I didn’t quite grasp the first time that I find myself now wanting to add to my tool belt of Illustrator techniques. 

Since completing Immersion, I have secured licensing contracts with two companies, signed on as a freelancer for another, opened a peel-and-stick wallpaper Etsy shop, and have grown my Spoonflower shop to over 1000 designs (being able to recolor in Illustrator is a breeze as well as a bit of an addiction). I'm continuing to pitch my portfolio to companies that align with my design aesthetic and I have recently branched into greeting cards. 

If someone was on the fence about taking Immersion, I would certainly recommend it. It is an investment, but if you can commit to it and be consistent, you can get to where you want to go. (I would also recommend the Study Group option. My study group still meets weekly!)