A step by step comprehensive ONLINE program. With short lessons that give you instant gratifications.
It's all about "Fun, Fabulous and Fast":
fun methods, fabulous styles, fast results.
You get an awesome variety of easy to make flattering styles and simple, fun painting methods.
You can create hundreds of stunning designs with them - in a fraction of the time that traditional methods take.
You can keep yourself creatively entertained for life - while wearing super comfortable, beautiful styles.
For curious beginners to advanced professionals who love "to do different".
The unconventional, fun methods and flattering patterns are not available anywhere else.
Live Zoom sessions and private Facebook Club support.
Here you can wear gorgeous art tops within the first half hour of the lessons.
The secret sauce are Monika's unconventional, fun painting methods and her mind bogglingly simple 2 seam styles.
They are a ton of fun to make and take only a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods and patterns.
You can literally paint 3 or more gorgeous art tops within the first half hour of the lessons. Using some of your solid colored T-shirts or tops.
It makes your joy and happiness meter shoot up.
And your confidence gets a major boost. Right out of the gate.
The tops and tunics are as comfortable as T-shirts.
But make you look and feel a ton better.
Prepare to get compliments wherever you go..
The methods are playful and simple.
They allow you to create with total FREEDOM from deep inside your heart and soul.
When you wear clothes that light you up from inside, your voice is stronger, your eyes shine, you stand taller, you smile and you are happy.
You feel beautiful, confident and content.
Instead of getting frustrated, depressed, overwhelmed or lonely with daily challenges, you can stay calm and find creative solutions.
When you splash paint freely and create with abandon - just like you did as a child - the brain shifts into the pleasure giving center.
You experience delicious joy, satisfaction and calm.
That builds neurological pathways in the brain for inner calm and joy.
The more you create - even for just a few minutes a day - the stronger your inner joy and peace becomes.
When you feel happy, confident and content from the inside, it is a lot easier to deal with daily challenges of an outer world that is going bonkers.
Instead of feeling stressed out, anxious, lonely, depressed or getting rattled, you can stay calm and find creative solutions.
"Monika, what you are offering is something very special.
I haven't seen anything like it.
I must say, I quite enjoy splashing paint freely.
It took me out of my comfort zone.
It is quite liberating!"
Lindsay Cash
"You have no creative bone in your body!
God must have been asleep when He created you!"
That's what my art teacher told me for 6 years.
Yet I have been a successful full time artist and high-end wearable art designer since 1987.
Over the years I have created and sold over 20 000 pieces of artful clothing and happy jewelry.
The Monika Astara creations have been selling in high-end boutiques, galleries, retreats, in person at my studio, online and for 13 years also in my own boutique at the Hot Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
From the very beginning I have always come up with my own unconventional methods.
They give you stunning results that you don't see anywhere else.
With this Course Program you start where I am after 36 years.
It saves you tons of money and time.
You can start at my finishing line and right away create tops that light you up.
At the same time, you can also build a solid foundation for inner peace and joy while you create them, so that you can live your life being beautifully happy and calm on the inside.
I am passionate about guiding you to create in ways that are natural to you.
That's where your magic happens.
My extensive German teacher training and experience* comes in handy to teach you with easy-to-follow short lessons. You get instant gratifications with every step.
*I taught in public schools and community colleges in Germany, taught all the subjects needed for a GED in a prison in Germany where students had no books, there were no computers, no copy machines, so I had to be creative for them to graduate.
In the USA I have taught in a community college, on an online art platform and now teach on my own online course platform and in my studio in Austin, Texas, USA.
"Monika, this is fantastic! You are a natural teacher. Enthusiastic and patient.
Love it! I also love the way you are emphasizing the healing and calming effects of the joy of creating."
Lyn Belisle, artist and art instructor
Please, note:
Originally this program was called "The Ultimate Pattern and Painting Party".
After feedback from participants, it was re-named into "Hand Painted Art Tops, Happiness and Joy".
In this program you get MORE painting methods and MORE styles than with traditional workshops.
At the same time, because the methods and patterns are simple and faster, you create a LOT MORE in LESS TIME.
1.) You get over 9 hours of videos* with clear step by step instructions and demonstrations for:
(*the videos are short and you get instant gratifications with each step. The methods are fast - so you get many examples in short amounts of time)
- the 6 painting elements of the Signature "Fast and Fabulous" method.
You can create hundreds of designs with them.
- the Monika Astara brand 4 Signature painting methods - and how to combine them.
I have painted thousands of designs with them - and so can you!
- painting 10 tops using each method and the different elements - as well as combinations of all of them.
You select how many you want to paint - and which methods you want to use to make your very own Signature Designs.
- painting samples that can be used for your Design Reference book.
- pattern templates for the Monika Astara brand's flattering 2 Signature styles. In all of the Monika Astara brand sizes.
- how to do several more gorgeous styles from each of the Signature styles.
You end up with pattern templates for 8 flattering tops and tunics. All of them are super simple 2 seam patterns.
You can keep yourself in comfort and style for life.
- Several "Analyze me" videos - analyzing Monika's original paint designs, so you can recreate them for your personal use.
- clear step by step sewing videos for both top styles, different neck finishes and pocket finishes.
2.) Over 50 PDFs for a beautiful "Treasure Chest" - a Course Reference and Paint Inspiration Book that will inspire and serve you for a lifetime.
3.) Bonuses:
- pattern templates for the 3 Monika Astara Signature pockets.
- pattern templates for the Monika Astara separate Signature collar.
- Drama Vest pattern
- several paint designs for the Drama Vest
- painting the Sunshine design on European linen - in one of the style variations
- 3 pages of resources for materials, paints etc.
- a wholesale module if you want to turn your creations into a business.
4.) You get all future updates for FREE. And you can attend all future live Zoom sessions for free.
5.) You are supported by me, Monika, and course mates with live Zoom sessions and in the private Facebook Group for however long this program exists.
Not at all!
It's the opposite.
There is
- no messy mixing of dyes,
- no endless rinsing and washing that makes you cringe and you don't even start.
- no complicated processes that test your patience.
- no multiple pattern pieces that are like frustrating puzzles.
You get what your heart desires:
- fun, unconventional methods and patterns that are faster than traditional ones.
- one piece patterns that are so simple, you can make the tops in your sleep.
- you can create high-end looking, super comfortable tops that make you feel beautiful, radiant and alive.
The wearable art that you create and wear doesn't have to be "in your face".
You create it to enhance your natural personality.
It can be understated, quietly artsy, casually sophisticated, bold - and anything in between.
The tops are fabulous with leggings, skirts, pants, as cover-ups, layered, over dresses.....
You can style them to be casually fun to artsy to bold and sophisticated.
I show you how to have a "Joy and Art Kit" ready.
So you can create beautiful things to wear within just a FEW MINUTES.
Create briefly between dinner and settling in for a cozy evening.
And you have something fun to wear in the morning.
Or splash paint for a couple minutes between breakfast and grabbing your bag for work. So you can wrap yourself into something comforting and gorgeous when you get home from work.
"I am a frustrated abstract painter.
Monika's ways of painting on fabric are so much fun.
It is giving me so much joy and happiness."
Diane Williams
You know how certain clothes make you feel blah, others are neutral and some make you light up from the inside.*
Science shows that everything - including your body, emotions and thoughts - vibrates on certain frequencies.*
So do the colors, shapes and textures of the clothes that you wear.*
When you wear clothes, that dampen your frequencies, you feel blah.
When you wear clothes, that are the same as your current frequencies (energy), you feel neutral.
BUT:
when you wear clothes that enhance and uplift your frequencies (energy), you literally light up from the inside.
Your voice is stronger, your eyes sparkle, you stand taller, you smile and you are happy.
*this can be photographed
It's a myth.
We are born creative. Just watch kids play.
Diane (in the photo) was convinced she wasn't creative.
It took 2 minutes to show Diane one of the the "Fast and Fabulous" techniques. She then turned her throw-away T-shirt into a fantastic art shirt within 5 minutes.
Go for it!
Even though I had been selling to top wearable art boutiques, had thousands of people tell me how creative I was - I didn't believe it.
What I do is so natural and easy for me that I thought any kid can do this.
Meanwhile I realized that's exactly where our creative genius is:
when it's so easy that it seems like kid's play.
It's most likely the same for you.
I have seen it in many people. They are absolutely original and great in their creative expression.
But because it doesn't match their "idea" of what it means to be creative, they dismiss it.
It could be the same for you. Join me and discover the joy of creating freely.
Then this program might be your answer for being relaxed and happy.
You can literally paint a piece of clothing, a bag or a shawl etc. in just a few minutes in the evening - and wear it the next morning.
It recharges your batteries in ways that are fun and highly gratifying.
Plus it gives you beautiful results that you can see, touch and wear for years to come.
Everywhere!
- grocery shopping
- at the office
- for appointments
- shining on Zoom
- watching movies while lying on your sofa
- relaxing at home
- for gatherings and parties
- out for dinner
- special occasions
- Saturday morning coffee out
- going for walks
- reading a book ......
"Even Netflix is better when....."
"...and I swear even Netflix is better, when I watch it in one of my tops."
Karla M.
How you save $$$$:
Art tops retail for several hundreds of dollars a piece.
Monika Astara tops retail for $ 222.- to 396.-.
You make them for a fraction of that cost.
Make them as gifts and see your special friends flip out with joy!
Save TIME 2 ways:
1) With this course, you start where I am at after 35 years.
I came up with these "recent"methods during the last 7 years.
I have done over 2000 (two thousand) tops for boutiques with these methods.
Adjusting, applying and refining the methods and coming up with more and more ways to use them.
You get it all in this Course Program.
It saves you tons of time trying to figure it out on your own.
As well as mega dollars for experimenting with paint and fabrics.
2) the methods are faster than traditional ones.
You create gorgeous pieces in a fraction of the time that traditional methods and patterns would take.
When you create art on paper or canvas, it often gets stuffed into drawers or a closet.
When you make art that you can wear, you sprinkle joy wherever you go.
1.) Use your fabric stash to cut and sew a top after lunch and wear it for coffee with the girls an hour later!
2.) Paint on existing clothes, pieces of fabrics, T-shirts, shawls, pillow cases, tote bags etc..
It gives you delicious joy and instant gratifications within just a few minutes.
Those items make treasured gifts.
3.) Paint papers and fabric pieces for your mixed media art.
4.) Paint custom fabrics for your quilting or home decor.
5.) Paint fabric or canvas for wall art.
6.) Take detail photos of your painted designs. Have them printed on canvas - or print them on paper.
It makes amazing wall art.
With our Zoom meetings you connect and share your passions with other creatives.
You never feel alone or isolated. You meet your Course mates, exchange ideas and experiments, laugh together, support each other, uplift each other and have fun.
If Zoom is not your thing - you can stay private.
Zoom meetings continue indefinitely past the Course.
One of the greatest advantages of an online course is the freedom to create at your own pace. Day or night.
If you feel stuck or need inspirations - unlike with an in-person course, where you only have 1 shot while you are there - you can review the videos and PDFs over and over.
You have indefinite access to the course - with Monika, the instructor, at your fingertips, in your home, 24/7.
Join our private Facebook Club and connect with your course mates there.
Share photos, stories, challenges, successes and your pieces.
Get support from Monika and your course mates.
If Facebook Community is not your thing - it is not required that you participate. But it is helpful.
The Facebook Community also continues indefinitely!
"Monika’s online course has me in my studio making art and having fun!
Using fabric paints with her methods is a lot quicker than the dyeing procedures I usually go through.
Here you get instant joy and gratification at what you’ve created!
The videos are well done.
They are short and to the point. They are well executed, giving you lots of opportunity to try things in short amounts of time as you move through the course.
Being able to revisit any of the videos is very helpful.
And I like the fact that Monika is also available by Zoom, FB group and e-mail.
The course is suited for the beginner as well as those who are experienced in surface design.
If you are hesitating to take the course I can only say 'Jump right in'. "
Linda Thompson, wearable art designer, in one of her tops using one of my fast and fabulous "Shibori" techniques.
With the help of the bonus wholesale module, Linda's creations have been featured in the prestigious Santa Fe Weaving Gallery.
You have immediate access to the whole course after signing up for it.
You can log on 24/7.
You can review the lessons as often as you want and whenever it suits you- whether you are in your PJs, dressed up or in your birth suit!
The Course stays online indefinitely. Meaning: for however long I am alive or have this platform.
You are not alone and isolated. You are connected to your Course mates and Monika in a private Facebook group and with Zoom meetings - during and indefinitely after the Course.
You can also reach Monika by email.
Neither my clients nor I have seen anything like this program.
1.) you get the proprietary painting methods for the Signature designs of the Monika Astara brand that sells in high-end boutiques and galleries. The methods are not available anywhere else.
2.)You get the templates for Monika Astara's Signature top selling styles.
The Joy and the Alison styles. In all of the 4 brand sizes.
3.) You get variations on each style - so you have 10 styles you can create for years to come.
4.)Both - the methods and patterns are fun and faster than traditional ones - saving you lots of time.
Those fast methods are conducive to creating awesome pieces in just short pockets of time.
5.) This course also focuses on creating joy and happiness while making stunning, yet comfortable and flattering pieces of clothing. It allows you to cultivate deep inner joy and calm so that - in the midst of outer disturbances - you can stay joyful, strong and find creative solutions.
It is fun to take courses in person.
- But they are limited to a few hours or a few days.
- Then you are on you own.
- You have to rely on memory and maybe some notes.
- Often the courses you'd love to take are in another location or country.
- Expenses for travel, accommodations and meals add up pretty fast.
With online courses
- you get tremendous value for your dollars with online courses.
- you are virtually taken into the artist's studio.
- you create alongside the artist in the comfort of your home, at your own pace, with a clear view of each step.
- you can revisit your course over and over. You can play and pause whenever and however it suits you.
- you save $$$$$ by not needing gas/plane tickets, overnight accommodations, eating out etc...
- you can create in short time periods that fit into your regular schedule.
- you are supported by me, Monika, and course mates with Zoom and in the private Facebook Group indefinitely.
- you have indefinite access to the course.
- Plus you get great bonuses.
All the information about this comprehensive, unconventional and playful Course is on this page.
I am happy to talk with you if you have any concerns or questions. Just call me at 512 - 470 2553 CST.
I want people who join the Program to be happy. So you can be assured that I will not talk you into it.
Like with any course or program, the results you get are in your hands.
If, what you read on this page, makes your heart beat a bit faster - and you wish you would or could, "if only........" (fill in with whatever the mind makes up), then it's a pretty clear indication that it's for you.
Follow your heart - and reap the benefits of continued inner calm, joy and happy tops for many years to come.
Yes!
You can pay in full $997.- (best value)
2 monthly payments of $525.-
3 monthly payments of $360.-.
You will need a sewing machine and preferably also a serger.
If you buy one, I recommend the Brother 1034D.
It's my favorite model. It's a work horse and is only around $270.- to 290.- with shipping.
(I do not get any money or benefits from recommending it.)
Fabrics. Threads. Scissors.
Dye-Na-Flow fabric paints and a few other materials that are given in the course.
A table to cut out and paint on. It is ideal to have a studio with a larger table - like 4'x8' or 4'x6'
Or have the option to set one up in a garage or (covered) patio.
However, it can be done on a dining room table.
We go over specifics in the course.
If you have questions or concerns, contact me or call me and we'll have a chat: 512 - 470 2553.
I am blunt. So I will not talk you into anything.
It's just a way for you to find out if the course is a good fit for you at this time.
Then both of us are happy if you decide to join.
Absolutely. All of the course content is optimized for computer and mobile devices.
Not at all.
It's great to attend Zoom sessions live - but they are also recorded and you get replays.
The course program itself is fully recorded. You have 24/7 access - you can create, watch, review day or night - any time you want.
Some course clients use the program as their personal "therapy": they watch it after hard days because it makes them happy. And instead of going to bed exhausted and with worries, they can go to sleep with happy thoughts afterwards.
You get a total of 10 modules. 8 modules have over 9 hours of short and easy to consume videos that give you instant gratifications at every step.
This program would be the equivalent of at least 10 full days of live courses with traditional methods.
However - with the Monika Astara methods and patterns you get high-end stunning results a lot faster.
Saving you lots of time. So you have fun wearing more finished pieces much faster.
Since the methods and patterns are so simple, you also get more style options and more painting methods than with traditional courses. Meaning, you get more bang for your buck.
You also get
- 2 bonus modules.
- Over 50 PDFs for your "Treasure Chest" aka Course reference and inspiration ring binder.
- You have indefinite access to the program 24/7.
- Private Facebook group where you get support and can engage with Monika and your course mates indefinitely.
- 3 or more live Zoom sessions with Monika and course mates over 8 weeks.
- Zoom sessions indefinitely after the course - depending on requests.
- You can attend current and all future Zoom sessions.
- You get all possible future updates for free.
Not at all. However it can be fun and beneficial to interact and share with course mates.
The group is private. Only you and course mates see what's going on inside.
I will also send out periodic emails, so you can catch up with what's going on.
Absolutely! I am in the private Facebook group, I will have 3 (or more) Zoom sessions with you and your course mates - and you can reach me by email, if you are not in the Facebook group.
You are taken care of!
You can also attend future Zoom sessions whenever the Course opens.
USD - US dollars. However, your bank will automatically convert it to your local currency once the charge goes through.
- You can post them in our private Facebook group. Either a member or I, Monika, will answer them.
- Or ask the questions in our Zoom sessions.
- If you are not on FB or Zoom, email me at Monika@MonikaAstara.com.
You are taken care of!
When women create and wear things that make them feel beautiful, they love themselves as they are. And they are happy from deep inside.
That affects everyone around them - their family, friends, co-workers, the clerk at the grocery shop.....
It makes the world a happier place - one woman at a time.
- you want to let loose in fun, new ways,
- you desire to paint freely without fear of making mistakes.
- you want to be bathed in joy and appreciation for yourself and your ability to create.
Even if you think that you are not creative.
- you long to experience and cultivate joy and calm from deep inside.
- you desire to wear fabulous tops, that make you feel happy and strong in everyday life.
- you are excited to add fresh new looks to your repertoire.
- you just want to go for it and create to your heart's delight.
Often, when our heart pulls us to do something that makes us light up, our mind interferes.
With things like
- "not now, I'll do it later"
- "I'd love to, but I don't want to spend the money"
- "I don't have time"
- "I'm already enrolled in another course"
- "what if I don't like it"....and many more.
You are not alone. Most of us do that.
And those "arguments" sound so darn "rational".
Especially as women, we tend to back paddle when it comes to investing time or money in our joy.
So, I make it easy for you to banish those mind gremlins and listen to your heart.
You absolutely deserve to have those fabulous happy tops and priceless exquisite inner joy:
Invest in your joy - risk free!
You get a 14 day 100% satisfaction guarantee!
I am confident, that you will love the program as much as all the clients so far, and that you will want to keep it - like they do.
But, if you are not satisfied after making 1 top and painting 4 samples, I refund your tuition (less processor fees).
Last day to request a refund is day 14.
(Example: if you sign up on the first of the month, the last day to request a refund would be the 15th).
No refunds are possible after day 14.
You have nothing to lose and a lot of joy and fabulous tops to gain.
"The videos are excellent!
I used to evaluate teachers for UT (University of Texas). I can tell you were a teacher. Very organized and concise.
With so many courses I feel like I wasted my time and money.
I am loving your course!"
Rae Dollard (jeweler) - in one of her first tops.
Rae made 4 tops in her first week of signing up.
You get MORE painting methods and MORE styles than with traditional workshops.
At the same time: the methods are faster and you can create a LOT MORE in LESS TIME.
That means: the videos are short and - like Rae above - you can start wearing very own, made from scratch gorgeous tops within just a couple of days.
But you can wear your first art tops, where you paint existing tops, within half an hour of the first lessons in Module 1.
Transform 3 of your (old) tops into art tops within 15 minutes.
You'll get hooked on wanting more!
It's so "fast and fabulous".
Monika has created thousands of stunning, high-end looking designs with these elements. And so can you.
Start your "Treasure Chest" - aka Course reference book.
It will serve you as a priceless resource for life.
Meet the top selling Alison style - and the woman behind it. It might just become your most favorite and versatile style, too!
Freely splash paint - and get instant great looking designs that make you happy.
You cannot make mistakes.
It's fun and simple.
You pick a paint style and paint your first Alison top - in ways that are natural and joyful to you.
Women and boutiques love this:
Monika's Signature removable collar.
Use it to make your first Alison top even more special and versatile.
It's like a frame that highlights your beautiful face.
Paint in black on white or neutral. And then expand into bursts of multiple colors.
First unconventional Shibori methods.
It's instant joy!
Ready to finish and shine in your Alison top(s).
Have fun modeling it to rave reviews by your friends and family.
"Analyze me" videos:
how to look at Monika Astara paint designs and analyze them - so you can recreate them for your personal clothes - or use them for inspirations to go wild on your own.
Keep yourself happy and in fun styles for life: variations of the one piece Alison pattern. You get templates, too.
Playful exploration time:
what works, what doesn't.
Add it to your Treasure Chest.
More of Monika's Signature details:
- "well rounded" - Signature pocket.
- "frame your face" - the Monika Astara Signature neck finish.
Super fun and instantly gratifying:
unconventional "faux Shibori" techniques.
You can make hundreds of fabulous looks with just these methods.
We start 2nd best selling style - the Joy Tunic. Another fabulous one piece pattern.
Plus how to make other styles from it.
So you have a variety of great styles.
"Magnificent Three" technique:
roar with joy when you learn and mix all the techniques - and paint a stunning, high-end looking Joy tunic.
The "Magnificent Three" method gives you boundless freedom to create and even invent stunning, high-end designs.
It looks super complicated and artful - but is jaw-droppingly simple with this Signature technique combo.
Monika guides you to create your own Paint Library and Paint Diaries.
So you can recreate your designs - or use them for further explorations.
"Analyze me" videos: be inspired and learn how to analyze Monika's designs so you can recreate them step by step.
Bonus: Drama Vest - no seams!
Fun, fast, fabulous looking .
Black, white and shades of gray.
Create gorgeous, intriguing looks with just black paint.
Sunshine Design on white European linen top. (see photo above)
Templates for 3 more Signature pockets.
Fabric and Supply sources.
PDFs to add to your Treasure Chest.
This is for you if you are itching to turn your art clothing into a business.
How to sell to boutiques.
How to find boutiques without a sales representative.
Pricing, line sheets examples etc.