Yes absolutely, with each module you will receive a list of what you'll need in order to carry our assignments. Obviously as I have developed the course very much for the complete beginner, lists will be very short, only requiring the bare minimal.  These lists are being delivered with each module to avoid students thinking too far ahead and focused on the current module.  As a guide IF you were purchasing every single tool in one go, we have estimated a total cost of approx $158 (tools) however these will not be required for the first 5-6 modules of this course so plenty of time to save as they are all commonly available online.  Materials wise, as this course is designed to assist you in YOUR choice of project, cost of materials will vary. Again guidance of what to buy and where to buy it will be given when we get to the relevant module.

You can begin the course at any time after the launch of the course. Each module will be automatically unlocked one by one every 7 days (When Choosing the PRO option) and will be available permanently (as long as you have made payment in full OR are up to date with monthly payments.

There is no set time limit for completing the course with each module unlocked 7 days from your enrolment date automatically. After this, while we monitor your progression, this is just to make sure you are ok, and not needing assistance. The actual amount of time you take is 100% up to you (I designed this to fit round busy lives)

No tools or materials are included in this course, however guidance and lists will be given with each module to the relevant "essential" items needed.  I have very much developed this course around my own circumstances when I started 20+ years ago as a broke student having to be inventive and get things going on a budget. I encourage a huge amount of recycling of tools (second hand) and if not available, there are a ton of very cheap starter tools manufactured in China (many I still use today)  Materials will be down to your chosen projects and again, guidance will be given with regards the places to get a bargain.

Absolutely, this course comes with a no quibble, 30 Day money back guarantee. If for any reason you are not happy, you can send a request in writing for a refund of any pre paid amounts.  If you started the cycle for monthly payments by signing up early, any money you've paid in advance will be refunded.

This course is very much about my own personal experiences and processes. I guess in many ways its for the folks who have seen my work and know the history of my experience, working my way up, self trained over 25 years from passionate hobbyist costume & armour maker, to an artist who has now gained some respect both in the public community as well as many of the major film, TV & Game studios around the world.  This course is very much my complete ethos, journey & process I follow each time I create anything, rather than just another collection of "how to bevel, cut, punch and tool" videos you can easily find on YouTube.  Yes I will cover all these subjects to some degree in the relevant modules, yet my own approach is very much that "Design".... "The Why" is the key to any successful creation & leather merely the chosen vehicle.  This course may or may not teach the experienced leather worker anything "new" with regards working leather.... what it will teach them, is "my way"

The main mission of this course is to fully arm each student with a broad set of processes that can be applied across a long list of subjects.  At the core obviously I will be giving a great deal of time to demonstrate these processes with leather armour, however I am aware, a great number of students will also be looking at working on projects for their horses & dogs. As such I have expanded each of the first modules to include considerations that will deal with more than the human form 

Within each module, you will find a list of items to interact with, including Videos, Workbooks as well as other items such as Art (modules 1-5), Patterns (Modules 6-11) Each of these will have an associated discussion option.  

This is where students can ask questions and comments and will be the core place for discussion. Questions will be restricted to ONLY the module being worked on so as to avoid confusion or jumping the gun.  Students will be encouraged to share their own experiences & knowledge and at the same time, be expected to remain respectful at all time, both with fellow students & tutors.

Each module comes with a core class main video lecture & accompanying workbook. The workbook can be downloaded from within the lesson's text body. However, for copyright reasons, videos are not downloadable and MUST only be accesses by logging into the Academy so we are able to monitor your progress. In addition, each module will come with bonus content such as study aids, free exclusive usable art & patterns later on in the course, all of which are fully downloadable in the 'Downloads' section of the corresponding lesson. The print-screen below shows the exact location where workbooks and study aids.

The whole idea of the Academy is to support, encourage and assist in anyone passionate to learn and develop skills with regards any subject we teach.  This is very much a community project and will be 100% reliant on paid students subscriptions to continue into the future. All student accounts will be monitored for any unusual activity (for specifics, please email: [email protected]) Alex Agricola, founder of The Academy, absolutely reserves the right to exclude and refund any student suspected of any activity that directly or indirectly puts The Academy or any student in any kind of risk. The Academy has been developed as a mutually beneficial place for learning, sharing and support therefore, any student showing any lack or respect or rudeness to anyone with the the Academy will be given 1 warning, after which should the behaviour be exhibited again, be expelled.  Now some people will no doubt see this as a bit firm, so I will be blunt.... Play nice or play somewhere else as I have 0 tolerance for bullies.