When: July 26-28, 2002

Where: Sebastopol, CA, USA

Sebastopol is a beautiful and picturesque Sonoma County town in Northern Calirfornia. Located in the heart of Wine Country, the landscape is gorgeous and the summertime activities abundant. The training will take place in a beautiful private rural setting.

Workshop fee: $450.00
This includes training and all materials associated with creating the bellymask, written reference materials, certificate of training, listing at bellymask.com directory with Francine Krause’s endorsement. All gourmet vegetarian meals included. (Friday dinner, Sat. and Sun. lunch and dinner). For those staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Sebastopol, a deluxe continental breakfast will be offered.

This workshop is limited to 14 women and a deposit of $150.00 is required by June 26, 2002 to reserve your space in the training and at the hotel.

Please note that airfare, transportation to and from the workshop and accommodations are separate from the training fee, and should be arranged by participants.

Accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express in Sebastopol have been reserved in the name of Pregnant Bellymasks and it is the responsibility of each participant to reserve her room. The cost is $70.00 /person/night July 26, 27, 28 based on double occupancy.

Contact: Francine Krause 707-824-8357 or email francine@bellymask.com to register and for more information

This hands-on experiential intensive is designed to teach women, who want to pursue pregnant bellymasking as a profession, the techniques, and materials employed by Francine Krause, to create a refined pregnant sculpture. Marketing and self promotion will be explored as well as the spiritual concerns specific to working with expectant mothers.

Within the course of the 2 1/2 day training, each woman will create a full torso bellymask with arms and hands. Applying a porcelain-like finish to this complex bellymask will teach each student how to make a refined statue and will utilize all of the techniques and materials necessary to make any of the less complicated masks also.

Various surface finishes will be explored and each woman will employ the use of paints and/or other embellishing materials to complete their bellymask.

We will learn the practical issues specific to lifecasting with pregnant women such as comfort, poses, ambiance, topics of conversation, and safety issues and release forms. The spiritual component of working with expectant mothers will also be explored.

Francine and Theresa will share their knowledge in marketing and self promotion through websites, various media, and within local birthing communities. Pricing of your bellymask services will also be discussed.

The final component to the workshop will be in packing one’s bellymask to be shipped home.

Upon completion of this intensive, each participant will receive a certificate acknowledging their accomplishment as a bellymasker trained by Francine Krause. She will also be entitled to be listed as bellymasker endorsed by Francine in the bellymask.com directory of bellymaskers.

Each participant will receive written materials such as an instruction booklet for creating the bellymasks, suggested marketing and self promotional materials, lists of materials, sources of materials, sources of inspiration such as websites and books, safety guidelines, sample release form, pricing guidelines, and a checklist of materials needed for bellymaskers who travel outside of their studio to create the bellymasks.

Francine Krause is the pioneer and originator of the Pregnant Bellymask. She has created hundreds of bellymasks in her studio and has sold thousands of her do-it-yourself kits within the USA and around the world. Her training was at the Art Institute of Chicago and the California College of Arts and Crafts. She has acted as consultant to women around the world in the art of pregnant bellymasking and has helped to launch scores of women into a successful profession.

Respected as the expert in her field she has been featured extensively by the media, including People Magazine, Pregnancy, Fit Pregnancy, Baby Talk, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Parenting, New Woman, CNN, CBS, Univision TV, Lifetime TV, Canal TV (in France), and more.

Theresa Suchy McGraw started her involvement in the art of Pregnant Bellymasks after being introduced to the process in 1992, by Francine Krause. Whether performing the art of Pregnant Bellymasking in the comfort of women’s homes, or conducting maskmaking workshops at The Blue Feather in LaGrange, IL, she has helped many people discover the nurturing and healing power lifecasting can provide. Honored as a former President of Women In Design, Chicago, she applies her considerable expertise in graphic design by offering an array of personalized art options for adornment of the finished bellymasks.

Theresa has also expanded her horizons by creating bodycasts that include women who are not pregnant. Her practice, which concentrates in the Midwest, has been the subject of feature articles in the Chicago Sun-times, New City, and Suburban Life, in LaGrange.