Grab your sketchbook and explore how sketching can spark ideas, support practice, develop skills, and add play to your creative process.
Sketching is the gateway, the first step in the art making process. It is the fastest way to communicate visually, the fastest way to translate an image in your head into something that you can share with the world. Through warm-up exercises, skull studies, timed portrait sketches, and creative prompts, you will build dexterity, develop your style, and push beyond your comfort zone one sketch at a time.
WATCH ALL THE LESSONS HERE
CLASS LINEUP
Lesson 1: Sketchbook Practice, Warming up, and Building dexterity.
Sketchbooks can have many different purposes and use cases. While the most attention-drawing sketchbooks tend to be polished and clean, sketchbooks can also be a place to let go, loosen up, and improve skills. In this lesson we will cover some exercises that can improve your line quality and dexterity.
Lesson 2: Sketching Skulls from Life (or 3d Models).
As a portrait artist, drawing the skull is a go to subject that is the building block responsible for the appearance of a face. Practicing drawing skulls can improve your understanding of the underlying structure of the face. Skulls are a lower pressure, more forgiving subject that are just plain fun to draw.
Lesson 3: Timed Portrait Sketches – Loosen Up!
Loosening up can be difficult for artists, especially when using a reference. One helpful technique is using timed studies in pen. With timed studies, the short deadline forces you to be decisive and let your arm go. Don’t expect amazing results, but every now and then flashes of your natural tendencies will reveal themselves, which you can use as inspiration to further develop your own style.
Lesson 4: Random Idea Generators to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.
Sometimes it’s hard to come up with an idea of what to draw. Sometimes I get stagnant opting to draw comfort zone subjects and what I know I am good at already. But it can be a fun challenge to try something new. If you look up some art prompts and idea generators, you can get random ideas of things to draw that you might not have thought of.
SUPPLY LIST
Paper:
Strathmore 400 Series Recycled Sketch, 11 x 14″
Drawing Materials:
- Lyra Aqua Brush Duo (Optional)
- Lyra Graphite Stick HB
- Lyra Rembrandt Art Design Pencil 2B & 4B
- Lyra Kneadable Eraser
