When we launched our first Sketchbook Skool kourse, someone asked, “Is this self-help? I thought it was a drawing class!”
Fair question. But the fact is, making art starts with self-expression, so we tend to talk a fair amount about issues that impact creative people and get in the way of that expression. Things like motivation, habits, blocks, expression, and the inner critic. If you are just starting to make art as an adult, you may want to understand why on earth it took you so long.
I love to draw. But drawing is far more than a technical exercise for me. It’s meditation, it’s connection, it’s appreciation, it’s awareness. It’s a way to make sure that I stay connected to the things that matter to me, every day. In fact, one of my first books was called Everyday Matters because drawing helped me appreciate my life in ways both big and small.
When people find out I’m an author, their next question is “What do you write about?” I usually say I write about art and creativity, but I think what I really write about is the problems I face and how I can solve them in a way that helps others solve them too. That’s led me to write about everything from my childhood to how to get ink stains out of laundry. Which leads me to our new Kourse, Exploring.
I decided to explore two very different but essential things in the week that I teach in Exploring: creativity, and how to make drawings pop off the page.
First, the latter.
A problem you certainly wrestle with early in your drawing life is how to represent lighting, texture, and dimension, to help bring your work to life. So I share my years of exploration through dozens of examples in my sketchbooks. And rather than just flip pages, I really discuss each one, why it works (or doesn’t) and how you can apply those lessons in your own work.
Then I do some experiments to show you how light changes mood and meaning, and how you can represent shades and colors using plain old black ink on white paper. Also how to indicate different materials, from glass to grass, skin to bricks, using just lines and dots.
Okay, that sounds a bit technical, but I think I manage to make it pretty fun.
Your most important art tool: your brain
I created a bunch of videos for this klass that delve deep into the creative process:
- What makes you creative?
- How do you get good?
- How do you deal with criticism?
- Where do ideas come from?
- Why are you afraid to draw?
- How do you keep motivated?
If any of these questions intrigue you, you’re ready to start Exploring. It’s not all self-help, but it will certainly help you help yourself to expand in new directions, enjoy your creativity, and have a wonderful five weeks with me and our other teachers, Lynne, Nina, Brian, and Felix.
Watch the video, then come find out even more about the klass on our website. And finally — sign up and start Exploring with us! We start on April 17.
See you in Klass.
This email was sent to sketchbookskool@gmail.
Danny Gregory 