If you’ve always wanted to draw but think you don’t have the talent, skill, or time, these people will change everything.
Meet the teachers in Seeing, Sketchbook Skool’s next community kourse, which starts Monday, March 6. Here’s a look at who they are, what they’ll be teaching, and their favorite tips.
Danny Gregory is Sketchbook Skool’s co-founder. “Drawing helps slow down time and brings us into the moment,” he says. “There is no one, correct way to see or to draw.” In Seeing, Danny teaches you how to notice the small details that make up a great drawing. Danny’s art tip: See lettering as shapes and lines, not words.
Koosje Koene is Sketchbook Skool’s co-founder. In Seeing, she teaches you how to draw yourself through a series of self-portraits, and also how to see yourself as an artist: “What you create is art, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” Koosje’s art tip: Don’t think about your facial features as such. Draw the shadows instead.
Brenda Swenson is an artist and author who has been on the board of the National Watercolor Society. In Seeing, Brenda teaches continual line drawing and watercoloring, and also reassures new artists that they can really do this. “A sketchbook can be a safe place where your soul can be exposed without worry of judgement or criticism.” Brenda’s art tip: If you only sketch when you have free time, it probably won’t happen. Try sketching first thing in the morning, or during lunch.
Cathy Johnson’s latest book is Artist’s Sketchbook: Techniques for Sketching on the Spot. “When you look back at your journals, you begin to see how rich your life really is,” she says. A naturalist as well as an artist, Cathy teaches you how to draw nature in Seeing. Cathy’s art tip: You can get by with a tiny homemade watercolor kit (like our Watercolor Watch). Use rubber cement to stick the individual pans to a tin; it allows you to change out colors easily.
Andrea Joseph teaches Sketchbook Skool’s Creative Lettering workshop. She advises diving right in: “Stop trying to find the right pen, the right paper, the right whatever. Just pick up a pen and go!” One look at her remarkable artwork in Seeing, created with regular ballpoint pens, will convince you. Andrea’s art tip: Keep a small sketchbook and a thick pen or graphite pencil in the glove compartment of your car so you can do quick sketches, like 30 second ones, when you’re parked.
Liz Steel is an urban sketcher and architect whose latest book is Five Minute Sketching: Architecture. “Sketching has truly changed my life,” she says. “It helps me appreciate the small things and has enriched my travel experience beyond words.” Liz teaches how to sketch and watercolor objects and city scenes in Seeing. Liz’s art tip: Start urban sketches at the top of the page; that way the tops of buildings won’t get cut off if you run out of space.
Seeing starts Monday, March 6—click here to join the kourse!