FAQS
Questions about Sketchbook Skool
We are an online art school — but a different one.
We offer LIVE art classes – approx. 20 per week plus recordings of those classes to our Spark members. We also offer recorded video Courses. We provide live Workshops. We have a huge community of aspiring artists just like you.
Our goal is to get you making art again. To show you how to get started. But also how to keep going — how to fit art into your everyday life so you keep improving and having fun.
And that’s where your sketchbook comes in. It’s going to become a book of stories about your everyday life. At Sketchbook Skool, we don’t draw naked strangers and bowls of fruit. We draw the things of your life, the places you go, the food you eat, the people you love, the beauty that surrounds you. And page by page, you will create a visual memoir that is as unique and beautiful as you are.
Whether you want to kickstart your creativity or deepen the work you are already making, Sketchbook Skool will unleash the artist in you in exciting new directions.
Sketchbook Skool is different because we ask you to draw what you see instead of dry, rigid, how-to exercises. We want to inspire you with stories and fresh perspectives on art and life. We want to fire you up and keep you going. We embrace the wonky!
In our membership program – Spark – we teach live. That means you can ask the instructor a question in real time, and get an answer right then and there. We offer 20+ classes and special events every single week and… we record those classes so you can watch them later.
This monthly subscription program is uniquely ours and we want to share it with YOU!
In our Courses, every class of every term is unique. In each of our multi-week courses, you will get several different teachers, each with their own way of creating and teaching art. Every week, a different teacher will share their stories, their sketchbooks, their techniques and ideas. So, you will get many fresh perspectives. And every course, we’ll have new, exciting and inspiring teachers.
Because at Sketchbook Skool, we believe there are as many ways to make art as there are people on the planet.
The teachers of Sketchbook Skool are practicing artists, illustrators, designers, and art directors, who have all been keeping illustrated journals for years. Moreover, they will teach and inspire you based on lessons they’ve learned from documenting their days, all around the world. Our faculty are the word’s best-loved illustrated journalists, well-known on the Internet, and in books and videos.
Every class at Sketchbook Skool is designed to inspire you. To educate you. And to be fun. We use high-quality video production. Sumptuously illustrated materials. So, clear concepts and demonstrations. No jargon. And useful feedback. All running on leading-edge, yet simple-to-use technology.
In our Workshops we bring in new artists for a 3-hour art experience. The instructor is there to answer your questions – and we provide a recording of the Workshop for you to view again later.
And we want you to meet other artists just like you. That is why we foster and encourage an atmosphere of collaboration and discussion between all of our students and instructors. Moreover, you will have a chance to share your work in a supportive and encouraging environment and to make friends with great people who are on the same path of discovery. We meet in our online community – The SkoolYard hosted by Mighty Networks.
Check out the video on our ABOUT page for a lovely Skool tour.
A lot.
Spark: We provide approx. 20 hours of live Classes (via Zoom), access to a huge library of our Courses, Workshops, Special Events and recordings of our live Classes.
As of mid-2022 we have over 600 recordings of live Classes in our SBS Library for Spark members.
Courses: In several beautifully produced videos, you’ll be introduced to your teacher’s art, story, and view of the world. You’ll even get a peek inside their personal journals.
Next, your teacher will share several unique and inspiring insights into drawing and journaling. You’ll be able to share your point of view with the class and discuss the lesson in our discussion section. After that, you’ll get fascinating creative assignments which you can then upload and share with the class.
Your teacher will then give a demonstration, letting you watch over their shoulder as they draw and paint a full sketchbook page. This video, generally ten minutes or longer, will be narrated and full of in-depth tips and advice.
As part of your enrollment, you also get an exclusive invitation to the SkoolYard, Sketchbook Skool’s community. This space is for students only and is an exciting new platform for sharing art and making friends!
Simply put, they are the best sketchbook artists in the world. Check the FACULTY section of this site to learn more about them and see some of their amazing work.
“On-demand” means you can start on your Course or Workshop immediately. And work at your own pace. Enroll today and start drawing today. Watch the lessons once a week. Or binge-watch as much as you want. It’s up to you. You can still share work and comments with others in our private online community.
Courses for beginners cover the basics. They’re for anyone who wants to start or get back to the principles of drawing, painting and journaling.
Workshops focus on a particular type of project and tend to be taught by a single teacher.They are more in-depth and focused but they are still open to all levels.
Multiple Teacher courses are what the name implies. Each week you hang out with a different teacher and share their studios, techniques, work, and wisdom. We think of them as an inspirational smorgasbord.
Spark is a membership program that is intended for artists of all levels. Everyone will find Classes to inspire them!
Absolutely. When you enroll in a Course, you will be invited to join our online social platform, The SkoolYard. You will find other students hanging out, sharing their work, encouragement and guidance (and the teachers often drop by too!) We do not provide individualized instruction or critiques by the teacher in Courses but we hope to inspire you to draw a lot, which we believe is the best way to learn.
If you’d prefer more individualized feedback and instruction then Spark is definitely for you! The instructor will pause their class to answer your questions in real time! Plus they will give you feedback in the SkoolYard.
At the start, the only requirement is a blank book and a pen. And as soon as you enroll, we’ll suggest how to shop for these basics.
However, you can use any additional media you like. Our teachers will be using watercolors, ink, gouache, collage and more, and we’ll give you the details of those materials in class. We hope to inspire you — and that may prompt another trip or two to the art supply store (what could be better?).
We close caption all our Courses in English, but Workshop and Spark videos do not have subtitles.
Then you’ve come to the right place. You may want to start with How to Draw Without Talent or Art Bootcamp. But whichever Course you take, we will get you on the road to developing a lifelong creative habit. A habit that will erase your fears about “talent” and your inability to draw a straight line (that’s why they make rulers). A habit that will turn drawing and painting into a regular, rich, fun part of your life.
Or you can sign up for Spark. We have a huge library of Courses at your fingertips along with Live classes to get you started! No previous art experience required!
Then you’ve come to the right place.
Sketchbook Skool is about new ideas, new directions, and loads of inspiration. Even if you are an avid illustrated journalist, we’re sure you will find loads of fodder for new ways to make your sketchbooks exciting and fresh whether you sign up for a Course, Workshop or our membership program Spark
Anytime you want!
For Spark Members: We offer our Live class instruction between 7 am PT until 8 pm PT daily with a Workshop or Special Event once a month on a Saturday for 3 hours. Of course your SBS Library is there with hundreds of recordings at your fingertips any time of the day.
Courses are filled with pre-recorded videos, and you get access once each week of class begins. You can watch them any time you like. Our students are from timezones all over the world, so you’ll be able to interact with them in the SkoolYard whenever you want.
Any Course you purchase you will have access to forever! So if you fall behind, no problem. You can catch up and review all your lessons whenever life permits.
With Spark you have unlimited access until you cancel your membership.
Yay! Subscribe to our YouTube channel get our newsletter, or tag us in your art on Instagram (we love to re-share!). And we’re here if you want to drop us a line at [email protected].
If it’s been awhile since you logged in, you just need a new account on platform in order to see your old content. You can write to us and we will get you back in class!