The annual event to kickstart your creativity
The 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge is a commitment to draw in your sketchbook for 30 days in a row.
This challenge gives you access to everything created to support you with the 8th annual challenge that starts on 01 Jan 2025. This includes all 30 prompts, video pep talks, sketching warm-up exercises, live sketch-a-longs, tutorials, and artist discussion sessions.
The aim is to make drawing a habit and part of your daily routine. I want to help you to fill your sketchbook and boost your creativity.
This challenge runs live from 01-30 Jan 2025.
Watch the video
January can be a little dull and dark, so let's bring some creativity and colour into the month through our active sketching community.
There are LIVE sketch-alongs, guest artist panel sessions talking about creative mindset, simple sketching warm-up tutorials and a super-supportive Facebook community of fellow sketchers from across the globe.
This challenge gives everyone the feel-good factor in the New Year!
By joining the 30-Day Sketchbook Challenge 2025, you gain access to all of the support available to assist you with your sketching. This includes:
Weekly creative advice from Susan with helpful tips on sketching for the week ahead, and ways to approach the prompts and develop your creativity.
Weekly Zoom discussions with guest artists on creative mindset topics as part of the live challenge, these are also available as recordings for you to dip into if you miss the live timings...
For every person that joins the challenge in 2025, we plant a tree with climate change charity Ecologi. Together as part of the challenge we can made a difference to our planet.
Starting with our launch party on 1st Jan there are a number of live sketching and Q&A support sessions. These are all available as recordings for you to watch if you can't make it live.
What is the Sketchbook Challenge?
When you sign up you will receive 30 different prompts to get you sketching – a different one each day starting on 01 Jan. And that is the challenge! All live elements will be shared as recordings for you to enjoy as well.
I am an artist, author and online educator based in Woking in the UK. But most importantly I am your sketchbook challenge host and guide!
I’ve worked as a successful professional artist for over 15 years, authored six art books including Sketchbook Challenge: 100 Prompts for Daily Drawing, spoken at TedX Woking, been featured on HobbyMaker TV, created over 35 online courses, and taught thousands of aspiring artists like you.
I love encouraging others to get creative and welcome you into the sketchbook challenge this year!
With just 5 minutes per day you can take part in the challenge and carve out some time for yourself and your creativity.
Even just a quick daily burst of sketching like this can improve your well-being and mood.
Each day throughout the 30 day challenge you grab a pencil or pen, find a new sketchbook page, prepare a warm comforting cuppa (optional!), check out what the daily prompt is and get creative with a simple sketch.
Join me to enjoy a huge boost to your creativity this year and take part in the challenge.
Sketchbook Challenge 2025
In January 2025 there is a fantastic line up of 17 amazing artists joining in with the challenge to help you out and inspire you throughout the month. Some will be sharing their sketching process and filming their responses to prompts, and some will be joining me via Zoom on Monday evenings for the panel sessions.
Artist and Printmaker
Karen George Art
Contemporary, Collectable Welsh Art
Ruth Hong Art
Contemporary Painter
Green Fox Workshops
Soulful Artist and Tutor
Mixed Media Artist
Art Journalling & Mixed Media Artist
Printmaker and Mixed Media Artist
Artist, Author and Illustrator
Urban Sketcher, Collage Artist and Printmaker
Collage Artist
Botanical inspired cyanotype artist
Sketchbook Enthusiast
Artist and Masters Student
The 8th annual challenge will run from 01-30 January 2025
Most people (78% of people that submitted feedback in 2022) considered themselves amateurs and beginners to sketching and wanted a place to be creative without the pressure of it being perfect.
This is very much a ‘sketchbook’ challenge not a ‘finished work of art’ challenge. Making a mess, experimenting, doodling, trying new things or even scribbling with a biro is all welcomed!
LOTS of people also spoke about the challenge giving them confidence in their sketching after taking part in the challenge.
The challenge is suitable for anyone who wants to give it a go… For example:
Beginners to drawing looking for some ideas of where to start
Art students
Professional artists needing some starting points for work
Printmakers on any of my online courses looking for ideas for prints
Anyone creative looking for a good New Year’s Resolution
Creative people just wanting a fun challenge
People with five minutes to spare and a blank sketchbook
Anyone who just wants to draw a bit more
You... come on in and join me this year!
It doesn't matter at all! The aim of the game is to simply do some drawing every day for 30 days - to build up the habit of sketching and tap into the creative side of your brain. The quality of the drawing is not important. Sketching, like any skill is improved with practice - the more you do, the better you get! We also include weekly sketching tutorials for absolute beginners to help you out.
You simply need something to draw with and something to draw on. You can keep it as simple as a pencil and a sketchbook for the whole challenge or explore some of the art materials you have in your stash. There is no specific requirement regarding materials for the challenge. Use what inspires you and what you have to hand already - even a simple biro is fine.
The live challenge starts on 01 Jan 2025. When you join the challenge you will have access to all the welcome videos and introduction sections (including tips videos) but the challenge prompts don’t start until Day 1. On this date you will receive prompt no. 1, and one per day from then onwards.
These hour-long discussions are conducted LIVE via Zoom and are available as recordings as part of the challenge if you cannot make the timings live. These discussions are the opportunity to watch a live discussion between Susan and the guest artist (and ask questions too!). The discussions will be on creative mindset topics and the aim is that these sessions will assist everyone in building a regular sketching habit throughout the challenge. There will be one per week during the challenge…
In this section, released at a rate of one prompt per day, you will find the challenge prompts.
On some days there are bonus videos - pep talk from me or tutorials from guest artists - these will be shared on the relevant days to help you out and are yours to watch back again any time that you want.
Let's go...
