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Susan Yeates, Artist/Sketching for Fun
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  • £30

Sketching for Fun

  • Closed
  • Course
  • 50 Lessons

This is an easy-to-study online art course that explores sketching as a way to boost creativity and have fun. This course helps you to make sketching and drawing a regular habit, fill your sketchbook pages and enjoy the process of making marks, exploring ideas and developing your personal style. The course is packed full of simple exercises, ideas and sketchbook projects.
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Get back to enjoying your sketching...

Join Susan Yeates, an experienced author, artist and tutor from Magenta Sky  for this online art course that explores sketching and drawing for fun. 

This course is aimed at complete beginners to drawing, those returning to drawing after a break or anyone just wanting some inspiration for ways to work in a sketchbook and get rid of artist's block.

The course helps you to build up a regular drawing habit, build a body of work on paper and in sketchbooks, improve your drawing technique through regular drawing and boost your creativity. 

Ultimately this course will help you to enjoy sketching!

About the course...

Watch this video as I explain what this course is all about:

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for:

  • Beginners to drawing
  • People coming back to drawing after a break
  • People looking to re-kindle their creativity
  • Anyone suffering from artist's block
  • Anyone wanting to make sketching fun again
  • Those searching for a practical online sketching course that they can study at home
  • Anyone who loves picking up a pencil and drawing
  • Anyone wanting to fill their sketchbooks!

We accept students from all across the world, and as long as you have access to the internet, you can study whenever you want and wherever you want. We have no entry requirements and do not ask that you start at a particular time of the year – start when you want to!

A course all about sketchbook play...

Have fun with your sketchbook 

Learn to generate ideas with ease

Express ideas and concepts through sketching

Improve your observational skills

Get creative and expressive with your art and build your personal style

Learn handy techniques for sketching using pencil and pen

What does the course cover?

The course modules are listed below but to roughly outline the structure of the course:

- The course begins with a welcome and introduction - this includes introducing myself and why the course came about.

- I then go on to explain important concepts behind the course including how we aim to cultivate creativity and that there is no judgement or 'wrong'

- I explain the tools and materials for the course that will be needed and a little bit on how to use them

- I demonstrate some handy exercises for beginners to free up your sketching and get some sketches committed to paper. These include continuous line drawing, drawing 3D shapes, exploring pencil line quality and shading and blind contour drawing

- The rest of the course builds upon these foundations looking at further subject matters, exercises, techniques and projects.

- These further modules include working with objects and still life, journalling, doodling and mindful drawing, location sketching (people and places) and travel sketchbooks.

Contents

Lessons

Introduction
What is Sketching for Fun?
About Me and Why This Course?
Module 1: Building a Sketching Habit
When and Where to Sketch?
Cultivating Creativity
Module 2: You Need (The Basics)
Exploring Tools and Materials
Working With Pencil
Pen and Ink
Using Colour
Charcoal
Pastels
TIP - Fixing Charcoal/Graphite etc
Materials: Everything Else
Module 3: Handy Exercises for Beginners
Exercise: Exploring Pencils
Exercise: Pencil Line Quality and Shading
Exercise: Pencil Line Quality Exercise
Exercise: Draw Around Objects
Exercise: Bows Demo
Exercise: Blind Contour Drawing
Exercise: Continuous Line Drawing
Blind Contour Demo - A Watch
Exercise: Continous Line Pear Demo
3D Shapes - Introduction and Cubes
3D Shapes - Sphere, Cone & Cylinder
Module 4: Objects and Still Life
Quick Drawing Exercises
Tips for Drawing Objects 1
Tips for Drawing Objects 2
Module 5: Journalling
Example Journals
Module 6: Location Sketching
My Approach to Location Sketching
People and Movement
'Framing', Composition, Location and Light
Module 7: Doodling and Mindful Drawing
Introduction and Simple Lines
Doodle Dots
Video: Lines Demonstration
Video: Doodle Dots Demonstration
Video: Doodle Dots Demonstration 2
Sketchbook Example
Module 8: Travel Sketchbooks
Travel Sketchbook Example
Module 9: Projects
Module 10: Hints and Tips
Thank You and Well Done
Time to Get Inspired....

Don't just take my word for it

Here is what some past students have said about the course:

Jess Hocking, 2019

A very accessible course, even for absolute beginners like me. Helped me feel more creative.

Louise Sproxton, 2019

I’m loving working through this course. The handy techniques and clear video instructions make it really easy to work though. Thanks for the inspiration - great for someone returning to drawing after a break such as myself!

Hi there, I’m Susan

Sketchbook mentor, art shop raider and pencil hoarder

When I’m not teaching, running my pottery cafe in Woking, writing books about sketching, or talking about all things creative, I’m busy being a mama to my very strong-willed daughter, dancing Salsa, practicing yoga, or sewing my own (often lovely, occasionally terrible) clothes. 

So, believe me when I say I get it - life’s full-on busy! It’s why my own creativity has fluctuated over the years. And it’s what inspired me to create this space for you. So that amid life's beautiful, messy chaos, your sketchbook practice remains as easy, accessible, and constant as possible. 

Let’s keep it simple. Let’s just sketch for the love of sketching, shall we? 
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Frequently asked questions

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.

How long do I have access to the course?

Forever! Once you've enrolled and paid, you'll have access to the course material for as long as you need. So devour it all in one weekend or take things slow. It's your choice!

What if I'm unhappy with my purchase?

Well, I would be sad. But if you're really unhappy with the course, just email me within 14 days to get a full refund.

I still have a question, how can I contact you?

I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. Send me an email at hello@susanyeates.co.uk

What materials do I need to study the course?

To study this course you only need a handful of materials, including a sketchbook, a range of soft and hard pencils, fine liner pens, some charcoal, erasers, pencil sharpener etc. Some other materials such as paints and watercolour pencils may also be handy. The course will provide a full list of essential and optional items you can buy and provide explanations of how to use them. 

I've never done any drawing before - is this course suitable for me?

Absolutely! The course is perfectly suitable for beginners to drawing as it shows some really simple techniques that can be followed step-by-step. If you can hold a pencil, you can do this course! The focus is on having fun with sketching. Starting with some of the main concepts behind the course to explaining the tools and materials, to handy exercises for beginners plus a load of techniques, exercises and projects to work through.