YOU CAN DRAW!

A Live Online course of three sessions of three hours each, October 2026

Live demonstrations ~Small Group~ Encouraging and supportive atmosphere~ Learn about drawing ~ experiment and develop your own voice

Venue: Zoom. Recordings will be available from each session.

Cost: £145

Book now

Dates and Time:

October 7, (no session 14th) 21 and 28, 2026. 6-9 pm London time (Check your time zone here).

Who’s it for?

No experience necessary. This course is designed for complete beginners.

Have you often thought ‘I wish I could draw like that’ on seeing someone else’s art work? Or want to see and appreciate more of the world around you? You might want to express your own ideas, or make your own designs for another creative pursuit.

Many of my students come from embroidery and textile art backgrounds wanting to strengthen their design skills, but anyone can benefit from learning to draw.

Drawing is a great way of exploring the world and thinking visually. Learn to express yourself in drawing, and develop your creative voice.

Delivered in 3 sessions of 3 hours each on Zoom online platform, will take you through the foundational skills and give you the confidence to try new subjects and explore more media.

I’m an experienced teacher of adults, and committed to creating a gentle, encouraging and positive atmosphere for learning, with thoughtful content.

Online Private Class Gallery

We will use Padlet online noticeboard, which is an easy and free way to share your work and see class resources. There will be a gallery for you to post your work, private to the group, and a page of class resources. Further help will be given to use this.

What You’ll Learn

• Choosing and using media and paper,
• Practise making a variety of marks to convey textures that you see, from grass to feathers to bark.
• Practise seeing and drawing basic shapes.
• How to see spaces in between things (the negative space).
• How to measure and check for accuracy.
• You’ll also learn about light and shade and how to make things look three-dimensional with shadows and highlights.
• There will be drawing games and experiments, with encouragement to be childlike in trying things out and discovering what’s possible, to develop your intuitive responses and a sense of play.
• You will have plenty of opportunity to ask questions, get feedback on your drawings and share your learning with a small (max class size 10) group.

Materials

You’ll need to buy the following:

• A4 Sketchbook, or pad of cartridge or drawing paper.
• Graphite drawing pencils in different hardnesses and softnesses: H, B, 2B, 4B, 6B. Or buy a set with lots of grades in.
• Good quality pencil sharpener.
• A plastic eraser and some BluTak, white tack or an artist’s putty rubber.
• A fine line black drawing pen, or a biro/ ballpoint, or a fountain pen.
• White drawing tool: chalk or a soft pastel, crayon (e.g. Caran d’Ache Neocolor or Derwent Inktense stick) or oil pastel (not shown)
• Grey and black papers (not shown)
• Any other wax crayons, oil pastels, felt tips etc, you might already have.

Session Breakdown

Session 1: Drawing in graphite (pencil) on white paper. How your arm works, some mark-making, and looking at basic shapes – circles, squares, triangle, ellipses. Negative space and continuous line.

Session 2: Warm up exercises. Understanding and drawing things using ellipses. How to get things the right size: artist’s measuring. Draw a few objects together, using all your strategies.

Session 3:Warm up exercises. Light and shade and how it creates an illusion of 3D. How to create that in drawing..

You’ll need some objects to draw: choose a number of objects of different shapes and sizes. For example: take a vase, a mug and a bowl, add an apple, a spoon, a cotton reel.

FAQs

1. Do I need any drawing experience to join?
Not at all — this course is designed from the ground up for complete beginners. If you’ve ever thought “I wish I could draw like that” but never picked up a pencil, this is exactly the starting point. Drawing is a skill anyone can learn with the right teaching, and we’ll start right from the basics: how your arm works, basic shapes, and simple mark-making.

2. What if I can’t make one of the live sessions?
No problem — every session is recorded, so you can catch up in your own time if you miss one live. Post your work on the gallery and get tutor feedback even if you miss the session. That said, joining live gives you the most benefit, since you’ll get direct feedback and can ask questions as you go.

3. Is this course suitable for embroiderers and other textile artists?
Many of my students come from an embroidery or textile art background. Learning to draw strengthens your eye for shape, proportion and shading, which feeds directly into stronger, more confident design work in any craft.

4. What materials do I need before the course starts?
You’ll need a sketchbook or drawing pad, a set of graphite pencils (H through 6B), a good sharpener, an eraser and putty rubber, a fine-liner or pen, and a white drawing tool such as chalk or a pastel. A full materials list and shopping guidance is sent to you before Session One, so there’s no guesswork.