Sketchbook Exercises for Artistic Growth
A course by Sarah van Dongen , Illustrator
Joined March 2020
Discover tools and techniques for developing your creative skills, overcoming creative blocks, and unlocking your imagination in the pages of your sketchbook
Discover tools and techniques for developing your creative skills, overcoming creative blocks, and unlocking your imagination in the pages of your sketchbook
A sketchbook is an essential tool for any artist. It's a safe space where you can enhance your skills, develop your style, try new materials, and explore different techniques. Illustrator Sarah Van Dongen uses hers to make characterful artwork inspired by the world around her. She has collaborated with clients like Flow Magazine and Adobe, and created her own picture book.
In this online course, Sarah teaches you different exercises for developing the most important artistic skills, overcoming creative blocks, and unlocking your imagination. Learn how to fill a sketchbook with experimental drawings using different materials and reference images, designed to help you improve as a creative. Learn, play, and explore through sketchbooking.
Want to take your sketchbook practice further? Check out Sarah’s other illustration courses.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 17 downloads
- 97% positive reviews (425)
- 24,750 students
- 16 lessons (3h 1m)
- 17 additional resources (5 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Fill a sketchbook with vibrant illustrations using a variety of materials and techniques.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone who wants to use sketchbooking as a tool to improve their artistic abilities.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is required.
In terms of materials, you will need gouache, graphite pencils, oil pastels, acrylic markers, and other materials specified by the teacher in the course.
Reviews
Sarah van Dongen
A course by Sarah van Dongen
Sarah van Dongen is a Dutch illustrator based in Amsterdam who is passionate about telling stories. She began her studies in comparative literature but enrolled in the MA in Children’s Books Illustration in Cambridge, UK after realizing she wanted to pursue a more creative career.
Sarah’s illustration work can be found in children’s books, stationery, newspapers, and magazines across the globe. Her clients include Flow Magazine, Adobe, Tiny Owl Publishing, and Ragged Bears Publishing, among others. Sarah enjoys exploring themes like gardens, food, social interactions, mental health, and her childhood. She doesn’t shy away from subjects like insecurity, loneliness, and loss, she expresses them in her sketches to help make these feelings more comprehensible.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
The Sketchbook, Materials, and Style
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The Sketchbook
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Art Materials
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Introduction to Illustration and Artistic Skills
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U3
Let's Fill That Sketchbook
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Drawing and Observation 1
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Drawing and Observation 2
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Drawing and Observation 3
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Inspiration, Research, and Copying 1
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Inspiration, Research, and Copying 2
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Experimentation and Playing 1
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Experimentation and Playing 2
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Association and Imagination 1
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Association and Imagination 2
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U4
Continuing Drawing
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Making a Final Piece
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Keep Using Your Sketchbooks
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FP
Final project
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Sketchbook Exercises for Artistic Growth
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
angelesbarone
me encanta el estilo de ilustracion de Sarah Van Dongen. Su curso es muy bello y muy inspiradora al explicar.
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debmaggie
I found this a really inspiring course with lots of ideas for experimentation
ellenloncke
PlusSarah is an awesome teacher, encouraging you to explore your own personality and tendencies through your art, but at the same time nudges you through a series of exercises to step outside of your comfort zone. The exercises in this course really teach you to think and observe in different ways, super interesting. Also really appreciated the tips and tricks to keep up having a sketchbook practice.
rociosanin96
PlusHermoso curso! Te da muchas herramientas y te muestra como aplicarlas
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hedwigsart
PlusWhat a wonderful course! My colourpalette grew about 70% and so did my self esteem! Thank you!