Sketchbook Exercises for Artistic Growth
A course by Sarah van DongenIllustrator
A course by Sarah van Dongen, Illustrator
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
The Sketchbook
9 minutes, 7 seconds
Art Materials
3 minutes, 56 seconds
Drawing and Observation 1
17 minutes, 53 seconds
Drawing and Observation 2
18 minutes, 55 seconds
Drawing and Observation 3
15 minutes, 57 seconds
Inspiration, Research, and Copying 1
13 minutes, 55 seconds
What's included in this course?
Begin the course by getting to know illustrator Sarah Van Dongen. Discover the creative career that has led her to develop pieces for books, newspapers, stationery, and beyond, along with the influences that inspire the work she creates.
Learn about the importance of developing a sketchbook practice and discover the tools needed for the course. Sarah then takes you through her thoughts on style and what she considers to be the most important artistic skills to develop.
Explore drawing and observation along with ways to find inspiration and carry out research. Then use a variety of materials and experiment with different exercises to enhance your creative abilities.
Sarah shows you how to turn your sketches into inspiration for a finished illustration. To wrap up the course, find out her tips for maintaining a regular sketching habit.
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
- 1 month ago
Sarah is just wonderful and, as always, I had so much fun with this course. It was such a good reminder to not take things too seriously and to just have fun with our art. Big fan here!
- 2 months ago
She's a genius!
- 2 months ago
Wspaniały kurs
- 2 months ago
loved this course thank you
- 2 months ago
It’s wonderful I loved it, and it helped me get back into drawing..thank you sara
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
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
The Sketchbook, Materials, and Style
- The Sketchbook
- Art Materials
- Introduction to Illustration and Artistic Skills
- U3
Let's Fill That Sketchbook
- Drawing and Observation 1
- Drawing and Observation 2
- Drawing and Observation 3
- Inspiration, Research, and Copying 1
- Inspiration, Research, and Copying 2
- Experimentation and Playing 1
- Experimentation and Playing 2
- Association and Imagination 1
- Association and Imagination 2
- U4
Continuing Drawing
- Making a Final Piece
- Keep Using Your Sketchbooks
- FP
Final project
- Sketchbook Exercises for Artistic Growth
What to expect from a Domestika course
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.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and those looking to develop foundational drawing and illustration skills through sketchbook exercises and experimentation.
You’ll need a sketchbook, basic drawing tools like pencils and pens, and a selection of mixed media materials such as gouache, acrylics, and crayons. The course encourages experimenting with various papers and tools.
You’ll learn observational drawing, experimental techniques, overcoming creative blocks, developing a personal style, and how to turn sketches into finished illustrations, along with practical workflows for daily sketchbook practice.
Through guided exercises, experimenting with materials, and reflective practices, the course helps you identify and nurture your unique artistic voice and style.
The course features warmups, observational drawing, blind contour, drawing from reference images, mark-making, and exercises using line, shape, and negative space.
Yes, the course provides strategies and sketchbook exercises specifically designed to help you break through creative blocks and maintain artistic motivation.
You’ll learn how to select, analyze, and creatively transform reference images to enhance observational skills and create original artwork.