Sketching classes on a timetable
Learn to draw with a pencil and an hour.
Hour-long classes for beginners in sketching people and places, from faces and figures to streets and landscapes. Bring a pencil and some paper, draw along at a set time, then send us a photo of your page. Every class ends with personal written feedback on your drawing.
- Every class
- 60 min
- Feedback
- Every class
- You need
- A pencil
Next start times, your time
Faces, part 3
eyes sit halfway down the head!
How it works
A drawing class at your kitchen table, with a teacher's eye after.
- 1.
Pick a start time
Choose a class and a slot that suits you, in your own time zone. It is a booking, not a bookmark.
- 2.
Sit down with a pencil
Your join button unlocks five minutes before. The lesson starts on the dot, and you draw along step by step.
- 3.
Photograph your page
At the end of the class, snap a photo of what you drew and upload it from the class page. You have 7 days.
- 4.
Get your feedback
A reviewer looks at your actual drawing and writes back with what is working and what to try next, within 48 hours.
The classes
Sketch people. Sketch places.
Start here · the basics
First Lines
The hour that makes the others easier. How to hold the pencil, how to see shapes instead of things, and how to shade so a flat circle turns into a ball.
Sketching people · portraits
Faces
Where the eyes really go (lower than you think), how to measure a face with your pencil, and how to get a likeness without drawing every eyelash.
Sketching people · the body
Figures
People in motion. Gesture lines first, then simple forms, then proportion, so your figures stand, lean and walk instead of posing stiffly.
Sketching places · streets and buildings
Places
Perspective without the maths. One and two-point perspective, explained with a ruler you do not need, so streets recede and buildings stand up straight.
Sketching places · outdoors
Landscapes
Trees that look like trees, skies with depth, and hills that roll back into the distance. How to suggest a whole view with a few textures and tones.
Realism · tone and detail
Realistic Still Life
A slower hour on drawing what you see, not what you think you see. Careful measuring, a full range of tones, and the small details that make a drawing look real.
After every class
Your drawing gets a proper look.
Videos can show you how to draw. What they can't do is look at your page and tell you why the eyes feel off or the street looks flat. So every booking includes a written review of the drawing you made in class, within 48 hours.
Send a photo, not a file
A phone photo of your page is all it takes, straight from the class page. Up to 3 photos per class.
Looked at by a person
Your drawing is reviewed by a person, who writes about your page in particular. You will not get a form letter.
What to try next
What is already working, the one or two changes that will make the biggest difference, and an exercise for next time.
great corner!
windows shrink →
Your feedback · Places
What's working: your vertical lines are properly straight, and the corner of the building really comes towards us.
Try next: the lower windows on the right don't yet line up with your vanishing point. Lay a ruler from the vanishing point through their corners and you will see them snap into place.
What you need
Probably already in your house.
A pencil
Any pencil. The one in the kitchen drawer is fine. If it is labelled HB or 2B, even better.
Some paper
Plain printer paper works perfectly. Have five or six sheets, because some classes fill a few.
An eraser, if you have one
Handy, not essential. Half the classes teach you to draw lightly first, so mistakes barely show.
Nice to have,
never needed:
- ✎A soft pencil (2B to 6B) for deeper shadows
- ✎A sketchbook, so your drawings live together
- ✎A putty eraser for lifting out highlights
- ✎A sharpener, or a craft knife for a long point
Why a start time
“I'll learn to draw someday” is the problem.
The internet is full of drawing tutorials you have saved and never watched. What a real class has, and a saved video does not, is a time when you sit down and draw.
So that is what this is. The lessons are pre-recorded, then broadcast at a set time to everyone who booked that slot. There is no pause and no “later”. An hour after it starts, you have a finished drawing, and then a person looks at it.
It starts on time
With you or without you. Arrive late and you join where the class has got to; it does not restart.
Everyone draws together
Everyone booked into a session sees the same step at the same moment, wherever they are.
A chat for your session
Say hello to the people drawing with you. An automated assistant answers questions about the technique and the stream.
I have never drawn before. Is that all right?
Yes, that is who the classes are for. Start with First Lines, which assumes nothing. Every class is taught step by step, and nobody sees your page except you and the person who reviews it.
What do I need?
A pencil and some paper. Any pencil works, even the one in the kitchen drawer, and plain printer paper is fine. An eraser is useful. Nice extras, never required: a soft pencil (2B or 4B) for darker shading, and a sketchbook.
How does the feedback work?
At the end of the class, photograph your drawing and upload it from the class page or your dashboard (up to 3 photos). A reviewer looks at your actual drawing and writes back with what is working and the one or two things to try next. It arrives in your dashboard within 48 hours, and by email. You have 7 days after the class to send your drawing in.
Are the classes live?
The lessons are pre-recorded and broadcast at the scheduled time. Everyone in a class sees the same moment at the same time, with no pause or rewind, so it runs like a class rather than a video library. The teacher on screen cannot see you during the class; the personal part is the written review of your drawing afterwards.
How do I join my class?
Sign in with the email you booked with. Your join button appears in your dashboard five minutes before the start, and the class begins on its own at the start time.
What if I am late?
You join the class where it is. It does not restart, but you can still send in whatever you drew for review.
Can I pause or rewind?
No. The class runs on the clock for everyone. That is deliberate: a set time is what gets most people to actually sit down and draw. Each section leaves time to work, and the reference images stay on screen while you draw.
Which class should I book first?
First Lines if you are new or rusty. After that, follow what you want to draw: Faces or Figures for people, Places or Landscapes for the world around you, and Realistic Still Life when you want a slower, more detailed challenge.
What if I cannot make it?
Email us before your class starts and we will move your booking to another time.
Is there a subscription?
No. You pay for the class you book, once. The review of your drawing is included.
Who is in the chat?
The chat next to the class is shared by the people booked into the same session. Questions about the drawing or the stream are answered by an automated assistant, and it is labelled as one. For anything about your booking, email us.
From the blog
Notes from the margins.
Getting started · 1 min read
Which sketching class should you take first?
A quick guide to the six classes, and an order that works for most people.
Feedback · 1 min read
How to photograph a pencil drawing
Five quick steps for a photo that shows every line, so your feedback is about your drawing and not the lighting.
Drawing places · 2 min read
Perspective without the maths
Horizon line, vanishing points and why your windows keep drifting. Everything you need to sketch a street that looks real.
Your first drawing is an hour away.
Find a pencil, pick a time you can actually make, and start with First Lines. We will have the class running when you sit down.
See the classes