Sketchplorations: Art Classes for Teens & Adults with Susanna Suchak (Saturday Mornings)

Course Dates Options: 

Saturday mornings 10:30am to 12:00pm, March 8, 15, 22,  29

Thursday evenings 6:30-8:00pm, March 20, 27 and April 3 and 10

Format: Discussion, demonstration, practice, reflection

Materials: All materials will be supplied during sessions so you can try-before-you-buy; after the first session please bring one of your sketchbooks.

Cost: $140 for all four sessions

Course Overview

Whether you are brand new to sketching or already have a sketchbook practice, during this series, you will discover something new about sketchbooks – and yourself. Together, let’s explore the many benefits and joys of befriending the sketchbook. Note: All the materials we will use are easy to find and inexpensive, but during the class, you will have access to a variety of materials to try before you buy. All inks, graphite, and markers work best on a smooth, slightly porous paper. Bristol paper (also called poster paper) is a good choice for these purposes. Hot press watercolour paper can be used, but will wear down your pens, pencils and markers much faster.

Session Outlines

Session 1: Beginning with Basics.

Starting from scratch, we will make some basic concertina sketchbooks and some pocket-size ones made with only a folding technique. Then we will launch into choosing paper and learning about drawing with graphite and an eraser. There will be some drawing instruction involved.

Session 2: Playing with Pens

With our foundations established, we will get our fingers inky as we try out a variety of drawing techniques and pens while we learn doodling warm-ups, cool-downs, and stress-reducing practices. You may be surprised at the results, often they are quite lovely on their own as finished works.

Session 3: A Rainbow of Hues

Colour adds zest to your life, so we will dive into crayons, coloured pencils, markers, paint pens and inks while we boost our creativity. We will add colour to some of our inky drawings and learn what kinds of paper works best with the various colouring tools.

Session 4: Titles and Text

Many of us struggle with handwriting, but it is uniquely you, so what if you embraced and embellished it? We will add pizzazz and some of your “voice” to your pages. I am willing to bet you will be pleasantly surprised by the results of today’s adventure into artful text and titles. And your pages will have pop.