Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome & General Information

  • 2

    Week 0 – Introduction

    • What is Pragmatic Sketching?

    • Clarity Model

    • Choosing pens and paper

    • Warm-up exercises

    • Practicing effectively
  • 3

    Week 01 – Topic 01: Clear and confident lines – Developing basic motor skills

    • Workbook to print for Topic 01

    • The Walking Dot

    • The Obstacle Course

    • Dots

    • Lines

    • Triangles and rectangles

    • Circles

    • Muscle memory

    • Objects from Rectangles

    • Objects from Triangles

    • Objects from Circles

    • The Dancing Dot

    • Dancing objects

    • All drawings from Topic 01

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 01

    • Week 01 – Live Kick-off Session (Recording)
  • 4

    Week 02 – Topic 02: Sketching objects – Dealing with structure, perspective and shading

    • Workbook to print for Topic 02

    • Objects from shapes

    • Constructing objects

    • Making objects clearer

    • The right angle

    • Parallel projections

    • Perspective projections

    • Egyptian perspective

    • Egyptian objects

    • Egyptian scenes

    • Light and shadow

    • All drawings from Topic 02

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 02
  • 5

    Week 03 – Feedback Session 01

    • Feedback Session 01 (Recording)

    • All drawings from Feedback Session 01
  • 6

    Week 04 – Topic 03: Simple, but expressive stick figures: Sketching actions and emotions

    • Workbook to print for Topic 03

    • Figure Basics

    • Speaking & Thinking

    • Exercise: 3 people stories

    • Arms

    • Arms – Articulation & tension

    • Holding things

    • Legs & feet

    • Figures in action – Walking, running, sitting

    • Figures in action – With objects

    • Torso dynamics

    • Common mistakes

    • Face proportions

    • Facial expressions: Eyebrows

    • Facial expressions: Mouths

    • Facial expressions: Eyes

    • Facial expressions: Mixing and matching

    • Emanata

    • Sharpening expression

    • All drawings from Topic 03

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 03
  • 7

    Week 05 –  Topic 04: Faces and simple portraits

    • Workbook to print for week 05

    • Portrait photos to practice

    • Spectrum of fidelity

    • Form and contrast

    • Hairstyles – Structure

    • Hairstyles – Articulation of line

    • Hairstyles examples – Long hair

    • Hairstyles examples – Short hair

    • Hats & Head coverings

    • Hairstyles – Observing shapes with photo reference

    • Hairstyles – Drawing from photo reference

    • Glasses, accessories & special features

    • Noses

    • Noses – Observing shapes with photo reference

    • Noses – Drawing from photo reference

    • Eyes & eyebrows

    • Eyes & eyebrows – Observing shapes with photo reference

    • Eyes & eyebrows – Drawing from photo reference

    • Mouths

    • Mouths – Observing shapes with photo reference

    • Mouths – Drawing from photo reference

    • Wrinkles

    • Shading

    • Exercise: Imagined portraits

    • Simple portraits from photos

    • Tracing

    • All drawings from Topic 04

    • Bonus video: Answering some more questions (from an earlier portrait class)

    • Bonus video: Practicing portraits

    • Links and resources around drawing portraits / faces

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 04
  • 8

    Week 06 – Feedback Session 02

    • Feedback Session 02 (Recording)

    • All drawings from Feedback Session 02
  • 9

    Week 07 – Topic 05: Sketching different types of people

    • Workbook to print for week 07

    • Ingredients for different characters

    • Body shape and proportions

    • Clothes

    • Props

    • Background & language

    • Inclusivity

    • Age

    • Gender

    • Abilities

    • Exercise: Random character game

    • Creating a character sheet

    • All drawings from Topic 05

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 05
  • 10

    Week 08 –  Topic 06: Scenes & concepts

    • Workbook to print for week 08

    • Horizons

    • Tangents

    • Layering & emphasizing

    • Making the invisible visible

    • X-ray vision

    • Being in two places at once

    • Objects as characters

    • Abstract concept, concrete actions

    • Analogies

    • Thinking in series

    • Exercise: Improvised scene game

    • All drawings from Topic 06

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 06
  • 11

    Week 09 – Feedback Session 03

    • Feedback Session 03 (Recording)

    • All drawings from Feedback Session 03
  • 12

    Week 10 –  Topic 07: Hands

    • Workbook to print for week 10

    • Hand construction

    • Constructing gestures

    • Mitten hands & line hands

    • Holding things

    • Hand choreographies

    • Putting hands on full figures

    • Detailed hands on stick figures

    • Bonus: Some more mini hand choreographies
  • 13

    Week 11 –  Topic 08: Full body figures

    • Workbook to print for week 11

    • From stick figure to full figure

    • Line articulation & limb thickness

    • Practicing outline figures

    • Clothes

    • Practicing figures with clothes

    • Bone and joint technique

    • Practicing bone and joint technique

    • All drawings from Topic 08

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 08
  • 14

    Week 12 – Topic 09: Finding your style

    • Workbook to print for week 12

    • Components of style

    • Style examples – Some of my favourite illustrators (Part 1)

    • Style examples – Some of my favourite illustrators (Part 2)

    • Style examples – Some of my favourite illustrators (Part 3)

    • Style examples PDF

    • Practice Prompts for Topic 09
  • 15

    Week 13 – Feedback Session 04 & Closing

    • Feedback Session 04 and Closing (Recording)

    • All drawings from Feedback Session 04
  • 16

    Next steps

    • Your Feedback

    • Keep learning with me

    • Keep in touch

    • More resources to continue learning