Sketchbook Skool Bootkamp. I'm In.

Click image to enlarge

 Sketchbook Skool (SBS) is a terrific online series of sketching classes as well as an online community of sketchers.  It's the brainchild of Danny Gregory (Everyday Matters, The Creative License, An Illustrated Life,  An Illustrated Journey, Art Before Breakfast) and Koosje Koene   

I highly recommend it, it's worth every penny, particularly if you're new to sketching, or don't have a local group to meet and sketch with.  That said, there's plenty there for more seasoned sketchers.

I've complete the first three classes Beginnings, Seeing, Storytelling, (6 weeks each, 6 teachers each) that are available and enjoyed them all, learned lots and most importantly for me, I was inspired.

Two of the lessons from Storytelling in particular got me over my fear of / resistance to sketching people, and now it's a subject I fascinated with, even a little obsessed with!

Click image to enlarge

People have asked me about the work load etc. and keeping up with assignments. SBS is designed with busy people in mind. The videos (which are the core of the instructional aspect of SBS) are reasonably short about 15 min. give or take depending on the teacher, so it's very easy to watch them all during the week.  Usually there are two homework assignments per week, occasionally a third. I haven't always done all the assignments. But hey, that's my choice, and you get lifetime access to the materials so I can go back at any time and complete what I left undone.

The heart and soul of SBS is the community aspect. You can upload your assignments to the galleries in each lesson and give and get feedback, there's a Facebook Group which is called the playground, where further camaraderie and sharing goes on, with students often creating drawing challenges and activities to keep things going between semesters, there's a blog also that's got great info on it including a free sample class .  Did I mention that a semester is only $99? It's really a bargain.

Anyway, I've completed all three semesters and if you did that then as a bonus you got invited to Bootkamp for free!  I'm actually enjoying Bootkamp a lot. maybe even more than the regular semester classes, possibly because I'm overwhelmed with family issues right now and Bootkamp is very focused, concentrating on one specific thing at a time and I'm liking that focused time. SBS in general offers so much in each semester that it can be a bit overwhelming, which is why you have to remember that you get lifetime access and there is a break between semesters so you can catch up before moving on.

The first two challenges were very interesting and fun,  more fun than I expected. They're certainly making for a very interesting sketchbook this month, challenging me to do things that I normally wouldn't and that's good. In fact it's one of the primary reasons I like SBS, it challenges me to try new things.

So, check it out. I don't earn a thing from promoting SBS, just spreading the sketching happiness!