A comprehensive programme for you

to develop your own style and sketch with confidence out on location

SketchingNow courses have been designed to build on each other

so you’ll see the most progress in your own sketching

by working through them in a logical order.

There are two 3-course bundles designed to help you do that and save money at the same time!

Sketch your Life – Beginner

Urban Sketching – Intermediate

Sketch your Life Bundle

for beginners and self-taught sketchers who are frustrated at their lack of progress

This bundle contains all the fundamental concepts that you need for sketching in ink and wash and keeping a sketchbook. The three courses cover a range of subject subjects and techniques for sketching at home and out on location.

Foundations — essential skills that every sketcher should have

In this course you will build a solid foundation for your own sketching journey by learning fundamental observational skills and the basics of urban sketching.
13 week course – $199USD if purchased individually – Find out more.

Watercolour — master the basics of watercolour

In this course you will create vibrant and lively watercolour sketches by learning how to control your water, create watercolour magic and know when to layer or work wet-in-wet.

11 week course $199USD if purchased individually – Find out more.

Sketchbook Design — make sketching a habit and fall in love with your sketchbook

In this course you will design beautiful layouts for every page by learning how to add elements, preserve white space and think about placement before you start sketching.
9 week course – $199USD if purchased individually – Find out more.

Buy Foundations, Watercolour & Sketchbook Design together and save $120USD

Enroll Sketch your Life Bundle $597USD $477USD

I’ve sketched off and on for years. My stop and go routine was plagued with the anxiety
of starting a new sketchbook or facing a blank page.

After taking this class (Sketchbook Design),
I have been able to let go of perfection, and take each sketch for what it is.

 

I now have the tools to “save” the page or spread.
Even the wonkiest of sketches can turn into a delight with a text block
that relates my feelings, frustration and goal for improvement.

 

It will be a real treat to look back in weeks, months, years and
relive these moments with their imperfections and actually smile!

 

Emmay

Urban Sketching Bundle

for sketchers with some experience who want to improve their sketching on location

This bundle builds on the fundamental skills of Foundations and Watercolour (including sketching with edges, shapes and volumes) and applies them to more complex scenes. There are some indoor exercises, but the main focus is sketching on location including individual buildings, street scenes, cityscapes and landscapes.

Edges — improve your ink and wash sketches and say more with less!

In this course you will create more depth and focus in your urban sketches by learning how to limit the amount of ink drawing you do and getting more out of your watercolour.

8 week course – $199USD if purchased individually – Find out more.

Buildings — sketch any building with confidence

Sketch any building with confidence without stressing about perspective or drawing every brick
12 week course -$249USD if purchased individually – Find out more.

Watercolour On Location —achieve consistent results with eye-catching compositions

In this course you will improve your urban sketches of complex scenes by learning how to tell better stories, create stronger values and develop your own style of painting.
13 week course – $249USD if purchased individually – Find out more.

Buy Edges, Buildings & Watercolour On Location together and save $140USD

Enroll Urban Sketching Bundle $679USD $557USD

I was so enthused about this class (Watercolour On Location) that I did about 98 percent of the homework

and pushed everything else out of my life. It was two months very well spent!

 

I learned how to decide on story and I’m now careful to leave out what doesn’t help the story.


I also learned how to research something I don’t know how to draw.

Previously I always thought I had to take a workshop on each element, so you’ve saved me lots of money and time!

 

Along with your Edges course, this course is now my very favorite. I sing your praises all the time, Liz.

Thank you for the ton of work you put into this. Truly outstanding!!

Vivian

All SketchingNow courses include lifetime access

to all lessons and future Group Run-throughs

inside the custom-designed SketchingNow classroom

Our custom-design classroom environment

• dedicated assignment galleries and forum so that you can connect with and be inspired with other sketchers from around the world who are working alongside you
• ability to ask Liz questions about the lessons whenever you are working through the lessons so you’ll never get stuck
• live Q&A sessions during Group Run-throughs – which will include reviews of students’ work, mini demos, bonus material and a chance to have your questions answered in real-time
• full transcripts for all video lessons so you can easily follow along
• lifetime access to all course content and any future Group Run-throughs and bonus material so you can continue to learn as your skills grow

Group Run-throughs – featured course with bonus livestreams

2021: Edges (Jun-Jul) – Sketchbook Design (Aug-Sept) – Buildings (Oct-Dec)

2022: Foundations (Jan-Apr) – Watercolour (TBA) – Watercolour On Location (TBA)

Thank you Liz for an amazing class.

 

I’ve always been very inhibited regarding my artistic capabilities and intimidated by
the talent of others, so I would rarely share my work.
Your creation of a supportive, creative and inspirational
family of artists from around the world that has allowed us to take chances,
explore new ideas and lend each other a helping hand, is a true gift!!

 

Heather

Hi! I’m Liz Steel and I’m addicted to sketching.

I’ll sketch any time, anywhere – even if I’m in a gondola!

I’m much more interested in the experience, in having fun sketching on location, than I am producing a masterpiece.

But at the same time, I’m committed to continual learning so that I can tell better stories with sketches. Constantly sharpening your observational skills is the key to successful loose sketches and that is the main goal of my SketchingNow courses.

I’m an architect by profession and although I sketched a lot for work I didn’t know how to sketch from observation. I wanted to keep a sketchbook while travelling but didn’t know how to go about this.

In 2007 I discovered watercolour in a field kit and instantly knew that is what I’d been looking for and that it would help me achieve my dream of becoming a travel sketcher.

Using my architectural training as a foundation I began to teach myself to paint and most importantly I started to sketch my life. I realised that I didn’t need to travel to become a sketcher! Simply capturing the moments of my life in a sketchbook led to a whole new way to see the world around me.

In 2012 I left my job as an architect to become a full-time sketcher and teacher.

I’m the founder of Urban Sketchers Australia and a regular instructor at the annual International Urban Sketchers symposium. I teach face-to-face workshops locally in Australia and all around the world. I also teach sketching workshops for architects.

In 2016 I published a book called 5 Minute Sketching: Architecture which is full of my best tips for sketching buildings – either quickly or slowly!

SketchingNow is the place where I share the concepts that will improve your observational skills, develop your style and take your sketching to the next level.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m a beginner, which course should I start with?

The Foundations course is the best place to start and will guide you systematically through the important skills you need to sketch your life (both at home and out on location).

• The main emphasis of Foundations is to build solid observational skills and it covers both drawing and adding colour.
• The Watercolour course specifically focuses on understanding watercolour and it is the logical next step after Foundations.
• Sketchbook Design can be done at any time and is suited to anyone who has a little sketching experience.

I’ve been sketching for a while… will Foundations be too basic for me?

Even though it’s a course designed for beginners there is a lot of content for more seasoned sketchers. Many of the things we struggle with when sketching complex scenes can be solved by sharpening our foundational observational skills. I have found that many self-taught sketchers are missing a few of these fundamental skills – such as the ability to see shapes.

In the past 12 months I’ve added over 5 hours of bonus material to the course showing how to use the core Foundations concepts in more advanced sketches and this is something that I often discuss in livestreams during Group Run-throughs.

Am I ready to do Edges, Buildings and Watercolour On Location?

The three core concepts of the Foundations – seeing edges, shapes and volumes – form the basis for these intermediate courses. So it’s recommended that you have a working knowledge of these and in addition you should be able to sight measure and feel some degree of comfort sketching scenes outside.

But having said that, beginners have done all three courses successfully and have been greatly encouraged by the support of the SketchingNow community. Many of them have afterwards gone through Foundations so that they properly develop those fundamental skills.

All SketchingNow courses have been designed to be revisited numerous times as you build your skills.

How are SketchingNow courses different from other art courses?

There are always some common themes and techniques in any art course but SketchingNow courses are specifically aimed at helping you develop your own style of sketching.

Rather than simply ‘copy-me’ type demos, SketchingNow courses teach concepts (not just techniques) and encourage you to develop your own preferences. There is also a strong focus on building solid core skills in order to create spontaneous sketches.

SketchingNow courses combine the benefits of both live and on-demand content. They contain in-depth prerecorded videos and detailed downloadable PDF handouts so that you can access the content at any time that suits you. During Group Run-throughs there are additional bonus livestreams and a strong community formed inside the specially designed classroom.

Do I have lifetime access?

Yes! of course! You have lifetime access to all existing and future content inside the classroom of the courses you sign up for.

What about Group Run-throughs?

Group Run-throughs are special events when I go through a featured course with a group – following a schedule for working through the lessons and offering regular bonus livestreams during the period.