What to Expect From Your First Online Drawing Class

Signing up for your first online drawing class can feel a bit nerve-racking. Will everyone else be better than you? Will anyone see your drawings? Here is what a live online class with me is really like, so you can arrive feeling calm.

The short answer: you join with a pencil, paints and a sketchbook, the teacher shows you what to do step by step, and you draw along at your own pace. Nobody is judging your page.

Before your first online drawing class

• Find a sketchbook or some paper, and a pencil or pen

• Put out any colour materials you would like to try

• Check the joining link a little early, so you are not rushing

• Choose a spot with decent light and a bit of table space

During the class

Me, the teacher, usually demonstrates a subject or technique and talks you through it. You draw along, pausing the moment you need to catch up. You are welcome to use what you already own, rather than copying the exact materials.

You can have your camera on or off and you can ask questions live, or use the chat to be a little more in the background.

After the class

Keep your pages, even the ones you do not love. They show you how far you have come. If there is a recording, you can watch again and draw along a second time.

Common worries, answered

• Everyone else will be better than me.

  • Most people in a beginner class are just starting out too.

• I will not keep up.

  • Thats totally ok, you can pause, slow down and finish later.

• I do not have the right materials.

  • Start with what you have.

What it is like in the Sketchbook Circle

Every week I host a live class on Google Meet on Thursdays at 6 PM UK time, and there is a library of past class recordings if you cannot make it. You will find the details on the Sketchbook Circle page.

New to drawing altogether? Read Online art classes for beginners or start with the Sketch Hub, which uses only a pen, pencil or brush pen.