Artistic Line Drawing – What Do You Think About This Course Idea?
To me, all visual art begins with drawing. When you want to get to know yourself, draw! When you want to develop as an artist—say, as a painter—draw! To draw is to think. Make your lines come alive, and gradually, a whole new world will emerge, even on a small piece of paper. That’s what artistic line drawing is about.
Black drawing pen and colored pencils.
Past and Present Drawing Courses
In most of my courses, drawing plays some role. Free and artistic line drawing is especially close to my heart. In the past, I have taught two courses on the subject: Inspirational Drawing and Inspirational Drawing 2.0. These are already retired. Of my current courses, Mystical Minis comes closest to these.
Passion For Teaching Artistic Line Drawing
For some time, I have wanted to offer more help with line drawing. Not just how to draw, but also how to alter the process to take it in a more artistic direction. By “artistic,” I mean moving beyond the conventional and creating something that is both personal and at least partly abstract. I want to speak especially to those of you who want to create freely and push your boundaries—both in how you think and how you create.
Watercolors and colored pencils.
At first, I thought the material I had gathered over the past few months would be just for these blog posts. But as I have started to unpack the topics, I find myself wanting to share more than what fits into a single post—to show things in both theory and practice. So, I’ve started developing a new course, under the working title Artistic Drawing.
Artistic Line Drawing – Course Themes
Here are the themes I have selected for the upcoming course:
- Ways to Start a Drawing: I want to help you explore how you begin. You can approach your drawing like an architect, building a clear structure first—or like a gardener, letting everything grow from a single seed.
- Letting Go: If drawing does not make sense and feels directionless, letting go can be difficult. I want to give tips on how to feel free and draw anything without too much inner resistance.
- Interaction: I want to help you notice the possibilities of interaction in the creative process. This is about both how you speak to yourself and how you work with drawing. For example, a line you draw can invite another line to join the conversation.
- The Scale of Shapes: An impressionist draws in a pixel-like manner, placing tiny dots one after another. An expressionist creates larger, vector-like shapes. I want to help you use both approaches and find the combination you enjoy most.
- Presence: At its best, your drawing radiates presence. I want to help you become like a singer who doesn’t just go through the notes, but pours their whole soul out to the audience.
- Clarity: You can begin a drawing with plenty of elements, but towards the end, it is worth striving for clarity. I want to help you discover a minimalism that is not based on scarcity, but on the ability to pick the essential.
- Sense of Style: I want to help you find the things you want to add to your drawings, and the ones you want to get rid of. It is not just about developing a style, but also about developing your sense of style.
Which of these themes interests you the most? What else do you hope to be included in the course?
This sounds fabulous,
I am also interested in creating a calm, but interesting drawing in natural colours and how I can decide what the focal point could be, if I wish to have one in the composition.
Thank you, Antje! Clarity and composition go together.
Hi Paivi
Clarity and sense of style interest me as well as all the others you have listed. I guess how to structure a drawing is most important for me to understand and all of what you have listed appears to cover that. Sounds exciting.
Thank you, Marilyn!
Hi Paivi,
For me,presence and clarity. I still get lost in the details and lose what I want the viewer to focus on.
Thank you, Carol!
Ways to Start a Drawing , The Scale of Shapes — themes are interest me the most. The others are excellent too.
Päivi, your dedication and generosity is amazing. Thank you.
Thank you, Natalka!
Oh Paivi! This would be great ! I would like to learn them ALL 💜
But the most important for me are sense of style and ways to start a drawing
Looking forward to buy your new class
Thanks !
Thank you, Marina!
Paivi,
I have taken four drawing classes from you and benefited from each. I appreciate knowing that a lovely artist lives across the ocean from me in Helsinki who cares deeply about artistic endeavors. In this class, I would like to know how to begin as I have problems with that. Also, the scale of shapes would help me. Thank you. I like you very much, although I don’t personally know you, as you are thoughtful, well-spoken, and genuine.
Thank you, Kathleen!!
Ways to start and then letting go.
Looking forward to seeing the new course
Thank you
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Ways to start a drawing resonates with me a lot. I often feel the urge to draw but end up not doing it because I struggle with what to draw and where to start. Sense of Style is also something I would love to explore. I don’t want to copy other artists, I want to find my own voice and style.
Thank you, Suzanne!
Hi Paivi
thanks for this I really love your ideas. I an still working through Joyful Colouring which I’ve found very worthwhile. I could easily put this course on repeat because there is really a lot in it. I think the most difficult part of the work for me is finding the balance in the drawing so that larger forms and smaller details can relate to each other well and look like they naturally exist in the same space. I think this relates to your points about Clarity and Scale of shapes. Thank you
Thank you, Lorena!
For me, finding my own visual language and refining it, is currently my top priority in all creative deeds whether it’s painting, drawing, textile art,; digital or analog, or whatever.
(I find copying other people’s work pointless and boring even. I do understand that by copying you can learn certain things but still… )
So I guess, from your list, clarity and sense of style interest me most. Letting the drawing the reins is the most exciting feeling!
Super exciting to see what you come up with, Päivi!🤗
Thank you, Katriina!
I want to be free to use my imagination at all times, but sometimes fear holds me back and I become too rigid about the outcome. So, I am interested in finding my true ‘voice’ and following it no matter where it takes me! I think that Presence and Sense of Style might be my biggest challenges.
Thank you, Lynne!
Thank you, everyone! All the comments so far has been really helpful!
Hi Paivi,
I found Mystical Minis a very interesting and helpful course as I start to develop my style. I would find clarity and a sense of style very helpful personally.
Thank you,
Lorna
Thank you, Lorna, I am so glad to hear!!
Hi Paivi,
I would really enjoy this course and I would love to learn all of them☺️ I would also like it because it helps with the process as a whole which stops me often so I can focus on the creativity and get loose.
Thank you for sharing your art and teaching, it made that I am painting and drawing again😊
Thank you, Anja!!
This is very appealing, particularly as my inability to draw is embarrassing! I’m very interested in ways to start a drawing—your approach sounds most attractive.
Thanks so much, Sophia!
Ways to Start, Letting Go, Interaction, Clarity would be my main interests in Artistic Line. One additional part might be varying lines: when, how, colors? Thanks for asking!
Susan
Thank you, Susan, very helpful!