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.

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.

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?