No. 15: Lots of Links
Classes, guest posting, live drawing, and more
I am working on a story about portraits and my feelings around drawing people, but it’s not quite ready. Since moving my newsletter over to Substack, I have been focused on sharing stories alongside images that explore a different side of my work beyond the random Instagram post. But these emails also serve to share announcements and classes, and this week I have so much to tell you about! Things like class links, replays, guest posts—a lot has been happening behind the scenes these past few weeks. So the portrait story will come next week, and in the meantime, go ahead and scroll through to see all of the links I have to share. Also coming soon, I will announce details about a weeklong workshop I am teaching in Spain in 2024!
I Have A New Skillshare Class!
At last, after about a year of thought and preparation, I have created a new Skillshare class called Drawing Every Day: Motivational Sketchbook Practices for Creative Fulfillment. I am so pleased with the reaction and the projects showing up in the shared gallery. Great news arrived just a few days after the class launched: it’s a “Staff Pick”!
To celebrate, I have decided to do a fun giveaway for all who are able to take the class (you can sign up for a free month if you don’t have a Skillshare account). Caran d’Ache has given me many of the supplies I used in the class to share with one winner, and anyone who leaves a review or shares a project before July 6 will be in the pool to win. If you share a project and leave a review, then you get two entries. Check out the class here!
What’s Behind The Door? - June 29th at 1pm EST/7pm GMT+2
I am excited to be hosting a class with my friend David Morales.We are going to open some doors in each of our homes and draw what’s inside or behind them as our focus. We will be sharing some reference images with those of you who register, so you can follow along with us. Or you can open the doors in your home and draw from your own references. David and I will draw (and I will paint) live while answering questions, and there will be time for guests to share work at the end. We also have an amazing moderator helping us host the class.
If you are unable to attend the live class via Zoom, the recording will be sent to everyone who registers a day or two after the event.
For all details and to register, click here.
Sakura of America Special Guest
I have had the pleasure of guest-posting on the Sakura of America Instagram this week. I worked on a special series for the posts in a small sketchbook, and I got so into it, I ended up filling about twelve pages. You can see the posts here.
Handwritten Invitations with Derwent - Link!
My latest class with Derwent is now live on the Michaels Stores YouTube channel! This was a great class, and though the focus was on handwritten invitations, the content is relevant to so many different projects. Check out the replay here.
Continuous Line Drawings with France Belleville–Van Stone
Sketch! author France Belleville–Van Stone and I recently drew each other live on Instagram. At first I was pretty intimidated, as she is so skilled at drawing people, but I stepped into the challenge with an open mind and I held my own. We really enjoyed the process, which is the most important thing, and it was a bonus that we were happy with the results. You can watch the replay here.
France was also the special guest at my recent Draw Your World meetup. We had a great talk and she led us through her favorite warmup and doodling exercises. These exercises are so important to free the mind as you put color and marks down on paper. If you want to join in on any of my special meetups (and have access to my prompts and more), please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
Ambassador and Affiliate codes
If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I am a loyal fan of Blackwing pencils. I have one or two (or even three) in my bag at all times. I am really honored that they have just added me as an official ambassador for the brand. If you’d like to try out the pencils for yourself, and also help support my work, please shop using my unique link, blackwing602.com/sdionbaker. When you purchase using my link, there’s no additional cost to you and I earn a small commission. I appreciate your support!
Additionally, all Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10. They just introduced a mini light, so there are even more options to choose from!
I've got so many tabs open with all these links, Samantha! Thanks for sharing the replay of the live drawing - really looking forward to watching that tomorrow. I love continuous line drawing but haven't done it for ages. This seems like a sign to get a pencil out. The photo of you with your book at the Met is amazing - must feel so good to see it out in the wild especially in such an incredible place!