Exploratory Sketchbook: Find Your Drawing Style
A course by Sarah van Dongen , Illustrator
Joined March 2020
Discover fun methods to develop your ideas and draw from observation using gouache, watercolor, and colored pencils
Discover fun methods to develop your ideas and draw from observation using gouache, watercolor, and colored pencils
An original idea can come in many shapes and colors—sometimes when we least expect them and often when we’re drawing without restraint. Illustrator Sarah van Dongen believes having fun is one of the most important components of the creative process and finds it’s key to being able to create daily. She describes her illustrations as something between reality and imagination, using her life’s everyday moments as prompts to fill her sketchbooks and create illustrations for clients like Tiny Owl Publishing, Adobe, and AWW magazine.
Let Sarah take you on an inspiring journey through her illustration universe. Discover her methods for creating unique illustrations and finding your drawing style. Learn how to use color, composition, texture, and anatomy to draw from observation and tell the stories you want to tell.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 27 downloads
- 99% positive reviews (2.3K)
- 69,608 students
- 16 lessons (2h 34m)
- 27 additional resources (12 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a self-portrait illustration with mixed media by following Sarah’s creative techniques.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for illustrators of all levels who would like to improve their observational drawing techniques and discover their unique drawing style.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you will need a curiosity to explore your creative ideas and illustration style.
As for materials, you will need a sketchbook (or loose pages), gouache, graphites, colored pencils, and any other drawing material you wish to use such as markers, crayons, chalk, watercolors, etc.
Reviews
A course by Sarah van Dongen
Sarah van Dongen is a Dutch illustrator based in Amsterdam who is passionate about telling stories. She began her studies in comparative literature but enrolled in the MA in Children’s Books Illustration in Cambridge, UK after realizing she wanted to pursue a more creative career.
Sarah’s illustration work can be found in children’s books, stationery, newspapers, and magazines across the globe. Her clients include Flow Magazine, Adobe, Tiny Owl Publishing, and Ragged Bears Publishing, among others. Sarah enjoys exploring themes like gardens, food, social interactions, mental health, and her childhood. She doesn’t shy away from subjects like insecurity, loneliness, and loss, she expresses them in her sketches to help make these feelings more comprehensible.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Introduction
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Influences
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What Will We Do in this Course?
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U2
Materials Matter
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The Sketchbook
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My Materials
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Use of Materials
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U3
Preparation Exercises
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Color, Contrast and Balance
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Observation and Mind Bank
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Simple Anatomy and Self Portrait
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Perspective and Composition
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U4
Complete Illustration
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The Story, Sketch and Color Palette
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Layer One, Paint
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Layer Two, Colored Pencils and Markers 1
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Layer Two, Colored Pencils and Markers 2
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U5
Fill that Sketchbook
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The Next Image
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Sharing Your Work on Social Media
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FP
Final project
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Exploratory Sketchbook: Find Your Drawing Style
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
rosalyedery
This course was really valuable. I really like how Sarah explains things and what she shared about her story. It inspired me to believe in my art more. It was my first time illustrating and I was impressed that I was able to do it. I also really loved seeing how Sarah uses different mediums and it has inspired me to try that out. I would 100% recommend this course and is my favourite.
jenray
This is my favorite Domestika course of all, one of my favorite courses I've ever taken. Sarah is so personable and straightforward, and shares so much valuable information. It really got me working in my sketchbook again! I think I'll return to this one again and again. Thank you!
gabysalcedo
PlusMe encantó! Aprendí tips muy buenos y me gustó toda la información extra que nos dio Sarah.
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ivonbonbon
Thank you so much for this beautiful, colorful course! I really enjoyed it. It was very thorough and well explained. I really enjoyed seeing how fast her sketches came to life. The color palette was super soothing to look at. I’ve really learned a lot.
peanuts775
Very detailed and inspiring and motivating. love it.