Welcome to this exciting, one-of-a-kind “heart-centered” sketchbook-building workshop!

In this beginner-friendly class, the students will learn solid, foundational sketching skills by sketching plants, tree roots, logs, flowers, toucans, rocks, vines, abandoned places, and many more! Watch and learn as Mr. D gives a step-by-step live demo; then follow along - as I (Mr. D) will individually help you out when you need more guidance or assistance!

This club is BEST for kids who are:
• Plant & nature lovers who like to doodle & sketch a lot!
• Kids looking for a place to draw and hang out with other cool kids
• Beginners who are committed to learning new drawing skills
• Design-savvy kids who want to get started on concept art sketching & entertainment design


GOALS
The goal of this club is to help students develop a tremendous nature-themed sketchbook - as an integral part of a design portfolio or hobby.


CLUB MEETING STRUCTURE:
Part 1 (about 5 min): Meet & Greet & Rules - Everyone will have a brief time to catch up & chat with each other; New students will welcome newcomers. Then Mr. D will briefly communicate club rules.
Part 2 (about 25 min): Live Demo & New Member Catch-Ups - Mr. Dan will introduce (or review) a plant-sketching skillset, and will teach everything via live demonstration. Learners will be asked to follow the teacher each step of the way during this time.
Part 3 (about 30 min): Lab Time - the students will then be "released" to independently work on a nature-sketching topic of the week. Or - if they have a distinctively different project they'd like to focus on, I'll support it - as long as it revolves around plants, nature, or weathered objects/places! Either way, students are strongly encouraged to WORK AND CHAT at the same time!!

This club focuses on creating a fun, self-paced learning community where we sketch and socialize simultaneously. We emphasize lots of practice - over perfection. As such, we may routinely repeat previously-covered lessons or subjects to give students opportunities to hone their skills.


WEEKLY BREAKDOWN (Tentative schedule - may adjust order based on student's learning progress) :

Week 0: Introduction - Recommended materials
Week 1: Tree Roots I, Intro to Pen Sketching
Week 2: Materials Library
Week 3: 3D Coconut Tree
Week 4: Mr. D's Flex Time - Composition, Atmospheric Perspective & Ricocheting Shapes
Week 5:  Tree Trunks, Barks, Broken Wood
Week 6: Corn on a cob, Seeds & Nuts
Week 7:  Aloe Vera, Cactus or Succulent Plants
Week 8: Mr. D's Flex Time - Weathered Objects
Week 9:  Mushrooms, Fruits
Week 10:  Flowers - Roses, Flower Pedal Studies
Week 11:  Carnivorous Plants
Week 12: Mr. D's Flex Time - Old Ruins
Week 13:  Rocks, Dirt, Grass
Week 14:  Mountains & Geological Formations
Week 15:  Abandoned Man-made Structures & Objects
Week 16: Mr. D's Flex Time - Black & White Thumbnails
(Afterwards): May either repeat all lessons above or start a drawing challenge - TBD


SKILLSETS TO BE LEARNED WILL INCLUDE:
• How to sketch from reference - without stressing out!
• How to sketch only with felt-tip pens
• How to visually "tell a story" or "convey a backstory."
• How to control varying line weights & qualities
• When to appropriately add bold lines to existing sketches
• How to add natural organic materials such as leaves, dirt, barks, fur, wood planks, etc.
• How to render weather effects
• Atmospheric perspective
• Basic 1-point perspective
• Basic set design
• How to use composition to convey mood and story
• Tips for digital painting with Procreate and Photoshop
• Marker shading/coloring techniques
• How to use white pencils or gouache to add highlights & reflections
• Basics of how to render water reflections or chrome surfaces