Drawing League schools and student work: Click here
Our new website: Click here
What Do You Want to Draw Today?
Friday, June 17, 2011
Please Visit Our New Website!
To see the latest student drawings from Santa Cruz and Monterey schools as well as our new Scribbles Institute drawing studio at 303 Potrero #59 Santa Cruz, California 831.421.0774:
Drawing League schools and student work: Click here
Our new website: Click here
What Do You Want to Draw Today?
Drawing League schools and student work: Click here
Our new website: Click here
What Do You Want to Draw Today?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Now Open: New Scribbles Institute Studio!
Finally, the doors are open to our new Scribbles Institute drawing studio, located in the historic Old Sash Mill complex near downtown Santa Cruz. We've got a lot of table space, plenty of paper and drawing materials, new easels and drawing horses to sit on, superb lighting, and new things to draw. Lenz Art Supply, the coolest art store on the planet, is just a couple of blocks away. Good eateries abound nearby and we have a kitchen to store wine, cheese, snacks, etc. We even have an iPod docking station to play everyone's favorite tunes. All that's missing is you.
Inspired yet? Classes and workshops are starting soon! We'll have a grand opening bash sometime in the future, too. Contact Rob for more info. Or stop by the new studio: 303 Potrero #59 (Old Sash Mill). Note: Since Rob is currently teaching at 10 schools, please set up an appointment to see the studio. Get ready to draw!
Premiere Issue of Drawing League Magazine
Check it out! Flip through highlights from last year's (Fall 2009-Spring 2010) high school and adult Drawing League Students:
Purchase copies of Drawing League magazine for family, friends, your school: Click here
Download a PDF of Drawing League magazine: Click here
We're currently working on the Fall 2010-Spring 2011 issue.
Purchase copies of Drawing League magazine for family, friends, your school: Click here
Download a PDF of Drawing League magazine: Click here
We're currently working on the Fall 2010-Spring 2011 issue.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Observe and Sketch, Naturally
Kids can make drawing look easy, even when it comes to the challenges of sketching what they see in real life. We can learn a lot about observational drawing by simply observing a confident young artist in action.
Recently I caught up with my son and his family at a basketball tournament that my eldest grandson was playing in. As I walked up the bleachers I noticed one of my grandchildren, Jordan, intently filling a page in his sketchbook.
All four of my grandchildren have enjoyed drawing through the years and have helped me test ideas for my how-to-draw books. As they've grown older, their interests have changed (basketball and softball currently reign supreme in their household) but Jordan still proclaims with confidence, "I'm an artist!". At 8 years-old, on this b-ball game day, he was busy making the leap to a very crucial stage in childhood skills: drawing realistically from observation.
As he laid out details of the high school gym, I was amazed with his focused studies of the placement of overhead light fixtures and the parallel patterns of the cross-court bleachers. The boundary lines of the court were drawn proportionately and angled in perspective--early signs of showing depth of space in his composition. He would patiently observe his target of interest; then swiftly move his pencil to the page and draw it as he saw it.
In my drawing courses, from day one, a main goal is getting students to reconnect with the excitement of childhood drawing. On this hot summer afternoon, as Jordan rendered his court-side observations, I witnessed the natural instincts of the artist that we all used to be, and would like to be again.
Whenever you get the privilege to watch your kids draw: sit back, observe, and vicariously relive the magic.
Recently I caught up with my son and his family at a basketball tournament that my eldest grandson was playing in. As I walked up the bleachers I noticed one of my grandchildren, Jordan, intently filling a page in his sketchbook.
All four of my grandchildren have enjoyed drawing through the years and have helped me test ideas for my how-to-draw books. As they've grown older, their interests have changed (basketball and softball currently reign supreme in their household) but Jordan still proclaims with confidence, "I'm an artist!". At 8 years-old, on this b-ball game day, he was busy making the leap to a very crucial stage in childhood skills: drawing realistically from observation.
As he laid out details of the high school gym, I was amazed with his focused studies of the placement of overhead light fixtures and the parallel patterns of the cross-court bleachers. The boundary lines of the court were drawn proportionately and angled in perspective--early signs of showing depth of space in his composition. He would patiently observe his target of interest; then swiftly move his pencil to the page and draw it as he saw it.
In my drawing courses, from day one, a main goal is getting students to reconnect with the excitement of childhood drawing. On this hot summer afternoon, as Jordan rendered his court-side observations, I witnessed the natural instincts of the artist that we all used to be, and would like to be again.
Whenever you get the privilege to watch your kids draw: sit back, observe, and vicariously relive the magic.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
In the Zone: Becoming One With Your Pencil
Imagine yourself playing your favorite sport. Forgetting all limitations, you perform flawlessly and are unstoppable as you tally up point after point. You're in a state of mind where time is suspended and movement flows without having to think of fundamental skills. This is called being in the Zone, and it is the state of mind you want to strive for while drawing.
Being in the Zone is when the intense concentration on what you're drawing gives way to effortless zen-like pencil strokes. It's as if your drawing hand takes on a mind of its own, while lines and shapes flow from your pencil tip. For beginning and advanced sketchers alike, finding this blissful state of transcendental drawing can prove to be elusive and challenging.
Doodling is a great way to drop into the Zone. Some of the best doodlers in Santa Cruz, California, attend Highlands Community School
Baseball legend Yogi Berra famously said, "Ninety percent of hitting is mental, the other half is physical." And so it also goes in drawing: much of the process is mental, even before pencil meets paper. Letting go of preconceived notions about drawing and training yourself to see like an artist will help you start mental conditioning. Taking your drawing skills into the Zone--and staying there for extended periods of time--takes a special mindset indeed.
3 Ways to Draw Yourself Into the Zone:
Be the Pencil: Visualize Drawing
Like an athlete in training, envision yourself with pencil in hand, poised and confident, your arm gliding effortlessly through long, graceful arcs. Picture yourself laying down guidelines and accurate construction lines, making corrections, and finishing your drawing with artistic flair. The artist Andrew Wyeth once said, "I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious." Dream about drawing.
Eliminate Distraction
Left: Two Star Community Sketchers in Santa Cruz, California, share an iPod as they prepare for a challenging observational drawing lesson.
Music can help you focus and get deeper into your drawing. Maybe the sounds of ocean waves or wind rustling through trees will trigger your mood for inspired sketching. For Juan Arroyo, a high school student in Salinas, California, silence is his preferred mode for getting in the Zone. It's important to find a special place where you can focus on matters at hand, silence your inner critic, and draw out your inner artist.
Be Spontaneous
Random acts of doodling are excellent for prying open the doors of creativity and stepping into the Zone. Experiment. Loosen up your line work. Draw on top of mistakes: let errors and corrections add to your composition. Embracing mistakes, then getting past them, gives way to the spirit of discovery. And then the real fun begins!
Drawing can be a very productive meditation. Whether drawing from observation or imagination, it takes effort to find the Zone, just like when you're playing sports. But with practice it gets easier and easier to naturally drop into it. Keep pencil to paper, push your drawing abilities into uncharted waters. Suddenly, unexpectedly, you'll feel the cerebral shift as the gravity of the Zone pulls you into its orbit. Once there, each pencil stroke will feel like it's being channeled from a fearless, profound place where anything is possible.
One of the all-time greats, who has perhaps been in the Zone more than any athlete in history, is Michael Jordan. Here's a lesson on how to draw his portrait, see if you can drop into the Zone: Click here
Being in the Zone is when the intense concentration on what you're drawing gives way to effortless zen-like pencil strokes. It's as if your drawing hand takes on a mind of its own, while lines and shapes flow from your pencil tip. For beginning and advanced sketchers alike, finding this blissful state of transcendental drawing can prove to be elusive and challenging.
Doodling is a great way to drop into the Zone. Some of the best doodlers in Santa Cruz, California, attend Highlands Community School
Baseball legend Yogi Berra famously said, "Ninety percent of hitting is mental, the other half is physical." And so it also goes in drawing: much of the process is mental, even before pencil meets paper. Letting go of preconceived notions about drawing and training yourself to see like an artist will help you start mental conditioning. Taking your drawing skills into the Zone--and staying there for extended periods of time--takes a special mindset indeed.
3 Ways to Draw Yourself Into the Zone:
Be the Pencil: Visualize Drawing
Like an athlete in training, envision yourself with pencil in hand, poised and confident, your arm gliding effortlessly through long, graceful arcs. Picture yourself laying down guidelines and accurate construction lines, making corrections, and finishing your drawing with artistic flair. The artist Andrew Wyeth once said, "I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious." Dream about drawing.
Eliminate DistractionLeft: Two Star Community Sketchers in Santa Cruz, California, share an iPod as they prepare for a challenging observational drawing lesson.
Music can help you focus and get deeper into your drawing. Maybe the sounds of ocean waves or wind rustling through trees will trigger your mood for inspired sketching. For Juan Arroyo, a high school student in Salinas, California, silence is his preferred mode for getting in the Zone. It's important to find a special place where you can focus on matters at hand, silence your inner critic, and draw out your inner artist.
Be Spontaneous
Random acts of doodling are excellent for prying open the doors of creativity and stepping into the Zone. Experiment. Loosen up your line work. Draw on top of mistakes: let errors and corrections add to your composition. Embracing mistakes, then getting past them, gives way to the spirit of discovery. And then the real fun begins!
Drawing can be a very productive meditation. Whether drawing from observation or imagination, it takes effort to find the Zone, just like when you're playing sports. But with practice it gets easier and easier to naturally drop into it. Keep pencil to paper, push your drawing abilities into uncharted waters. Suddenly, unexpectedly, you'll feel the cerebral shift as the gravity of the Zone pulls you into its orbit. Once there, each pencil stroke will feel like it's being channeled from a fearless, profound place where anything is possible.
One of the all-time greats, who has perhaps been in the Zone more than any athlete in history, is Michael Jordan. Here's a lesson on how to draw his portrait, see if you can drop into the Zone: Click here
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Drawing on the Job: Ever Wonder Who Draws Those Cool Hand-Made Signs in Restaurants and Grocery Stores?
Hand-drawn, artistic signs make our wait at the deli counter or navigating the produce department a more pleasurable experience. But who are the unknown artists behind the countless chalkboard and ink signs we see in our neighborhood grocery stores, restaurants, and coffee shops?
Erin Piester draws signs that are functional and fun to look at
Combining the Love for Drawing, Lettering, and Retail Service
Sometimes incorporating elaborate drawings of vines and veggies or just a simple flourish of lettering for the day's price on tomatoes, Erin Piester's signage abounds in the isles of Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The 30-year-old pastel artist studied nutrition and dietetics and works as a landscaper, but her drawing skills come to life during mornings spent creating the colorful signs at Guido's.
Erin's thoughtfully drawn, creative signs can bring a smile to a customer's face.
Author Steven Heller writes, on the New York Times blog, that Erin "has raised a mundane craft to alluring art." He goes on to say that her soothingly naturalistic yet engagingly abstract signs "are so joyful and jolly that you don’t mind the often high prices — which are usually rendered in white chalk."
Chalk It Up to Success
Claire Watson's menu boards display the power of solid drawing skills.
Claire Watson has taken her love of chalk art to a delightful extreme. While working in restaurants Claire started drawing chalkboard menus. What started as a side job became a bustling little enterprise called Chalk It Up Signs and Graphics, located in British Columbia. Her husband crafts the wooden frames on the smudge-proof, hand-illustrated menu boards hanging in markets, pubs, and retail establishments across the globe.
According to her company website, Claire recalls, “I’ve been pumpin’ out signs full time for about five years now, about 400 in total. But it started about 12 years ago. Working in the food and beverage industry, I was the one who wrote out the menu boards.”
Nowadays, in her busy studio, music plays and the espresso machine is always on as the self-taught artist has diversified with new projects such as fabric banners, brochures for clients, illustrated ESL children's books, and her own pastel art exhibits. Focused on balancing family and work, Claire Watson has attained a lifestyle that many of us sketchers only dream of. She says with confidence, "I get to design and draw every day."
So, next time you're waiting for the morning brew at the local java house, toss an extra tip in the jar to show your appreciation for those whimsical hand-crafted signs on the counter; they may have been created by an enterprising young employee, honing their drawing skills for a colorful future.
I'm always looking for examples of how people use drawing in their everyday work life. If you use drawing on the job please contact me, I'd like to post your story on this blog. --Rob
Erin Piester draws signs that are functional and fun to look at
Combining the Love for Drawing, Lettering, and Retail Service
Sometimes incorporating elaborate drawings of vines and veggies or just a simple flourish of lettering for the day's price on tomatoes, Erin Piester's signage abounds in the isles of Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The 30-year-old pastel artist studied nutrition and dietetics and works as a landscaper, but her drawing skills come to life during mornings spent creating the colorful signs at Guido's.
Erin's thoughtfully drawn, creative signs can bring a smile to a customer's face.
Author Steven Heller writes, on the New York Times blog, that Erin "has raised a mundane craft to alluring art." He goes on to say that her soothingly naturalistic yet engagingly abstract signs "are so joyful and jolly that you don’t mind the often high prices — which are usually rendered in white chalk."
Chalk It Up to Success
Claire Watson's menu boards display the power of solid drawing skills.
Claire Watson has taken her love of chalk art to a delightful extreme. While working in restaurants Claire started drawing chalkboard menus. What started as a side job became a bustling little enterprise called Chalk It Up Signs and Graphics, located in British Columbia. Her husband crafts the wooden frames on the smudge-proof, hand-illustrated menu boards hanging in markets, pubs, and retail establishments across the globe.
According to her company website, Claire recalls, “I’ve been pumpin’ out signs full time for about five years now, about 400 in total. But it started about 12 years ago. Working in the food and beverage industry, I was the one who wrote out the menu boards.”Nowadays, in her busy studio, music plays and the espresso machine is always on as the self-taught artist has diversified with new projects such as fabric banners, brochures for clients, illustrated ESL children's books, and her own pastel art exhibits. Focused on balancing family and work, Claire Watson has attained a lifestyle that many of us sketchers only dream of. She says with confidence, "I get to design and draw every day."
So, next time you're waiting for the morning brew at the local java house, toss an extra tip in the jar to show your appreciation for those whimsical hand-crafted signs on the counter; they may have been created by an enterprising young employee, honing their drawing skills for a colorful future.
I'm always looking for examples of how people use drawing in their everyday work life. If you use drawing on the job please contact me, I'd like to post your story on this blog. --Rob
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
New Adult Drawing Classes in September and October at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
Attention: past, present, and future adult students! I'm planning for Fall classes and am excited that so many of you wish to continue exploring ways to Draw the Moment! It's also WAY cool that a lot of people are interested in taking our beginners Level 1 class. A special thanks to Gretchen, Linda, and Rhea at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center for helping with scheduling and providing such an awesome facility for our sessions. I look forward to drawing with everyone soon! --Rob
New! Beginners Class (Level 1) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
Explore drawing for enjoyment, work, and school. Draw the Moment is a fun and informative series of 4 adult workshop/classes for beginners, especially those who think they can't draw! Students are encouraged to express their own styles as they build confidence in spontaneous doodling, sketching ideas, and drawing realistically.
•Wednesdays, September 8, 15, 22, 29, 7:00-9:15 p.m.
To register: Click here
New! Advanced Class (Level 3) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
By popular request, I'm combining the previous Level 1 and Level 2 groups (Val, Kirsten, Helen, Sharon, Matt, Michele, Penny, Allison) for an advanced Draw the Moment session. We'll further explore techniques and principles including composition, form, and light and shadow.
Here are the schedule options:
• Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27 7:00-9:15 pm
• Fridays, September 3, 10, 17, 24 7:00-9:15 pm
Wednesdays are probably the preferred evenings to meet, but please let me know what works for you. This session with the Santa Cruz Mountains Sketchers will be a lot of fun! Cost is $100 for members, $125 non-members; $10 material fee
Please let me know asap if you can join us and which schedule works better for everyone: email
Attn: Val, Kirsten, Helen, Sharon
I'm offering 2 special classes to help you prepare for Level 3. We all decided that it would be nice to have a couple of lessons to catch up with the Level 2 group. If you're still interested, here are the evenings available at the Art Center: Wednesday, August 25, 7:00-9:15pm. Wednesday, September 1, 7:00-9:15pm. Cost is $50
Please let me know asap if you can join us: email
New! Beginners Class (Level 1) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
Explore drawing for enjoyment, work, and school. Draw the Moment is a fun and informative series of 4 adult workshop/classes for beginners, especially those who think they can't draw! Students are encouraged to express their own styles as they build confidence in spontaneous doodling, sketching ideas, and drawing realistically.
•Wednesdays, September 8, 15, 22, 29, 7:00-9:15 p.m.
To register: Click here
New! Advanced Class (Level 3) at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center
By popular request, I'm combining the previous Level 1 and Level 2 groups (Val, Kirsten, Helen, Sharon, Matt, Michele, Penny, Allison) for an advanced Draw the Moment session. We'll further explore techniques and principles including composition, form, and light and shadow.
Here are the schedule options:
• Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27 7:00-9:15 pm
• Fridays, September 3, 10, 17, 24 7:00-9:15 pm
Wednesdays are probably the preferred evenings to meet, but please let me know what works for you. This session with the Santa Cruz Mountains Sketchers will be a lot of fun! Cost is $100 for members, $125 non-members; $10 material fee
Please let me know asap if you can join us and which schedule works better for everyone: email
Attn: Val, Kirsten, Helen, Sharon
I'm offering 2 special classes to help you prepare for Level 3. We all decided that it would be nice to have a couple of lessons to catch up with the Level 2 group. If you're still interested, here are the evenings available at the Art Center: Wednesday, August 25, 7:00-9:15pm. Wednesday, September 1, 7:00-9:15pm. Cost is $50
Please let me know asap if you can join us: email
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