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When I spoke with artist and NASA astronaut Capt. Alan Bean several weeks ago, one of the first questions he asked me was, "Are you taking lessons?" He wanted to know if I was challenging myself to grow, to get better at my craft—and if not, why not? It's the 'always eager to learn' mindset that took him to the moon and back and still burns bright 60 years later. It also happens to be a trait I've found present in most everyone I've ever admired.
To be honest, it's been many years since I've taken an art class, but as luck would have it, I had just enrolled in an online class offered by Sketchbook Skool earlier that same week. So I was able to tell Capt. Bean that yes, I was in fact taking lessons!
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Sketchbook Skool was co-founded by Koosje Koene and Danny Gregory (pictured above). The ciriculum is heavily influenced by the Urban Sketching and Art Journaling movements, but they offer many types of drawing courses. Click here to see the list.
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My class—or 'klass,' as they call it—was titled 'Exploring,' and featured five teachers (one per week): Danny Gregory, Nina Johansson, Brian Butler, Lynne Chapman and Felix Scheinberger.
You can view Sketchbook Skool's full 'Fakulty' list here, and here's an interesting post about what the teachers have been up to lately. It's a talented and creative bunch, to be sure!
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My first two teachers were Danny Gregory and Nina Johansson. (I've shared their bios from the Sketchbook Skool website, below.)
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…have inspired tens of thousands of new artists around the world to join him in a new creative habit. Visit Danny's website.
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Nina Johansson teaches art, design, photography, filmmaking and more in her home base of Stockholm, Sweden.
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She’s famous among Urban Sketchers for her book of sketches on Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and her beautiful watercolors of other places around the world. Visit Nina's website.
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These lamp drawings were part of my first 'crosshatching' assignment in Danny Gregory's 'klass.'
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A 'klass' contained anywhere from 10-15 short videos (2-15 minutes in length, each) and included videos of the teachers showing their work, discussing the materials they use, explaining illustration concepts, and demonstrating their techniques. There was also a long question and answer session at the end of each week.
Following each 'klass,' students were invited to post their work, and critique the work of other students, in a 'Homework Gallery.' Sharing your work with others can be intimidating, but Sketchbook Skool students—who literally come from all over the world—were some of the nicest, most positive people I've ever met.
Even the teachers chimed in on occasion…
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The drawing of a house at the beginning of this email was my homework assignment from my klass with Nina Johansson. Her lectures about drawing on location were wonderful and a real eye opener for me. (I typically spend my drawing time tucked behind a desk in my office or studio.)
I learned a lot in my first two weeks of Sketchbook Skool and had an absolute blast. It's the best $99 I've spent in a while, and I've created a new motto for myself: Always. Be. Learning.
To learn more about Sketchbook Skool, visit their website.
Next week, I'll tell you about my 3rd and 4th weeks at Sketchbook Skool. Until then, it's back to the drawing board!
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This is the 1st installment of a 3-part series about Sketchbook Skool. Part II will appear in next week's newsletter. Part III will appear in the June 23rd issue.
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"My drawing began as a way to count my blessings. To study, capture, catalog the things that, despite it all, make my life rich."
–Danny Gregory
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1. Many famous artists are known for their journals and art diaries. The sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci are probably the best known example. Read more: The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.
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2. The original and only copy of Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, Codex Leicester, was purchased by Bill Gates for over $30 million in 1994. You can study the Codex online here.
3. It's believed that Michelangelo illustrated the handwritten 16th-century grocery list shown below because the servant he was sending to market was illiterate.
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4. This five-part video series in the NYTimes examines the way we engage with art today. As Jerry Saltz, senior art critic for New York magazine, says, "It's helpful to look at the first instances of art that we know of. Cave paintings are as significant in the development of human history as the wheel, fire… coffee." ;-)
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5. NeoLucida XL: Trace what you see with the larger, easier-to-use next generation camera lucida (from the team that brought you the NeoLucida).
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"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding."
–Leonardo da Vinci
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Welcome new subscribers to The Happiness of Art! Click here, or on the image below, to see past issues.
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If you enjoy The Happiness of Art, please share it with friends. It's easy: just click one of the buttons below. Thanks!
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"I am still learning."
–Michelangelo
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"Draw, Antonio; draw, Antonio; draw and don't waste time."
–Michelangelo
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Each month I give away one hand-signed, limited edition Giclée fine art print to a lucky newsletter subscriber. These small 'heart' prints are both matted and framed. Winners are notified via email at the beginning of each month.
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"I often ask myself, 'What would be the ideal life?' I think an ideal life would be just drawing."
–William Steig
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Previous Newsletter Issues
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Are you unable to see the images in this email?
I'm more of an illustrator than I am a writer, so if your email client blocks the images in The Happiness of Art—you're missing out. This quick tutorial tells you how to enable images in most of the popular email clients, including AOL, Yahoo and Gmail. |
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About Me
Hi. I’m D.E.Uhlig. I’m an artist, author, husband and father.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. Years ago I gave my wife a hand-drawn card for our anniversary, and she loved it so much she made me promise to ALWAYS hand-draw her cards. Then our three kids made me promise to do the same with their birthday cards. And when I posted some of my drawings online, people began asking how they could purchase my work—so I created this newsletter. I believe in something I like to call “The Happiness of Art” and I hope it makes you smile.
Official Bio
D.E.Uhlig is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous publications including the Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, University Daily Kansan, Editorial Humor Magazine, and World Policy Journal. Commercial illustration and design clients over the years have included Samsung, Sprint, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, among others—and his Starbucks RedCup illustrations have been featured on the company's Pinterest and Facebook pages. In 1989, Mr. Uhlig co-founded Uhlig LLC, a leading provider of cross-media publishing and communication services in industries ranging from residential housing to book publishing to cancer care. Mr. Uhlig is married with three children and resides in Kansas City. He is currently working on children’s books, ebooks and apps.
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