Working from nature, from the source, gathering flowers that inspire and telling stories about your garden, gives authenticity and integrity to your sketchbook. You’ve already lovingly tended your garden, selected plants that have become favourites and now they are picture-perfect. Being able to sit with them, get to know their details and interpret these with line, shape, colour and pattern - you will create a vibrant sketchbook. With videos I will show you through my eyes how I tell the visual story of my garden. I will tell you how I compose an image, how I use shape and line to describe what I see and how I layer colour to bring excitement and mixed media accidental happenings to spark joy in the process of creating a vibrant sketchbook.

This course is for you:

I’m a great believer in using what you have - I like to repurpose old books, and create collage papers.  You can draw with anything….just so long as you get started and draw. I will show you how I approach drawing - so that you can be bolder and more confident and find your flow.  You might have lots of experience, or very little, the tutorials are structured to encourage and advise and I create a supportive teaching environment whatever your level of experience.

Drawing is a process of research. It's about training the hand and eye to do the same thing - usually through a series of ‘mistakes’. The great thing about mixed-media sketchbooks is that these become layers, to be enhanced and embellished - or covered up - or collaged on to….until they become ideas we can use.

My background is in textiles, and many of my students are textile makers looking to be able to research and design from original source rather than photos. I use mark-making in my drawing reminiscent of stitch - dots and dashes. The course could work well for developing ideas for stitch. 

Ultimately the course is structured for enjoyment, with gentle encouragement and to set boundaries and a time for you to engage in creativity. The course assumes no previous experience and even the most experienced artists get the collywobbles when they are in a new learning experience - I have found the group forum to be tremendously supportive and confidence-building (and I am the teacher!).

You will finish the course with:

This online course offers you:

12 video tutorials showing you the stages I use to create my sketchbooks - layering paint, drawing and collage. From the blank page to simple drawing techniques, to embellishing with print and collage - I will walk you through my processes. You can watch these whenever is convenient for you and stop and start them as you follow along. 

30 daily drawing tasks delivered in blocks of 7 tasks - one to do each day though some can be done together - and some might give you ideas where another might get you drawing.  Each task will take approximately 45 minutes.

A 'Welcome' session with studio tour and inspiration from my studio - books and links.

A 'Goodbye' session with a summary of what you've learnt and where you can take your creativity next.

Access to an online group forum for feedback from me and other students - mutual support and motivation!

I try to use basic art equipment that most will have already. I provide links to where you can get hold of products and I sell some in my online shop. Mostly I encourage you to use what you have. :)

Suggested kit list:

What you will need to have:

What to expect:

Content filmed in 2020

"This course was such a fantastic experience. I watched all the videos before starting, and boy, by the time I got through them I was itching to jump in. I was able to clearly see how each stage (colour on white pages, sketching, background colour, foreground colours, application of textures, application of extra bits) all came together to make the pages sing. I really loved your teaching style - showing us how you work through each stage, without being overly prescriptive. We aren't replicating your creation. We were very much creating our own pieces of work, just replicating your process. That's exactly what I've been looking forward to - thank you. I also really like the mix of video, progressive photo and text."

Garden Sketchbook Student 


"What a brilliant creative time I have had. The course was an amazing experience, and has certainly got my mojo up and running again, and now I am exploring artistic areas I hadn't tried before. Helen is a wonderful, enthusiastic tutor, offering great guidance, and has a generous willingness to share her diverse knowledge and skills. The course matter was varied and exciting, the fact that you could dip in and out whenever you had the time or inclination was a major bonus. I loved that I was creating my own art, and not just copying the tutor, which was my uninspiring previous online experience."

Garden Sketchbook online student