In this first class, Pam Garrison shares simple exercises for releasing creative inhibitions in your sketchbook. You will use both your dominant and non-dominant hands to create blind contour drawings that look like mere scribbles on paper, then use a colorful paint palette to transform those scribbles into thoughtfully painted shapes. This exercise results in aesthetically pleasing sketchbook pages that are created through the process of intuitive creative exploration.

Now that you’ve had a chance to practice with pens and paints, let’s play with a few new mediums. In this class, Pam shows how to create watercolor backgrounds in a variety of colors and brushstrokes. Allow yourself to see whatever shapes come to mind and loosely outline them with pen. Add pops of color with brush pens and colored pencils, or leave your composition as is—let your creativity take the lead.

Now that you’ve created several spreads in your sketchbook, learn how to add elements of collage and hand lettering. Using cut out cardstock shapes or old paint chips, learn how to use collage to cover up unwanted doodles or to add extra dimension to your background. To complete your composition, use hand lettering to fill in blank spaces with a favorite word or quote. Best of all, Pam shares various techniques to create your own unique lettering style.

Combine all of the techniques you’ve learned in this course to create a cohesive and stunning piece of wall art. Before you get started, you’ll need to decide which mediums and techniques you’d like to use in your artwork. Once you have a rough plan, Pam will walk you through the process of pulling these elements together to create an expressive statement piece.