This is the class that started it all: our years-long fascination with Daily Practice classes. Featuring updated material and additional content, this is the perfect class to discover the transformative power of undertaking a big creative challenge. Every single day for a month, we challenge you to draw along with Lisa Congdon. Lisa has hand-picked 31 objects to draw, and demonstrates several ways to render each object using just your imagination. This creative exercise is designed to help you embrace wonkiness and imperfections, all while learning to see everything around you—be it bird or bikini—as artistic fodder.
 

Dyeing fabric with ice is like watching magic happen before your eyes. Lesley Ware, a maker and author of three books on sewing and fashion, takes you step-by-step through the fun and fascinating process of transforming a plain white T-shirt with dye. All you need are ice cubes and powdered dye to add a burst of color to your wardrobe and create interest with dynamic patterns.

The whole world has fallen madly in love with coloring book pages, and we have, too! We’ve teamed up three of our top art instructors—Lisa Congdon, Pam Garrison, and Courtney Cerruti—to create printable coloring pages just for you. Each week, we’ll post a new batch of downloadable pages from all three artists, plus an accompanying class taught by Courtney on creative ways to color in the pages. Courtney’s lessons go way beyond the classic crayon, covering everything from colored pencils and markers to glitter pens and watercolors, with lots of tips for blending and adding dimension.
 

Collagraphy is a printmaking process in which textured materials are collaged onto a rigid printing plate. When ink is applied to various textures, you'll see an array of interesting tones and shapes on your prints. You can make your own collagraphs out of items you find around the house. Book artist and printmaker Sarah Matthews shows you how to make different plates using cardboard, hot glue, craft foam, and string. Then you'll learn Sarah's monoprinting technique with a brayer and Gelli plate to create beautiful prints and unique papers with your handmade stamps. This class is great for beginners and kids, and you'll start looking at everything in your house as potential material for future collagraphs.

Make a bold statement without saying a word by customizing a favorite tote bag. Lesley Ware - maker, author, and fashion-as-self-care-advocate - was inspired by the signs she created to express herself in her office. In this class she teaches you how to turn your tote bags into signs in order to to share your favorite quotes and thoughts everywhere you go. It's a fun way to speak up with fashion. Learn how to paint words with stencils, embellish your bag with patches, and even replace the bag straps with some hand-sewing to make your statement tote really stand out.

Learn basic stylized line drawing from one of today’s most sought-after illustrators, Lisa Congdon. Over this four-week course, Lisa covers the basics of line drawing, shows you how to build beautiful patterned drawings, and teaches fun projects for integrating line drawing into your repertoire. Whether you are just learning how to draw, or you want to deepen a regular creative practice, this class will fuel your imagination and show you how to create infinite designs from simple shapes.

In the second episode of Line Drawing, Lisa explores a beloved topic: geometrics. She works with triangles, circles, scallops and straight lines to build overall patterns — as well as adding line work within those basic shapes. Lisa offers several exercises to loosen up your line drawings, and she offers a glimpse inside her sketchbooks to see how she meticulously builds patterns from simple shapes.

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.

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 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.

When you’re first learning how to draw, the secret is to relax, warm up, and keep it simple. Heather shares exercises to help you approach the blank page and learn how to control the pencil. Then, together, you will practice drawing everyday objects without worrying too much about realistic results. This first class is a great way to learn how to reduce objects to basic lines and shapes get past the intimidation of drawing from real life.

Now that you’ve had a chance to practice your drawing skills, you may be wondering how to add color to your illustrations. In this class, Heather uses gouache to add color to her drawings. She also demonstrates her methods for drawing and painting more complex everyday objects, as well as creating stylized portraits of pets and people.

Jumpstart your creative practice with a 31-day drawing challenge, taught by artist and professional doodler Pam Garrison. In this draw-along, Pam shares her playful, encouraging style, providing prompts and colorful demonstrations every single day for a month. Not only will you learn how to draw ordinary objects and add splashes of color, but you’ll also learn how to strengthen your creative muscles and develop a new habit. You’ll be amazed at how much your skills will grow in just one month. Be sure to post your drawings on Instagram using #cbdrawaday 
 

This project appeals to a range of personalities, since you can be loose with creating the watercolor effect and then add structure with a crisp silhouette. Christine shows you different watercolor techniques to build texture and dimension, from layered washes to dry brushing and splattering. The result is a fresh update on the classically Victorian way to capture the likeness of someone you adore.