Travel Sketching Online Course
with Jane Blundell
13-lesson course, including a detailed introduction: US$299. Pay by credit card (using Stripe), or request an invoice or instructions if you prefer to use PayPal. If you wish to pay by bank transfer within Australia, contact me and I'll send you an invoice.
Course run-through. I aim do a scheduled run-through of my courses once a year. If you have already registered, you can join in of course, or register and join up any time. I concentrate on each lesson for the full week or two weeks for longer lessons, checking all the posts and commenting. You can adjust your settings to receive updates daily or weekly as you prefer. The last run-through of this course ran from 17th January 2024 until 5th June. the next scheduled run-through will begin in February 2025. You don't need to follow a scheduled run-through - you can join up at the time that best suits you and work at your own pace. However some people like to have a sense of a 'group' working through together :-)
Here is a video to show a little snippet of the content of the course.
Here is a video to show a little snippet of the content of the course.
I've been sketching from life for as long as I can remember. Whether drawing a flower in my own garden, an amazing squash I found in a market or a beautiful cathedral I have visited in my travels, I love the freedom of having the tools I need to record what I see or find wherever I am. This course will help you to create your own perfect portable sketching kit, and teach you how to use it, starting from the comfort of your own home.
The course begins with an Introductory Lesson. This is a comprehensive guide to tools and materials, followed by 12 detailed lessons. Each lesson has a number of sections, many with video but all with step-by-step photos and written instructions. The course is designed to be followed step by step, in order, as each lesson and activity builds on the previous lessons. You can join any time and work at your own pace. You also have permanent access to the course.
Here is the basic overview of each multi-part lesson.
There are plenty of opportunities to interact with the other participants and post your work, and a question section at the end of every lesson.
Watching the videos will help you to see how tools can be used, and help you to decide which you want to buy for yourself. The best sketching kit contains the tools you want to use. You can then use the kit and the techniques to sketch your own interests, whether urban sketching, botanical, journal, or whatever.
It is a perfect course to do if you have completed my course Mastering Watercolours, but it is also designed a a stand-alone course. These two courses can be done in any order.
My suggested materials list can be downloaded below. However please don't feel you need to get everything before the course begins. Use what you have first, and see what appeals to you as we work through the course. You can take as much time as you like to complete each lesson, and courses hosted on Ruzuku give you permanent access.
The cost for the Twelve Lessons with a detailed Introduction is US$299. Payment is easy with Stripe (pay with your credit card) or PayPal. If you wish to pay by bank transfer in AU$ please contact me and I'll send you an invoice with payment details.
The course begins with an Introductory Lesson. This is a comprehensive guide to tools and materials, followed by 12 detailed lessons. Each lesson has a number of sections, many with video but all with step-by-step photos and written instructions. The course is designed to be followed step by step, in order, as each lesson and activity builds on the previous lessons. You can join any time and work at your own pace. You also have permanent access to the course.
Here is the basic overview of each multi-part lesson.
- Introduction - detailed information about materials and getting set up
- Lesson 1 - Making marks with Graphite
- Lesson 2 - Water-soluble graphite, carbon and pigment
- Lesson 3 - Felt-tip pens
- Lesson 4 - Fountain pens and ink
- Lesson 5 - Scaling and measuring to draw from life, tone in watercolour
- Lesson 6 - Watercolour part 1 - setting up and working with mixing opposites
- Lesson 7 - Watercolour part 2 - more mixing opposites and completing a full colour wheel
- Lesson 8 - Watercolour pencils, how to draw buildings
- Lesson 9 - Layouts and Lettering
- Lesson 10 - Depicting buildings and building materials in pen, pencil and watercolour
- Lesson 11 - Watercolour washes for skies, backgrounds and vignettes
- Lesson 12 - Landscape effects and depicting natural objects
There are plenty of opportunities to interact with the other participants and post your work, and a question section at the end of every lesson.
Watching the videos will help you to see how tools can be used, and help you to decide which you want to buy for yourself. The best sketching kit contains the tools you want to use. You can then use the kit and the techniques to sketch your own interests, whether urban sketching, botanical, journal, or whatever.
It is a perfect course to do if you have completed my course Mastering Watercolours, but it is also designed a a stand-alone course. These two courses can be done in any order.
My suggested materials list can be downloaded below. However please don't feel you need to get everything before the course begins. Use what you have first, and see what appeals to you as we work through the course. You can take as much time as you like to complete each lesson, and courses hosted on Ruzuku give you permanent access.
The cost for the Twelve Lessons with a detailed Introduction is US$299. Payment is easy with Stripe (pay with your credit card) or PayPal. If you wish to pay by bank transfer in AU$ please contact me and I'll send you an invoice with payment details.
| travel_sketching_materials_list.pdf |
Testimonials
'Well, you have done it again! 😃The Travel Sketching class is amazing and wonderful. I am learning so much about things I had hoped to learn about such as tools plus things I didn't realize we would be learning like drawing skills and techniques. It's fantastic!' October 2020
(About final sketch posted in the course) "I think this sketch is a great encapsulation of everything I’ve learned in this course...From getting the perspective and measuring right, to mixing the colors and shadows, to getting the foliage right, to the windows and bricks—including the red bricks just outside my window—to the terra-cotta roof, to the threatening skies in the background I’ve learned so much and feel so much more comfortable drawing, painting, and sketching on location. I looked back and I’ve posted more than 70 times throughout the course - just an incredibly body of work, and so many pencil, pen, and brush miles. Thank you so much Jane! This course surpassed even my wildest expectations." November 2020.
"We are at the end of another journey, thank you Jane it has been great, I have learnt so many new things, & had a go at doing so many new things that are out of my comfort zone. Thanks also to my class mates...I do appreciate all the wonderful word of encouragement & have learnt so much from reading what everyone has to say. Thank you again Jane , I have gained so much confidence, now I have to get the courage to sketch with people watching. I think this will be my greatest challenge. It was sad to wake up this morning with no new lesson, Thanks again see you all in another course." October 2020
(About final sketch project) "I think this sketch is a great encapsulation of everything I’ve learned in this course (even if I was technically ‘inside’.) From getting the perspective and measuring right, to mixing the colors and shadows, to getting the foliage right, to the windows and bricks—including the red bricks just outside my window—to the terra-cotta roof, to the threatening skies in the background I’ve learned so much and feel so much more comfortable drawing, painting, and sketching on location. I looked back and I’ve posted more than 70 times throughout the course - just an incredibly body of work, and so many pencil, pen, and brush miles.
Thank you so much Jane! This course surpassed even my wildest expectations." Phil. December 2020.
"As a watercolor painter of 6 years, I have accumulated quite an arsenal of different materials and paints. The Travel Sketching course has taught me how to study my tools and utilize them, which might seem intuitive but was valuable to me. I have always admired Jane’s work which contain both detailed passages and looser areas and was keen on understanding the techniques that she employs. I have learned quite a bit from this course including how to measure for direct observational sketching, harmonious color mixing, utilizing different tools/techniques and about how Jane depicts buildings, skies, foliage, objects, etc. As I slowly digest and finish this course, I feel that I have gained a clearer understanding of how I want to continue my lifelong journey in learning art. Thank you Jane for an info dense, quality course!" Kashfia March 2021
"Thanks to Jane Blundell’s Travel Sketching course I can intuitively mix color in the heat of painting. Her exercise will teach you how to use her 15 pigment palette so that you can mix the color that you ‘see’. I feel as though I missed a foundation in art having never taken formal training other than workshops. Her course has filled that gap with a survey of sketching materials. She has introduced me to some of my favorite sketching tools, such as water soluble graphite pencils and Rosemary & Company travel brushes. I never suspected that fountain pens could be a part of sketching. Her gorgeous paintings let me know that was possible. The high quality of work shared on this course was very intimidating at first. It forced me to stop comparing my work to others, which has been such a valuable lesson. With the work of doing Jane’s lessons I’ve seen progress in my art. For the first time I have created original watercolor sketches!" Carol. Tucson, Arizona. July 2021
This page was last updated in December 2023