First thing’s first: Your support makes it possible for me to take April off. I’ll be in deep focus mode as I finish writing and illustrating the first four chapters of this book. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to devote all my energy to this meaningful project next month.

There will be no new content in April, and no one will be charged.

If you’re a paid member by noon EST on April 1, you’ll have access to everything during the pause, including:

• Guided drawing videos

• Color Tutorials

• Drawing Session Replays

• Members-chat (I’ve opened it up so paid members can post during the pause!)

  Subscribe now

✏️ Got a drawing question or need help?

Post in the chat! It’s there for you to share art, get unstuck, curious about a material, or just want to say hello and send kind, supportive vibes. Introvert Drawing Club is filled with kind, inspiring humans who are happy to help. They’ve helped me get unstuck MANY times!

🧹 Housekeeping

You can now practice drawing by category! That list is always available in the contents page, which is pinned to the homepage at introvertdrawingclub.com.

Here are some shows, books, and songs I’m enjoying lately.

📺 Watch

Neighbors - Wildly dramatic disputes between neighbors. Clever editing, so very entertaining, and definitely not kid-friendly.

Older than Ireland - A documentary with the most charming cast ever.

Cat Daddies - Felines and the fellows who love them.

📚Read

I’ve finished the two on the ends and Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing is in progress.

If you like The Power of Now, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy A New Earth. You can listen to Oprah chat about Chapter 10 in this interview, which was lovely to play while tidying up my workspace.

🎵Listen

A collection of fun tunes to draw to from our Soundtrack Session playlists:

• Indie Rock

• 90’s Alternative

• Jaunty & Uplifting

• Emergency Inner Critic Playlist

💻Work

Worm Zoom sessions are 9 am - 11 am EST on weekdays. It’s 2 hours off off-camera working with a lovely check-in chat at the end.

I’ve also been joining ’s coworking on Tuesdays at 12pm EST. I’m writing this from his session at this very moment!

Again, thank you for being here and being awesome.

I can’t wait to come back in a month with new guest artist cohosts, fresh ideas, and a fun new animal theme for us to draw. Let me know what books, songs, and shows you’re loving and let’s chat about them when we gather again in May!

⭐️ Introvert Drawing Club is pausing in April.

Upgrade before the pause, and you won’t get charged next month. It’s the perfect time to catch up on all the guided drawing videos, live session replays, and color studies for free. But you have to get in before April 1!

Subscribe now

SUNDAY

FREE BSA Club Paint & Draw session with We’re painting and drawing current day Peace keepers. 10am est.

Let’s draw landscapes master studies! with - This week I invite you to draw landscapes by famous painters. - 12pm EST

MONDAY

​Drawn Words, Illustrated Quotes — Closing Meetup with - ​After five days of experimenting with illustrated quotes and drawn lettering, we’ll gather again to share what we created! 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM EDT

Drawing is Free Monday Live Portrait Sessions - Monday portrait sessions are free and open to everyone.. The sessions run most Mondays at 9am and 6pm Paris time.

MINDFUL STILL LIFE: Online Guided Drawing A wonderfully peaceful oasis in your day- guided mindful drawing with a simple seated yoga stretch warmup.

TUESDAY

Wonder-filled Wednesday with Live on Substack - 1:30pm ET

WEDNESDAY

Squirrel Nest Boxes with & - We have been given permission to draw from some sweet images from @Squirrel_boxes! 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EDT

THURSDAY

Let’s Draw Chicago! with - Michelle Huhti Humphrey @stroke_mom (IG) is joining us this week at ART HANG PARTY! to share photos from Chicago that her husband John very kindly gathered for us! - 7PM EST

FRIDAY

I couldn’t find any events for this day — You can always draw from our replay library of 70+ recordings or play the Unlikely Animal Friends Drawing Game!

Catch up on Introvert Drawing Club Goodness🐢

💌 If you’d like to receive this as an e-mail, click here to switch it on.

✏️ Are you hosting a session this week? Pop a link in the comments!

Since we’re paused in April, this felt like the perfect time to serve up a sampler platter of drawing treats. Bon appétit!

I’ll be in deep focus mode to finish writing and illustrating the first four chapters of my book. I’m excited to return in May with new guest artist cohosts, fresh ideas, and a fun new animal theme for us to draw!

Your drawing delights, fresh from the archives.

Exploring new ways to use paint sticks in the studio and on location. Cost of art supplies in this video rang in at $5, including the sketchbook.

My sweet pup Reggie assisted me in sharing three BIG tips to help you capture the canine charm, no matter which breed you’re drawing.

Swatching favorite materials, exploring colors to pair with mauve, and a timelapse!

✏️ I can’t wait to gather again in May and draw!

Congrats to , , and for winning free months of membership! 💐🦆

I finished off a Royal Talens sketchbook in this one, then started another in our Soundtrack Session, so now I don’t have to go out and draw with a naked sketchbook. :) I can’t be the only one who won’t go out and draw in a blank sketchbook, am I?

I’ll finish and share those in a special e-mail coming to you right before we pause. If you haven’t heard, we’re pausing next month!

Pausing in April

There won’t be live sessions or guided videos, BUT you’ll still have access to all paid-member benefits, but won’t be billed. It’s the perfect time to catch up on what you missed! If you joined with an annual plan, it extends your membership by one month.

I’m excited to return in May with new guest artist cohosts, fresh ideas, and a fun new animal theme for us to draw!

I’ll pop back in Monday or Tuesday with some extra bonus tidbits, new sketches, fun stuff worth exploring, and well wishes! ✨

Read more

I’m SO very excited to draw along to an inspiring playlist curated by YOU tomorrow! ✨

Sign up to draw

🎸About Soundtrack Sessions:

What should I bring?

Art supplies and something to draw. We’ll all work on our own projects, like a co-working session.

Can I still submit a song?

Sure, pop a song in the comments! If I can’t squeeze it into tomorrow’s session, I’ll try to include it in one of our future gatherings!

Will there be a recording?

No, these sessions are not recorded.

More info about our session:

• ​We’ll all draw on mute: Feel free to use the chat box for questions, intentions, work in progress, or to let us know when your song comes on!

• ​Audio: You’re welcome to mute the audio if you need some quiet sketching time.

• Sharing: If you’d like to stick around and share on spotlight, we’ll have a bit of time for that at the end. It is always optional.

• ​📸 If you post to Instagram, please tag @bethspencerart, so we can see your lovely work!

⏰ Be sure to check the Luma link time and look out for those reminders, as Daylight Savings Time is in effect in the U.S. I don’t want you to miss it!

Read more

⏸️ Introvert Drawing Club is pausing in April.

Upgrade before the pause, and you won’t get charged next month. It’s the perfect time to catch up on all the guided drawing videos, live session replays, and color studies for free. But you have to get in before April 1!

Subscribe now

SUNDAY

Let’s draw Spring Zines with - The first session will take place on Sunday, March 8th, and the theme will be International Women's Day. - 1pm EST

MONDAY

Peace Mandelas with & ​Natasha came up with the lovely idea of getting together to create Mandelas which are dedicated to Peace. 3pm EST

Drawing is Free Monday Live Portrait Sessions - Monday portrait sessions are free and open to everyone.. The sessions run most Mondays at 9am and 6pm Paris time.

MINDFUL STILL LIFE: Online Guided Drawing A wonderfully peaceful oasis in your day- guided mindful drawing with a simple seated yoga stretch warmup.

TUESDAY

🪺 Watercolour Eggs & Nests with (reference pack included) 4 PM CEST

🐥 Quick Chicks and Duck Families with and - We’ll warm up with quick chicks, then slow down with some delightful ducks & ducklings swimming happily along as we chat and draw. 1pm EST / 5pm UK time

Wonder-filled Wednesday with Live on Substack - 1:30pm ET

WEDNESDAY

DRAWING FROGS: MARKMAKING AND TEXTURE with - In this online drawing class, we will explore different approaches for drawing frogs through fun and engaging guided exercises. 6:30pm UK time

Zoom Drawing Session with Katie Moody (Sketch Club tier + up) - I'll be walking you through plenty of ideas for your pages to keep this theme going, from topics and things to draw, to how to add on our journaling and what we can write. We'll use our own moments, memories and snippets of life to create these personal pages. 12pm GMT

Let’s Paint Book Covers and Talk About Books! with - This will be a casual co-working session where we will paint whatever book covers we’d like - real or imagined - and chat about the books we’ve been reading. If you want to skip the art and just come for the books, that’s totally fine! 2 pm PT

Drawn Words, Illustrated Quotes with - ​We’re starting a 5-day creative mini-challenge exploring illustrated quotes and drawn words. The idea is simple: let the letters themselves become part of the illustration. 4 - 5:30pm

THURSDAY

🎸 Soundtrack Session Vol. 3: Indie Rock with - ​We'll draw to a playlist of feel-good indie rock songs. Open to all members. 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT

90 Minutes to Make It with TJ Marston - We’ll go from idea → reference → sketches → finished painting in 90 minutes. 1pm EST

Let’s draw COLLAGE FACES! with - ART HANG PARTY! is free weekly live hour-ish-long art-making session full of fast-paced drawing and a lot of fun! Open to anyone and everyone! - 7PM EST

FRIDAY

Underwater Adventure with Emma Carlisle - (Drawing Club tier) 18.00 - 19.00pm

SATURDAY

Australian Animals with Emma Carlisle - 9.00 - 10.30am

I couldn’t find any events for this day — You can always draw from our replay library of 70+ recordings or play the Unlikely Animal Friends Drawing Game!

Catch up on Introvert Drawing Club Goodness🐢

💌 If you’d like to receive this as an e-mail, click here to switch it on.

✏️ Are you hosting a session this week? Pop a link in the comments!

My on-again off-again love affair with graphite has grown quite serious lately. I don’t leave the house without a 6B pencil, and can’t wait to come home to my electric sharpener.

Graphite’s rich, delicious textures make my heart skip a beat.

It can be soft and smudgy or rough and gritty.

There’s no pressure to be perfect, because I can smudge anything I don’t like into something I love. Graphite lets me be the messy, imperfect human that I am. We’re perfect together.

In the guided drawing video

I expand on the last technique we covered by adding color, explaining each step as I go. Then I share some of my favorite pencils, swatching, smudging, adding water, and all sorts of fun stuff!

Read more

This was the session dreams are made of. And like a dream, it went by way too fast! Many thanks to Emma Carlisle for cohosting and everyone who joined and shared fun board games — I’ve already bought Creatures Drawing Deck. 😁

👋 Here’s a thread for sharing work from this session.

📸The photos are by safari guide and photographer Jaco Joubert. Please tag @jaco_wildlife if you share your art inspired by his photos.

These are my drawings in progress:

I’d love to work on them more, especially those hyenas. But also, have you seen this week’s references? The goats are looking at me longingly… Someday, I’ll finish these. Maybe not this week, but someday.

Sign up for our next sessions:

Read more

SUNDAY

Colorful Carnival Pages with & - ​We’ll be sketching from a great selection of photos taken of carnival celebrations in Bolivia this year. 10am ET

Animal Mothers & Babies Drawing Session with & - We’re drawing from a delightful collection of photos by wildlife photographer Jaco Joubert.

Let’s draw shopfronts with - The first session will take place on Sunday, March 8th, and the theme will be International Women's Day. - 1pm EST

MONDAY

BSA Club 6-year Celebration with - Drawing each other - 3pm EST

Drawing is Free Monday Live Portrait Sessions - Monday portrait sessions are free and open to everyone.. The sessions run most Mondays at 9am and 6pm Paris time.

MINDFUL STILL LIFE: Online Guided Drawing A wonderfully peaceful oasis in your day- guided mindful drawing with a simple seated yoga stretch warmup.

TUESDAY
St. Patrick’s Drawing Irish Landscapes with & TJ Marston - We’ll sketch and layer while exploring color, atmosphere, and playful mark-making. 3pm EST

WEDNESDAY

Kelp Forest Wildlife - with & - Journey with us as we explore this rich marine world, filled with diverse life using this dense environment for food, shelter and protection. Expect fish and marine mammals like the keystone species, the sea otter. 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT

Wonder-filled Wednesday with Live on Substack - 1:30pm ET

THURSDAY

Drawing Mice with - 17.00 - 18.30pm UK time

Brush Marker Spring Flowers with Using brush markers to create colourful Spring flowers - 4 PM CEST

Let’s draw SNAKES with - ART HANG PARTY! is free weekly live hour-ish-long art-making session full of fast-paced drawing and a lot of fun! Open to anyone and everyone! - 7PM EST

FRIDAY

Moving from Sketchbook to Painting with TJ Marston - We’ll choose our favorite sketches and begin translating them into paintings, exploring what shifts when something moves off the page and onto a more finished surface. 11am EST

SATURDAY

I couldn’t find any events for this day — You can always draw from our replay library of 70+ recordings or play the Unlikely Animal Friends Drawing Game!

Catch up on Introvert Drawing Club Goodness🐢

💌 If you’d like to receive this as an e-mail, click here to switch it on.

✏️ Are you hosting a session this week? Pop a link in the comments!

Sunday is Mother’s Day for our friends in the UK.

So we’re drawing some lovely animal mothers and babies at 1pm EST!

⏰ Be sure to check the Luma link time and look out for those reminders, as Daylight Savings Time is in effect in the U.S. I don’t want you to miss it!

🐘 Animal Mothers & Babies of Africa w/ Emma Carlisle - March 15 at 1pm EST

Read more

For the first time in years, I took a day off. With my phone and laptop switched off for a full day, I fought every urge to be productive. Every second was uncomfortable, but restorative.

“I feel human again.”

Those were my first words upon waking after my rest day. My head felt clear and free from anxiety. That day of downtime gave me a mental boost that stayed with me all week.

I took another rest day the next week and again the next. I’m trying to work in one full day a week1. Down time is still hard, but I’m slowly relearning how to rest by reframing it as a necessity, rather than a reward.

We all know rest is a non-negotiable for all living creatures. So why is it so hard?

“As a culture, we don’t know how to rest, and our understanding of rest has been influenced by the toxicity of grind culture,” The Nap Ministry founder and author Tricia Hersey explains in Rest as Resistance. “We believe rest is a luxury, privilege, and an extra treat we can give to ourselves after suffering from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. Rest isn’t a luxury, but an absolute necessity if we’re going to survive and thrive. Rest isn’t an afterthought, but a basic part of being human.”

Tricia Hersey’s words inspired me to reimagine rest. I made a list of activities to fill my rest day, so there was no question about how I’d spend my time.

My first rest day I:

• finished two library books

• practiced yoga

• listened to a guided meditation

• walked Charles

• went to a bookstore

💬 Let’s talk about making rest more accessible

• How do you work rest into your busiest days? How often do you do it?

• Which activities are on your rest list? How do they feed your creativity?

• What does your perfect rest day look like?

Read more

We’re pausing in April. Join now and get that whole month free! 🌷

Subscribe now

SUNDAY

Let’s make a zine with - The first session will take place on Sunday, March 8th, and the theme will be International Women's Day. - 1pm EST

Anemones in Gouache with - 4 PM CEST

MONDAY

Drawing is Free Monday Live Portrait Sessions - Monday portrait sessions are free and open to everyone.. The sessions run most Mondays at 9am and 6pm Paris time.

MINDFUL STILL LIFE: Online Guided Drawing A wonderfully peaceful oasis in your day- guided mindful drawing with a simple seated yoga stretch warmup.

TUESDAY
Art Gym with & - We will be drawing tigers! - 11:30 am ET / 4:30 pm GMT / 12:30 am MYT

Co-sketching with Join for an hour of quiet, uninterrupted golden time with your sketchbook or creative project. - 2pm GMT

WEDNESDAY

Wonder-filled Wednesday with Live on Substack - 1:30pm ET

Draw Your World: People Reading with - We are going to sketch/paint/draw a person reading on the subway. Don’t let the reference images intimidate you! I will break it all down into simple shapes. - 3pm EST

THURSDAY

Painting in the style of Bolivian artist Mamani Mamani with - Draw inspiration from Bolivian and Aymaran artist Roberto Aguilar Quisbert - pen-name Mamani Mamani. 2pm ET

Let’s draw Build-a-Cafe with - ART HANG PARTY! is free weekly live hour-ish-long art-making session full of fast-paced drawing and a lot of fun! Open to anyone and everyone! - 7PM EST

FRIDAY

I couldn’t find any events for this day — Catch up on the replay library of 80+ recordings or play the Animal Families Drawing Game!

SATURDAY

London Drawing - Life Drawing Live Stream 556: Sofia - 7 am to 9 am EDT

SUNDAY

Animal Mothers & Babies Drawing Session with & - We’re drawing from a delightful collection of photos by wildlife photographer Jaco Joubert.

Catch up on Introvert Drawing Club Goodness🐢

💌 If you’d like to receive this as an e-mail, click here to switch it on.

✏️ Are you hosting a session this week? Pop a link in the comments!

Drawing different species of animals interacting together is the sweetest. It’s so fun that I made a reboot of the Unlikely Animal Friends Game with mamas and babies!

How to play:

1. Write down a random number between 1 and 5.

2. Repeat step 1! Now you’ll have 2 numbers.

3. Find the first number you chose in the Babies List below.

4. Find the second number you chose in the Mamas List below.

5. Each one links to a photo. Combine the two images to make a drawing!

Babies List

• Baby 1

• Baby 2

• Baby 3

• Baby 4

• Baby 5

Mamas List

• Mama 1

• Mama 2

• Mama 3

• Mama 4

• Mama 5

I can’t wait to see the lovely families you draw!

Feel free to tag me at @bethspencerart if you share on Instagram. Here’s a chat thread for sharing, feedback, and questions!

✨ Bonus tips, prompts, and links ✨

• After you’ve clicked onto the image, you can scroll down to see similar photos to draw from different angles!

• If you like this exercise, you’ll love the Unlikely Animal Friends Drawing Session Replay.

• The first technique in the video pairs well with the Mark-making Exercise we did in January.

Read more

Let's give Spring a proper welcome with a month of drawing animal families!

It’s the season of birth, growth, and migration. We’ll be inspired by unconditional love in the animal kingdom as we focus on joyful interactions between mothers and their young.

I'll drop the references on Sundays in the chat, along with some fun things to consider trying.

You’ll also get two guided drawing videos delivered right to your inbox.

😺 Sign up for the live sessions here:

Read more

I’m writing and illustrating a book!

It’s a dream to create something inspiring that you can access without a wifi connection.

I’ve been researching, writing, drawing, and painting behind the scenes for several months. This is only the beginning. I’m taking my time to create something I’m proud to share with you in 2028.

Many, many thanks to my agent Laurie and editor Katie. Big shoutouts to , , and for the friendly support!

P.S. I’ll pop back in Sunday with our March theme and live session lineup!

A massive thank you to for giving permission to draw his wonderful photos!

Stray Cats of Japan

Stray Cats of Japan is a newsletter of photos and stories about Japan's outdoor felines.

By Bill Adler

I still need to finish my watch kitty… I filmed the process, so maybe I can pop them up as a timelapse to wrap up our month of drawing cats. It’s truly flown by!

Materials & mentions

Read more

✏️💕 Join to practice drawing with a lovely group of creative humans.

Subscribe now

SUNDAY

Self-care Sunday with & - We’re drawing cats, the ultimate ambassadors of self love! 10 am EST

Drawing tubers and root vegetables with - We'll start with three sessions of 30 seconds to one minute to warm up, then we'll gradually increase the drawing times, along with the complexity of the image to be drawn. - 12pm EST

Beautiful Imperfections: Expressive Painting and Handwritten Words with , , and - In this workshop, we’ll explore painting a travel memory and combine it with handwritten words - 1:00–3:00 PM EST

MONDAY

Drawing is Free Monday Live Portrait Sessions - Monday portrait sessions are free and open to everyone.. The sessions run most Mondays at 9am and 6pm Paris time.

MINDFUL STILL LIFE: Online Guided Drawing A wonderfully peaceful oasis in your day- guided mindful drawing with a simple seated yoga stretch warmup.

TUESDAY
Simple Desert Landscapes with TJ Marston - Simplify desert scenes. Focus on composition, balance, and color— no overthinking. - 11:00 AM

WEDNESDAY

Sketching Animals in the Snow with and Tasha from - See out the last days of the winter season and come along to Sketching Animals in the Snow, 6pm GMT

Wonder-filled Wednesday with Live on Substack - 1:30pm ET

THURSDAY

Let’s draw with - ART HANG PARTY! is free weekly live hour-ish-long art-making session full of fast-paced drawing and a lot of fun! Open to anyone and everyone! - 7PM EST

FRIDAY

I couldn’t find any events for this day — Check out the replay library of 80+ recordings and start drawing now!

SATURDAY

My February with - Our final meeting when we will have a nice appreciation celebration and share our work! 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM EST

Catch up on Introvert Drawing Club Goodness🐢

💌 If you’d like to receive this as an e-mail, click here to switch it on.

✏️ Are you hosting a session this week? Pop a link in the comments!

We have a relaxing drawing session tomorrow, cohosted by my lovely friend .

Sign up to draw

I’m pleased to announce we’re drawing from a wonderful photo collection courtesy of . Bill is an American writer living in Japan, and he has a real gift for capturing the charming cats he meets there.

Make sure to tag Bill (ex. Photo Credit: ) if you post your work from this session. Bill also writes delightful short stories and flash fiction over at .

This is an unguided, 1-hour session, with time to share (optional) at the end. You’re welcome to unmute and talk with us, or type in the chat if you prefer. I hope you can join live, but if not, I’ll send the recording soon after the session.

Fun things to consider trying with paint and pencil:

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Here’s an example of each:

I let these principles loosely guide me when I draw.

It's fun to bend and twist the rules until they almost snap. Elements might float off the page, blow up to fill the whole page, or fade into the background.

Prompt:

Make a compositional study, using CRAP to inform your choices.

Remember, you’re not making a newspaper, so these aren’t rigid rules. They’re friendly suggestions that’re easy to remember, because… well, they spell the word “CRAP.”

In the video

I do a compositional study using a VERY scrappy sketch of my kitchen, then make a little mixed media piece. Then, because I had so much fun drawing the first one, I make another one on the fly.

Supplies used:

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