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!

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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.

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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:

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You can apply these prompts and techniques to any subject, so revisit this post if you feel stuck or want to try something new.

1. Sketch in a light color, then add your midtone, and finally dark for details and shading.

   

2. Draw the spots first. You can do this with non-spotty horses too!

   

3. Sketch in yellow, then use negative space to shape their horsey figure.

   

4. Use one of your old sketches as reference.

   

5. Lightly scribble a box, then gently erase the graphite with an eraser to make your horse. Add details with a pencil as needed.

   

6. Use a rainbow pencil. Layering is fun!

   

7. Sketch using paint.

8. Draw a friend to keep them company.

9. Grab the first brown and blue you find. Sketch quickly because your aunt and uncle are on their way to take you to Taco Tuesday.

10. Set a timer for 1 minute, and then go wild!

In the video

I share ALL my horse drawings, personal and professional news. Thank you for watching! Feel free to reach out if you have any advice, questions, concerns, or thoughts to share.

More Horsey Highlights

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Our marks tell stories about our feelings. This is an entirely human trait; there is no AI feature to replicate the language of line.

Betty Edwards — Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, would sometimes surprise her students by “reading” their work. She’d call out the emotions they expressed through marks in their drawings.

“I can see you felt great joy in doing most of this drawing, but there’s an area of distress. What happened at this point?” or “I see you really liked drawing the shirt collar, but you didn’t much like drawing the model’s hair,” she’d say.

Our marks tell our truth.

From the lines below, can you differentiate between the fast and slow marks?

I bet you can. I don’t know exactly why you can, but it’s an inner language we all understand.

Now, let's do an exercise from Edwards' book Drawing on the Artist Within and you’ll see what I mean. Read all the instructions before starting.

Supplies needed: 1 pencil and 1 sheet of printer paper

We’re going to fold the paper like a 1-page zine:

Great job folding, we’re almost ready to make marks!

Label each section with the following words:

1. Rage

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Depressed

5. Energetic

6. Exhausted

7. Beauty

8. Today

Recall times when you felt each emotion, then make marks to represent them.

IMPORTANT: Use marks only. No symbols or pictures, only marks with your pencil. You may use the side of your pencil, eraser, non-dominant hand, and varied pressure. Any kind of mark is the right kind of mark.

It is remarkable to see how different everyone’s marks are, while still communicating the emotions.

‼️ It is important that you do the exercise before looking at anyone else’s marks.

Upload your work here and celebrate incredible diversity of our human marks!

Share your work

Two sessions this week! 💐🐴 And an announcement soon!

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I have good news: horses aren’t complicated to draw when you break them down by shape.

They’re basically a bean with some sticks and triangles attached.

When you add a tail to all those shapes and put them together, they communicate “this is a horse.”

More good news: all horse drawings are good horse drawings.

Even if they don’t communicate, “this is a horse,” they're still a success. Showing up to sketch a challenging subject that's WAY out of our comfort zones is always a win. That’s where the good stuff happens!

In the video:

• Sampling new art supplies

• Horse drawing demo

• A sweet surprise at the end!

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HAY! I’m trotting into January with playful energy to practice drawing a challenging new subject: HORSES. Are you with me?

I’d rate horses pretty high on the “Hard to Draw scale.”

I’m glad you’re along for the ride in this group of awesome humans who embrace challenges and encourage each other. Together, we say NEIGH to perfectionism and YAY to helping each other out.

What to expect during our month of horseplay:

This is a more chill challenge than last year’s people-drawing month. No daily emails, but there will be bonus demos and a daily reference drop in the chat with tips and support.

As we approach the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac, there’s never been a better time to draw these magnificent animals together through January. Happy New Year!

Happy Horse Drawing!

Drawing animals is pure joy.

Capturing their personalities on paper keeps me excited to open a sketchbook.

This love of drawing animals wasn’t born overnight; many tiny moments of sketching them created an enthusiasm that I’m proud to share.

Subscribe now

Animals never overthink, judge, or doubt themselves.

This is the energy I like to bring to my personal art practice, so I can let go, trust myself, take risks, and have fun! Think of a lion’s approach to a blank page -- FIERCE!

Let’s spend 2026 observing and drawing furry, finned, scaly, and feathered friends together.

We’ll focus on a different animal type each month, with live sessions, demos, and inspiration sprinkled in to keep your pencil moving and grooving.

I’ll be back soon to tell you which animal we’re starting with!

But first… tell me which animals you want to practice!

Just like the Grinch’s heart, our to-do lists grow least three times their normal size at this time of year. It’s hard to show up and draw everyday when there’s SO much to do! It’s important to take time for creativity, even when life is at its busiest.

I made a special free trial for the whole month, to keep our pencils moving and brains sharp.

Get 30 day free trial

Get 30 day free trial

The free trial unlocks:

• Invites to upcoming live sessions

• 80+ session recordings (both unguided and workshops featuring guest artists)

• More than a year of color studies

• Chat with the creative community

• Access to all the drawing demos and painting process videos

Everyone here amazes me with their creativity and kindness. This community:

• kept me drawing during a crushing career blow

• encouraged me to dive deeper into color

• helps me carve out 14+ extra hours every week to draw and write

I am deeply grateful to all of you for being here. I hope you’ll accept this 30-day free trial as a token of my appreciation.

Get 30 day free trial

What are people saying about Introvert Drawing Club?

Beth has built something special here. An outstanding resource for fans of drawing. - Guisseppe Castallano, Notes on Illustration

Pure joy - India Knight, Home

A friendly community of other creatives, from professional illustrators to hobby artists. Fun draw-along sessions, encouragement and a safe space to share your work. - Libby Brewster, The New Illustrator

As we all learn as children, sticking pieces of paper together with glue is all sorts of fun. I made this guy as a twist on the classic “hand turkey” that you may remember from kindergarten:

In any medium, a turkey’s textures, colors, shapes are a sensory delight! It’s fun to capture all the energy in the feature patterns:

Below is another type of Turkey that I sketched with a yellow marker, splashed color on top, then add details on top with a fountain pen. There truly are no rules!

Turkey-drawing tips

• Think about your goal. Do you want a realistic, detailed observational drawing or to make a scrappy sketch for fun?

• Notice the features you’re drawn to. Color? Shape? Feather pattern? Focus on drawing the ones that make you excited about mark-making! For me, it’s feather pattern and color!

• Print it out. If I draw from photos online, it’s a guarantee I’ll get distracted by the pull of the internet. I like to print 4 - 6 photos on a page to work from. It’s a game-changer!

• Take some risks! That’s what practicing is for — Get WILD!

Whichever way you practice drawing a turkey is the right way, as long as you’re having fun.

Prompt: Draw a turkey!

I’ll make a chat for us to share our drawings, techniques, materials and tips!

P.S. Playful Mixed Media Retreat in France has a few spots left. Check it out!

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Each day, we’ll draw and paint in the light-filled studio and share tasty meals prepared by our own resident chef. Between lessons, there will be plenty of time to recharge, reflect, connect, giggle at my French accent, and make fun memories!

It’s all happening on 75 acres of fields, forests, ponds, and lush gardens in the heart of Lot-et-Garonne. You gotta see this place!

We’ll spend a day sketching amazing animals at The Réserve Zoologique de Calviac. I’m talking red pandas, pygmy hippos, ducks, monkeys, and many more!

The most charming dog models, Oscar and Nina, will be coming to visit us so we can draw them too!

We’ll visit a magical medieval town and explore vintage markets overflowing with inspiration.

We’ll be with you every step of the way, cheering you on and giving as much 1-to-1 feedback as you need.

We’ll explore:

• playful paper-cut scenes and characters

• approaching observational drawing with confidence

• drawing from imagination

• mixed media layering

• and of course, COLOR!

I’d LOVE to draw and paint in person with you for 8 days.

I’ll be there cheering you on, sharing everything I know about art-making joyful and light. We’ll be free of distractions, responsibilities, and pressure. What could be better?!

Book your spot

The cost of the retreat covers everything except airfare and travel insurance.

Got booking questions?

Uptrek’s staff is delightful to work with and happy to help: contact@uptrek.com.

Drawing dogs is a blast because they’re all so different, but that also makes them a more challenging species to sketch. My pup Reggie assisted me in sharing three BIG tips to help you capture the canine charm, no matter which breed you’re drawing.

1. Position them on the page first

Make marks on the paper to show where their head, paws, bottom, and tail belong on the page.

2. Take note of the nose

It's important. If you get the nose position wrong, it'll throw your whole drawing off.

3. Proportional pups

Pay attention to negative space. The areas SURROUNDING the dog are just as important to the drawing as the actual dog.

Materials & Mentions

• Cretacolor Hard Pastels (Vermillion light)

• Caran D’ache Museum Aquarelle pencil (French Gray

• For the Reggies above, I used an orange Crayola marker to sketch, a Supracolor Pencil (bistre), and cheap water brushes filled with watercolor to fill negative space.

Reggie References!

Bonus Reggie references from over the years 😭

More Dog Drawing Delights 🐾

Live workshops and sessions to practice drawing pups in your own wonderful way!

Did I mention we’re pausing in April? Join now and you’ll get that month for free.

Subscribe now

We canceled Netflix because we were spending more time searching for movies than watching them. A classic case of overthinking and indecision, leading to lots of of wasted time.

The same thing happens when we stuff our art bags full of too many crayons and markers. Don’t get me wrong, fishing for the perfect pencil in a sea of art supplies is fun. However, it’s probably not the best use of time.

Let’s help each other stop wasting time!

1. Dump everything out of your bag, box, or pouch.

2. Swatch each material. Don’t be fussy or label them.

3. Eliminate supplies1 that are similar.

4. Share in the chat!

Good ideas for this activity

• Mix and layer supplies. Swatch pages don’t need to be pretty!

• Look at your latest art. Which pieces brought you the most joy while you made them? The supplies you used for those are KEEPERS!

• Consider location. A marker and pencils could suit you just fine for sneaking in some sketching time when you’re out and about. If you’re spending an afternoon in a coffeeshop, then you might consider packing a palette of paint.

Let’s revisit this in six months and weigh our bags before and after!

Materials & Mentions

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I used whatever I could grab first, which happened to be an Inktense block, waterbrush filled with some kind of blue-y ink, and a brown pencil.

I scanned it and added it to my portfolio when we got home. Months later, I had a meeting with an agent who mentioned the drawing. She suggested creating a sequence with this character.

I decided to focus on sketching the environment first, and hoped the characters would fall into place. My only problem was I only spent a few minutes physically at the park and wondered how I’d develop new scenes from scratch.

Instead of adding several hours of drive time to my process, I went back to the park virtually using Google Maps! Watch the video for tips on transporting yourself back to magical locations you’ve captured in your sketchbook.

Practice Prompt

Revisit a location from a sketch you love and make more drawings from it. Share links to your locations in the comments below, so we can visit and draw from them too! I’ll create a chat for us to share our sketches.

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Drawing from memory calls on the hippocampus, which is the kind of like the backseat driver of the brain. It has the best intentions, but doesn't always get things right.

When drawing from a reference photo, my right brain takes the wheel, letting my hand paint the pigeon’s true shape on the paper. I see charming new features, like a longer neck and pink talons, that the left brain forgot to include in my memory drawing above.

Before starting this exercise, think about what you want to achieve.

My goal wasn’t to draw a beautiful bird, instead it was to observe and sketch features that communicate “this is a pigeon.” The original sketch didn’t do that as well. That doesn’t make it bad. Your memory can strip things down, leaving out important details.

Practicing both methods helps me push my drawings to make them more my own, and bridge the gap between imagination and reality. I strongly believe it'll do the same for you!

Prompt

1. Set a timer for 5 minutes and draw something from MEMORY.

2. Set a timer for 5 minutes and draw that same thing from OBSERVATION.

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👯‍♀️ We had a whole session of Animal Memory Drawing and it was FANTASTIC.

Materials & Mentions

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Observational sketching won’t melt problems away, but it can make us better at solving them by getting us out of our heads for a bit.

A few other things drawing from life can help with

• pulling ideas out of hiding

• reducing screen time

• lowering the volume on a rude inner critic

Showing up and drawing your houseplants, pets, or appliances does magical things for your brain. You don’t have to make a masterpiece or even finish your drawing.

Prompt

This week's drawing prompt is from our friend Katie Moody's brilliant book, Sketchbook Joy! All materials and subjects are welcome. There’s also a giveaway!

Pick out something near you and practise your observational drawing skills. Draw it from multiple angles, such as above and below.

In the video

We go out to my new backyard, which is bursting with spring vibes, and draw this tiny gnome from every conceivable angle.

P.S. Let’s do this prompt together on Substack Live! Join me at 12pm EST for the premiere of Awkward Drawing Show, with special guest !

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Tasks that aren’t as important as they seem:

Laundry - Skip the folding and draw your pile of clothes. You can wear the same shirt a few days in a row and I bet no one will notice. And if they do, who cares?

Dishes - So what if you leave them in the sink an extra day? Draw them and post on Instagram! Maybe someone will offer to wash them for you.

Shopping - It can usually wait a day. But if your cat really needs treats, you can take your sketchbook along and draw for 10 minutes!

Even in the best of times, drawing every day is hard.

When life punches you in the face or you decide to move six hours away, it’s even harder. It may feel self indulgent, but making drawing a priority could be exactly what you need.

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This is a reboot of the first and second drawing games we played, which were wildly inspirational and loads of fun!

How to play:

1. Write down a random number between 1 and 10 (or let Google choose a random number).

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

3. Find the numbers you chose in LIST 1 below.

4. Find the second number you chose in the LIST 2 below.

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

LIST 1

1. Mystery Animal

2. Mystery Animal

3. Mystery Animal

4. Mystery Animal

5. Mystery Animal

6. Mystery Animal

7. Mystery Animal

8. Mystery Animal

9. Mystery Animal

10. Mystery Animal

LIST 2

1. Mystery Animal

2. Mystery Animal

3. Mystery Animal

4. Mystery Animal

5. Mystery Animal

6. Mystery Animal

7. Mystery Animal

8. Mystery Animal

9. Mystery Animal

10. Mystery Animal

I can’t wait to see the delightful animal duos you draw!

Feel free to tag me here or (@bethspencerart) if you share on Instagram. I’ll create a chat thread soon so we can enjoy them all together!

More drawing games & related posts

• Switching on drawing mode

• Awkward Animal Headshots Game

• Mystery Animal People Drawing Game

• Animal Life Drawing with

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Bonus tips below and process video for paid members!

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It's easy to be self-critical when you feel pressured to make something extra awesome. Here are ways I prevent those rude thoughts from creeping in so I can keep my art fresh and fun!

Tell a lie

Every drawing has an ugly stage. Sometimes my art looks like my cat stepped in paint, walked on the paper, then rolled around in it. If I tell myself, "This is the beginning of a masterpiece!" I can push through and make something exciting.

Self pep talk

You know who else loves a pep talk? Our brilliant artist friend TJ Marston! She says starting with curiosity and a low-pressure mindset will free up your creativity.

When you ask yourself questions like, “What do I notice here?” or “How does this feel?” it shifts the focus from the outcome to the process, allowing you to stay open and fluid in your sketches. It’s all about embracing the exploration rather than stressing over the result!

Every word of TJ's is true - self pep talks are powerful! She inspired me to try it last week and it worked wonders.

Energizing music

I've been blasting 80's rock ballads all week while I work, which got me thinking about Axl Rose. When he was writing Sweet Child O' Mine, he probably wasn't thinking about how much he sucked, right? What's keeping us from approaching our practice with Axl's confidence and energy?

Tidy break

Giving yourself a quick tidy break can make your art flow like a river instead of molasses. I know I get super frustrated when the pencil or brush I want to work with goes missing. I’ve started to put away my toys like a good little artist when I'm finished for the day. It helps when I actually do it!

Prompt

Next time you draw, try to notice what thoughts show up. Write down any critical ones and think about how you might spin those in a more constructive way. For example, if I think “I can’t draw today!” I’ll write that down, then look at facts and possibilities.

• Do I need a break?

• Should I warm up with some blind contour drawings?

• Is this a new subject or am I using a new material?

In the video

I start the series of illustrations with a little pep talk and share my whole process. Also… secret words are back!

How to participate:

• Watch the video

• Send me the secret word in a DM within the next week

• I’ll comp you a month of membership!

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There's something deliciously voyeuristic about drawing people who don't know they're being drawn. I've spent the better part of two decades doing exactly that, and I've coined a term for it: Eavesdrawing. It's the bastard child of eavesdropping and sketching, and it's one of my favourite creative exercises.

A few years back, the New Yorker sent its cartoonists out into the city with a simple mission: lurk in popular spots, draw the locals, and write down whatever fascinating snippets of conversation floated our way. No context, no explanations – just raw, unfiltered New York dialogue paired with sketches of unsuspecting subjects. These people never knew they were being drawn, though some might have stumbled across their likenesses later in print. (If you're reading this and suspect you might have been one of my subjects, I apologise for nothing.)

RELATED:

New York Cartoons

Spilling Ink at the Hotel Chelsea

June 27, 2024…

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2 years ago · 40 likes · 4 comments · Jason Chatfield

However, my experience with live drawing goes far beyond covert sketching operations. For the past 21 years, I've made a living drawing people live at events – everything from quick caricatures to detailed portraits, reportage, and, yes, even dogs. There's something uniquely challenging about capturing someone's essence while they're right there in front of you, fidgeting, chatting, or trying their best to hold perfectly still (which, ironically, often makes for a worse drawing).

Drawing from life versus photos is like the difference between fresh pasta and cup noodles. Sure, they're both pasta, but one has a vitality that the other just can't match. When you're drawing someone live, you're not just capturing their features – you're recording their energy, their movements, their little unconscious habits and micro-expressions. It's terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure, but still, something that can’t be captured from a photo or a video still. (If you want to dive deeper into the mechanics of sketching people in public, Beth has an excellent guide here.)

Of course, there's always that moment of truth when you show someone their portrait.

I've learned that people's reactions say more about their self-image than your drawing skills. Some people beam with delight at seeing themselves through another's eyes, while others... well, let's just say I've developed a pretty thick skin over the years.

As prolific caricaturist and illustrator, Tom Richmond shared in a recent substack post about drawing people:

There are times when you read your subjects wrong, and they are unhappy with your drawing. Unless you go the innocuous, generic route with everyone, this will sometimes happen. It’s the price you pay for trying to stay true to doing real caricature. You have to let those go and move on to the next one.

Here's the thing: if you want to get better at drawing people without the pressure of potential confrontation, start with yourself.

I have a New Year's Day tradition of doing a self-portrait, and I always choose a different tool or style based on my mood. Some years, it's loose and expressive with ink splashes everywhere; other years, it's tight and controlled with precise pencil lines. Looking back at these portraits, I'm amazed at how often they seem to capture the essence of what that year would bring.

The mirror is your most honest critic and your most patient model. It won't complain about its nose looking too big or demand a refund. Be bold with your choices – try that weird pen you've been avoiding, and experiment with a style that scares you.

The goal isn't to make a masterpiece; it's to understand how you see things and how you translate that vision onto paper.

The best part? You don’t have to show anybody. Ever. You can even throw it in the trash. Or burn it. You do you.

Process Junkie

Drawing Exercise #2: The Dreaded Self-Portrait

On New Year's Day for the past 10 years, I’ve used my 'warm-up sketches' time to self-flagellate with a self-portrait based on the previous year’s mess…

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a year ago · 19 likes · 1 comment · Jason Chatfield

I want to thank Beth Spencer for inviting me to share these thoughts on The Introvert's Drawing Club. There's something perfectly fitting about introverts being drawn to the quiet observation of others, isn't there? Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I spot someone interesting across the bar who needs to be eavesdrawn...

*@Jason Chatfield is a New York-based cartoonist, illustrator, and professional people-watcher. You can find more of his musings on the creative process at Process Junkie.*

Preorder Jason’s book, You’re Not a Real Dog Owner Until…!"