ANNOUNCING…
THE 4-WEEK ONLINE LIVE SKETCHING EXPERIENCE WITH IAN FENNELLY
Does any of this sound familiar:
You’re frustrated because you’ve bought courses, but you’re struggling to find the time to finish them
You’re still wrestling with basics like perspective and color and feel disappointed with your final results
Simplifying complex scenes feels overwhelming, and developing your own style seems elusive
You’re keen to progress but can’t find the time or confidence to complete your first sketch
Perfectionism or procrastination is holding you back
If any of this resonates, then we’ve got something very special for you starting on December 3, 2024.
It’s called…
The 4-week online live sketching experience with Ian Fennelly!
Over the course of 4-weeks, Ian Fennelly is going to personally coach a private group of beginner sketchers to confidently sketch this stunning scene:
Even better, Ian is going to train you do it without having to wade through hours of course content… or battling to find the time in your busy life to sketch.
Just turn up to each online session and he’ll get straight to the heart of it. Showing you each step in the process, eliminating your bad habits, and providing you with all the personal help and support you need along the way.
It starts on December 3, 2024.
Watch the video below for an overview of what you’ll be sketching, then read on for how this program is going to work:
The Format
Here’s what you’re getting with this 4-week sketching experience…
1. 4 Live Coaching Sessions with Ian Fennelly
Each week for 4 weeks, you’ll work on a different stage of your picture. You’ll start with a blank page on week 1, and then build it up piece by piece over the following weeks under Ian’s careful guidance.
It’s a challenging scene, but Ian is breaking everything down into simple, manageable steps and delivering it at a slower pace than a regular course or workshop.
And because of the weekly coaching format, it gives you plenty of time between each session to catch up if you need it, along with the gentle accountability needed to finish each stage.
If you’re a complete beginner, this is the virtual handholding from Ian Fennelly you’ve been waiting for.
2. Hot Seat Feedback Sessions
Each week Ian will choose a selection of the work-in-progress that has been submitted by the group. At the start of each session, he’ll give feedback on how each picture is progressing based on last week’s lesson. He’ll point out areas for improvement, what’s working and what isn’t, while sharing tips and ideas that will help everyone to improve.
You’re welcome to submit your work-in-progress, or sit back and learn from the feedback Ian gives to others.
3. Ask Ian Anything Sessions
Ian will be answering any questions you have during each weekly session. This is a rare opportunity to get real-time help directly from Ian. But even if you don’t have a question, you can’t help but learn from the questions other people are asking.
4. Peer to Peer Access
During this Sketching Experience you’ll be part of a special group of people of all sketching abilities – from complete beginners to experienced artists. We’ll be opening up a private messaging channel just for those who are participating in this experience.
You’ll be able to chat, share your progress, ask questions, while giving and getting encouragement from your fellow sketchers.
Taking an online course can be lonely but learning and sketching alongside others on the same journey as you builds skills, confidence, and momentum.
5. Bonus “Celebration” Session (with prize draw!)
We’re throwing in a final (5th) bonus session to celebrate your progress. We know that the artist you are today is not the artist you’ll be by the end of this experience. And that deserves to be celebrated!
What’s more, Ian will be doing a live prize draw for everyone who participated. You’ll have a chance to win Ian’s signed pre-sketch of the scene you’ve been sketching over the past few weeks.
6. The Complete Session Recordings
If you fall behind or miss a week – don’t worry! You’ll have access to the live recording of each session within 24-hours, so that you can go through the training and catch up in your own time.
The Schedule
Here’s a run down of your training schedule over the 4 weeks:
Week 1: 3rd December
Introduction & Outline Stage
The program kicks off with an inspiring introduction from Ian on location, setting the scene for the coming 4 weeks. You’ll then dive into the process by exploring a pre-sketch, laying the groundwork for your masterpiece. Next, you’ll master pen placement, before Ian guides you through how to craft an outline sketch in pencil, to build confidence and structure. For the final part of this stage, you’ll refine it with a fine liner, while learning how to layer in a little detail.
Week 2: 10th December
Watercolor Stage
In this session, Ian will start by reviewing and critiquing five composition examples from Week 1, helping you refine and strengthen your approach. Then, we’ll introduce you to essential watercolor materials and guide you through a color chart. You’ll master on-page and off-page color mixing techniques and understand the importance of water control. With your foundation set, you’ll dive into watercolor application in two focused parts, learning techniques to bring depth, vibrancy, and life to your sketches. This session is all about building confidence and adding color mastery to your skillset.
Week 3: 17th December
Brush Pen & Tone Stage
This session begins with a review and critique of five watercolor examples from Week 2, offering insights to enhance your technique. Next, you’ll be introduced to the brush pen, with a detailed demo showcasing its versatility and impact. You’ll then put this tool into practice across two focused segments, mastering the brush pen’s ability to add dynamic lines, depth, tone and character to your sketches. By the end, you’ll feel confident incorporating this expressive medium into your process.
🎅 FESTIVE BREAK 🎅
After three sessions of outstanding progress, you’ll have earned a well-deserved festive break! It’s time to kick back, enjoy the holiday magic, and admire your work so far while letting all those new skills sink in.
Recharge, relax, and get ready for the New Year, when we’ll be hitting the ground running with fresh energy and excitement for the final stage – finishing off your masterpiece!
Week 4: 7th January
Detail Stage
In this final session, we’ll start by reviewing and critiquing five brush pen examples from Week 3, refining your techniques further. The session will then start with an immersion into the scene with a focus on adding intricate details to your sketch across three in-depth segments. This session brings your sketch to life with texture, precision, and storytelling – with Ian virtually holding your hand through the process. By the end, you’ll have a piece of work that you’ll be immensely proud of, along with the skills and confidence to start creating your own captivating urban sketches.
Week 5: 21st January
Celebration Stage
Following a short 2-week break, we’ll meet again to celebrate our work and review our progress together over the past few weeks. You’ll be blown away by how far you’ve come so it is vital that we recognize that. Ian will then conduct a final question and answer session for the group, before we finish with a special contest to win a signed Ian Fennelly pre-sketch!
The Price
We thought long and hard about how much to charge for this program.
What is it worth to get personal coaching and direct access for 4+ weeks from one of the world’s finest urban sketchers and most in-demand teachers?
To attend one of Ian’s week-long sketching workshops can easily set you back US$4,000 – $5,000 (and he’s booked solid until mid-2026!).
So, if we charged $1,000.00 it would still be a bargain considering the value we’re packing into this training and all of the help, support and feedback you’re getting from Ian personally for over 4 weeks.
But we know that level of investment might not feasible for everybody. And we want to involve as many people as possible in this experience because we know what a dramatic impact it’s going to have on the skills and confidence of everyone who participates.
So, we came to a decision:
The 4-week online live sketching experience IS FREE TO MEMBERS OF UrbanSketch+
UrbanSketch+ is already packed with a tremendous range of resources, insider training and a thriving community. By adding this Live Sketching Experience we’re pouring rocket fuel into your creative engine.
This special live sketching experience with Ian is going to ignite your skills and send your confidence soaring to new heights as we propel into 2025.
If you’re ready to finish 2024 at a different level than you are at today, then join UrbanSketch+ today and secure your FREE spot on Ian Fennelly’s 4-Week Live Sketching Experience.
You won’t want to miss this. It will be one of the best decisions you make this year. Hit the button to join UrbanSketch+ and secure your spot today:
Your Questions – Answered
Please watch the video below of Rebecca explaining more about how the 4-Week experience is going to work and answering some of the most common questions we’ve been asked so far.
More FAQs
What if I can’t make one of the live sessions?
That’s why you’ll get the recording of each session within 24-hours. On top of this, we’ve built in lots of opportunities for you to catch up if you fall behind, including a break over the festive period.
How long is each weekly session?
We anticipate that each session will be between 60 – 90 mins. Potentially longer depending on how many questions Ian is answering.
What’s the difference between this and an online course?
There are many differences:
- You’re sketching a single scene rather than lots of different scenes.
- You will build up your scene over 4 weeks in 4 separate stages.
- The training is slower paced.
- There is more detail and stages to this live training experience than there is in an online course.
- Ian is with you live during each online session. He’ll be there to guide you, answer your questions, give you feedback and encouragement throughout the journey. Importantly, he’ll ensure you don’t develop any bad habits that could derail your progress for years.
- There is built-in accountability. Often life gets in the way of our progress, but when you know you’re turning up the following week it will encourage you to keep going.
- Taking an online course can be lonely. But in a group based learning environment like this, you’re sharing a journey with lots of other people who are all at different stages of their development. This gives you tremendous encouragement and confidence.
How do your feedback sessions work?
During the week following each session, you can submit a photo of your work and state anything you’re struggling with on that particular stage. Ian will select a handful of the submitted works-in-progress and share his feedback to the entire group at the start of the next session.
Submitting your work is not mandatory. Oftentimes we learn just as much from hearing the feedback to other people’s work.
I'm a complete beginner, can I join?
Yes. If you’re a beginner, then you’re in the right place and your development will be swift. Many people wait before they get coaching and feedback, but this only leads to the start of bad habits. This program will help you make rapid progress and ensure you’re on the right track at the start of your sketching journey.
What if I can’t keep up?
Rest assured, we’ve designed this coaching experience to suit EVERYONE at every stage of their sketching journey. Even those picking up pens for the first time in years.
- This will be slow-paced training so that even the newest sketchers can keep up.
- If you don’t finish the stage by the end of each session, then you have a full week to finish it before the next session.
- There is a 3-week ‘catch up’ period over the festive period. This gives everyone ample opportunity to finish off the stages, re-watch the recordings, and be ready for the final detail stage which will be delivered on January 7th.
How do I access the live sessions?
Every week, we’ll send you a Zoom link by email. Just click on the link at the time stated to join us Live.
If you can’t make a session or don’t want to sketch ‘live’ then just watch the recording and sketch along later, in your own time.
What is UrbanSketch+?
UrbanSketch+ is a special members-only community that is crammed with training, tools, resources and a thriving community of urban sketchers. We are giving the 4-Week Sketching Experience to members completely FREE.
Does it matter if I join UrbanSketch+ as a Monthly or Annual member?
No. It doesn’t matter whether you join UrbanSketch+ as a Monthly or an Annual member, provided you’re a member on December 3rd you will receive a FREE invitation to Ian Fennelly’s 4-Week Live Online Sketching Experience.
UrbanSketch+ is by far one of the best educational experiences I have had, and I don’t just mean in the arts.
For a complete novice, who could draw a straight line and little else, I have been guided through a series of activities and challenges for each aspect of the course in such a perfect sequence for skill development.
Being “forced” into uncomfortable activities was particularly good for my artistic development: thinking with the right side of my brain, you have put down the foundation of activities that I can enjoy…. Painting my way to glory.
Many thanks for this wonderful evening and also for an incredibly enriching year. There is a lot of work in your urban sketching school and I would like to thank you again for that. It has become a very important part of my life.
I am enjoying the program very much, just the right pace, and great content, and Ian is such an inspiration along with the member contributors here.
Beginners like me and seasoned artists alike can keep learning. I just enjoy the process and want to sketchbook and urban sketch outside this Spring, no intention of sharing except on here as such a kind and supportive group!
