Ink Sketching Course

A five-week drawing adventure exploring landscapes with ink.

Ink Sketching is my most popular course every year, and I had so much fun teaching the 2026 course! The full program recording is now available as a self-paced program.

This online course is the perfect way to start a new creative habit through five core classes, bonus sketching lessons, and a 35 day drawing challenge (drawing every day is optional, of course, but the most fun!) while learning and being supported by me and an amazing community of fellow sketchers.

Current students: to access course content login and go to the Library page - click Compass - Ink Sketching

Ink sketching transformed my creative practice

Three years ago I made one ink drawing each day for 100 days. I wanted to improve my drawing accuracy, speed, and confidence, and to explore the fun and challenge of a daily practice. At the end of those 100 days I was amazed to feel and see improvements in my drawing ability (and painting skills, too!)

My goal with this course is to create a guided version of this experience for you! For 35 days we will improve our drawing skills together in step-by-step online lessons and daily sketching prompts.

What makes this program different

Until I found the joy of sketching with ink, drawing was never something I enjoyed practicing. I always got lost in the details.

During our five weeks learning together, I will share a toolkit of skills to help you approach a scene and dive in. These include:

simplification strategies
composition frameworks
fun sketching techniques for northwest landscapes

Instead of focusing on details, we will focus on what interests us the most about a landscape and what story we want to tell about that place!

I try hard to build a space where you feel comfortable experimenting, practicing, failing, and growing. Learning journeys and progress are non-linear, and we will all experience ups and downs together as we put our skills to use and grow over time.

How it works

The course will begin on January 22nd, 2026. Each week, I will lead a live 2 hour class on zoom that is recorded for everyone who can't attend the live session. Usually, these live classes are held on Thursday evenings at 6:00 pm pacific time.

The recordings, along with a written summary, are sent out the following day. Because I make the recordings even better than the live session with image overlays, higher quality audio, and careful editing, this often takes all day.

Each week I also share a collection of daily practice images and students have the option of sharing their sketches in our community space hosted on a program called Discord.

How it works

The live course ran in January-February and I recorded and edited each section. Now all of the classes and content is is available as a self-paced sketching adventure.

I keep materials simple, and use paper plus two pens- one with a fine tip and one with a brush tip.

You also have the option of practicing the skills from each class using a beautiful collection of reference images. And, you can share your sketches, ask questions, and connect with others in our community space (it is organized in a way that supports folks who start after the live course, too :)

What makes this program different

Until I found the joy of sketching with ink pens, drawing was never something I enjoyed practicing. I always got lost in the details.

During our five weeks learning together, I will share a toolkit of simplification strategies, composition frameworks, and sketching techniques for northwest landscapes, so you can approach a scene and know where to start. And, I try hard to build a space where you feel comfortable experimenting, practicing, failing, and growing.

Instead of focusing on details, we will focus on what interests us the most about a landscape and what story we want to tell about that place!

Learning journeys and progress are non-linear, and we will all experience ups and downs together as we put our skills to use and grow over time.

A course that evolves each year

This is my third year offering this course, and I am amazed at how many repeat students participated! Each time I run the course I like to change or add elements to keep it interesting and fun for everyone. Here's some highlights of what will and won't change this year:

New reference images for the live sessions and daily sketching prompts
The core course structure also changed quite a bit, with a new course progression and new exercises for many of the major landscape elements
New guided 20-30 minute full sketch lessons!
A bonus section on diluting ink with water and creating a simple watercolor background for an ink sketch, like the colorful tree to the right!

HOW IT WORKS

The course will begin on January 22nd, 2026 at 6:00pm pacific time. Each week, I will lead a 2 hour class on zoom that is recorded for everyone who can't attend the live session. I use two pens- one with a fine tip and one with a brush tip.

The recordings, along with a written summary, are sent out the following day. I make the recordings even better than the live session with higher quality audio, and careful editing.

Each week I also share a collection of daily practice images/ prompts and students have the option of sharing their sketches in our community space hosted on a program called Discord.

Course Topics and Structure

Now that the course is recorded and self paced, you choose how to work through the content. The original structure was to complete a main 2 hour class (there are five of them) and then practice those techniques for the next week before moving on to the next main class using the reference images and guided mini sketch lessons. But, you can choose your own adventure and work at whatever pace you want!

This is not your typical "drawing" lesson; I won't bore you with repetitive exercises and tedious methods for transferring a scene. Instead, I focus on using my tools to create shapes, patterns, and shortcuts along with simplification and specific skills for natural elements you often encounter. My goal is to get you sketching, not mired in rules!

Here's an overview of the course topics and progression:

Pre-class videos on prepping materials and basic mark-making
Week 1 - Mountains - Subalpine / treeline focus
Week 2 - Trees & more complex mountains
Week 3 - Rocks Near and Far
Week 4 - Water (streams, lakes, shorelines)
Week 5 - Foliage, flowers, and simple clouds

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email me! claire@adventureartacademy.com

There are TWO ways to sign up for the Ink Sketching Course:

1. As part of the ADVENTURE ART ACADEMY - this is the most affordable option that also gives you access to my entire library of courses, from Ink Sketching to Alpenglow, Watercolor Basics and 55& landscape adventure lessons! You can choose from a monthly or annual option. Now that the live classes are done, all you have to do is sign up, login to the program Library, and you can access all parts of the Ink Sketching Course.

2. As a STANDALONE COURSE - this option costs $150, and you have access to all of the course materials for a year.

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Please note that I do not want cost to be a barrier; when I first started painting I couldn't afford classes, and I am so glad that I am now in a position where I can help others. If you need financial assistance please email me, as I have a sliding scale for the Adventure Art Academy. claire@adventureartacademy.com

Materials List

When I first embarked on my 100 day sketching challenge I went down a supplies rabbit hole. I knew nothing about fountain pens or different kinds of ink. Over time I found a small collection of favorites, listed below, which are my go-to's because of good performance and affordability. If you already have tools you love, that's awesome! Please note that I will use a BRUSH PEN in every class. You don't need the exact brands I list below, but every student last year eventually got one!

You can find these items at a few places! The links below take you to Amazon, but if you prefer to purchase from a smaller company, then Jet Pens is an awesome option! They should have everything on the list, and have a low free shipping order minimum of $35. I try to buy as much as I can from Jet Pens, but provided the amazon links as it are sometimes more accessible to folks in various locations.

Brush Pen Option 1: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen- This is the most affordable option (https://amzn.to/40DjfmR) and comes with a few extra cartridges of ink as well. It does have a longer brush tip, which makes for a wider line variety but less control.
Brush Pen Option 2: Kuretake No.13 Brush Pen- if you know that you will want the maximum control over your brush strokes, this pen costs about $10 more, and some students last year found that the the shorter and smaller brush tip was easier for them to use. (https://amzn.to/4remVYU)
Last year, many students ended up getting both, as they found it helpful to have a more precise and easy to use tool (the Kuretake) and a pen that made bolder lines and challenges us to use the pen like a paintbrush (the Pentel).

Fine Tipped Pen-
- If you are unsure about using a fountain pen, then something like a Micron pen is great! A multipack like this one will likely last weeks
- Fountain pens are refillable, which is why I now use them instead of felt tip pens like the micron (you don't need to buy any fancy converters to refill, you can put ink right into the cartridge that comes with the pen).
  - Extra fine tipped pen- if you are someone who loves super fine lines, then the Platinum Desk pen is a great option- affordable, feels nice to hold, and designed to work with waterproof ink (. (pen link - https://amzn.to/3NeN2gs) Originally I had another fountain pen on this list, but over time it stopped working well with the waterproof ink. so I removed it. The fine point of the Desk Pen does wear/break in with time and gets a bit wider lines.

Sketchbook/ Paper- If you want to use printer paper, you can, and this is what I use during the live classes on zoom. Really any kind of non-textured paper will work. With that said, when I did my 100 days challenge, I unexpectedly really loved having all my sketches collected in a book. I like this one ( https://amzn.to/3ufZNAy) because it is not too expensive, ink flows beautifully on the pages, and the thinner paper REALLY helped me let go of perfection and worry less about results!

Pencil and Eraser- Anything works here! My go-to pencil is always this little pentel mechanical pencil (https://amzn.to/3Tz2p7t), as I like the soft lead and no sharpening required.

If you sketch every day for a month you will need to refill your pens. The easiest way I've found to do this is to buy a blunt tipped needle and just refill the cartridges that come with the pens instead of buying messy converters. My current favorite ink is the Platinum Carbon Black - it is beautifully dark, and also waterproof so I can sketch under watercolor paintings, too!

Carbon Black Ink- ***Most fountain pens will NOT come with waterproof ink. If you want waterproof ink, put the cartridge on the pen to break the seal, dump it out and pull it out with the refill needle, and then dry out the cartridge and refill with an ink like the Carbon Black! this is my favorite refill ink for the fountain pen and the brush pens. Please note that this ink contains pigment particles so it might clog or be slow in other pens with more narrow feeder mechanisms. https://amzn.to/35ryS8I
Refill Needle- I use blunt tipped needles to refill the ink cartridge that come with the pens- easier and cleaner than the other cartridge options I tried! Here's the link for a 5 pack from Amazon (I bought mine originally from Jet Pens or Goulet Pens when I ordered some ink!) - https://amzn.to/4bBfpzU

the 2026 self-paced course is now available!

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