In this class you’ll learn to draw an imaginary landscape in pen or pencil with intentional details, a unique landscape and immersive lighting and composition.

Sketching and drawing allows us to explore places and tell visual stories through the lines we put on the page. But often artists might feel unsure about how to draw fantasy landscapes without copying existing ones.

This class is aimed at building your confidence in world-building, so you can create immersive, compelling and original scenes. These tips can be transferred into any style of art.

You'll learn:

Which vantage point suits your drawing and the story you're trying to tell
How to define a focal point
How immerse the viewer in your world through careful placement of details, pathways and natural features
How to balance imagination with real-world details
Where to find reference photos and how to integrate inspiration into your work
Why sketching "thumbnail drawings" will help you craft more polished drawings
The role of light and shading

While the class is aimed at drawing fantastical, imagine landscapes, it's also a way for you to polish up art skills that are transferrable to any medium.

Ideas such as composition, lighting and intentional use of details carry over into any style of art and any subject matter.

You'll have multiple chances to hone your world-building skills in this class. Along the way you'l get a chance to create:

A Pinterest reference board (If you don't have Pinterest, don't worry).
Multiple bite-sized sketches of details to practice how they may look in your drawing.
Thumbnail sketches of your final piece.
A drawing of your very own fantastical landscape, complete with a building, environmental details and intentional design.

This class is meant for those who have dabbled in drawing and sketching but find it difficult to draw places without photos or references to guide them. While I don't focus on drawing techniques -- such as shading or cross-hatching for example -- beginners are welcome too: this class is structured to provide artists of any level building blocks they can integrate into their practice.

About Sam Gillett

I’m an artist and Skillshare Top Teacher living in Ontario, Canada. My work explores hidden worlds drawn from unique perspectives, often emerging from my imagination.

Alongside teaching on Skillshare, I sell my work online and enjoy working with private clients, publishing houses, music labels and more.

Resources:

Here’s a class on illustrating in colour: Mastering Colour: Simple Steps to Create Vivid Art

For a deep dive into adding more perspective into your drawings, check out my previous class: Introduction to Drawing in Perspective

For help deciding what to draw, check out the attached file on the right for a free download!

Supplies:

While any paper will do, I sketch with a Denik Sketchbook in this class
I use a Dollar Store pencil for much of the class, but often use my Penco Mechanical Pencil to sketch.
All my pen illustrations are completed using Sakura Micron Pens.

Sophia Li

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