Draw your own festive gourds—or whatever is inspiring you!

You’re invited to carve out some time for some low-stakes drawing of your own. Whether you draw gourds along with Dylan or something else that’s calling your name right now, you’re sure to feel more relaxed after this activity.

To start, find some source imagery to follow so you don’t have to worry about what to draw while you’re working. You can use the layout of pumpkins and gourds that Dylan created (available in the class resources), or find your own reference photos to follow.

Then, sketch out the general layout of your piece using a pencil so you know where everything will go on the page before you start making permanent marks.

Finally, get to coloring! Whether you’re using the same colors as Dylan or your own palette, start with the lightest color and then layer darker shades on top of that to create texture, show different light values, and add details to really bring your illustrations to life.

Whatever you end up drawing, please share your work in the project gallery so we can all be inspired by the creative time you set aside for yourself!

Materials

Markers or brush pens: Dylan will be using Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers 990, 910, 942, 933, 985, 026, 977, 158, 905, 679, 055, 192, and 177, but you can use any brand or colors you want.
Drawing paper: Dylan will be using 50 lb Strathmore sketch paper. You may want heavier paper if you prefer it, or if you plan to use water to blend the colors.
Pencil and eraser
Reference photo(s): The one Dylan is using or any of your choosing.
Paint brush and water (optional): You’ll need this if you want to blend the marker ink, though that won’t be demonstrated in this session.

Resources

Connect with Dylan on Instagram and on her website.
Check out Dylan’s 15+ other classes on her Skillshare profile.
If you want to find your own reference photos, Dylan recommends Unsplash for free-to-use imagery.

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