For the love of sketching

Reunite with your inner artist, one doodle, scribble, and sketch at a time.

With work, family, and life admin all vying for your attention

it can be tough to carve out time for your sketchbook

And often, when you finally sit down, pencil sharpened and ready to sketch, your creative inspiration has already gone to bed. Meaning all you’re left with is a blank page and an unfulfilled inner artist.    

It doesn’t have to be that way. With a little nudge and some creative guidance in the right direction, even the busiest version of you can enjoy dipping in and out of your sketchbook more regularly.

Imagine

  • Finding the confidence to open your sketchbook and sketch for the pure joy of it, without worrying about the outcome. 
  • Allowing yourself the space to sketch for a few precious moments each day, no matter how busy life gets.
  • Swapping perfectionism for joy - there’s no need to create masterpieces here. 
  • Savouring the feel of a brand-new sketchbook, the sound of a pencil scratching across the page, and the unadulterated joy of splashing your favourite colours around. Just because!

This space is designed to

coax your inner artist out of hiding, no matter where you are on your creative journey. 

Whatever your skill level, with me as your sketchbook mentor, we’ll dust off those empty sketchbooks together and start filling them one doodle, scribble, and sketch at a time. Who knows what hidden talents you might uncover along the way? 

So, let's make a start. Get ready to unleash your creativity and reclaim time for you.

This is your sketchbook story;

I’m just here to guide you.

Once you’re open to the idea, finding time to spend with your creative side is easy. No matter how much time you can spare or where you are on your sketching journey, your sketchbook practice can become as habitual as brushing your teeth or sticking the kettle on with the right guidance. 

I aim to give my sketchers everything they need to make getting started and carrying on as easy and accessible as possible:

Endless inspiration to help you discover new subjects and approaches to sketching, meaning you’ll always know what to draw and how to get started.

The freedom to choose your own pace and level of commitment, with no pressure or judgement, so you can give as little or as much to your sketchbook as suits your lifestyle.

Practical, easy-to-follow tips and tricks to improve your drawing skills and boost your sketchbook confidence.

Whether you can spare a few minutes each day...

...or a whole hour each week, I'm here to help you make sketching a regular feature of your routine.

Lovely words from inspired doodlers

I can already feel different parts of myself reconnecting. I’ve been looking for something to ground me, bring peace, and release the creativity that the rat race of life has long obscured. This has been the perfect start to what will now be a lifelong amusement.

Jessica, Sketcher

Rediscover your love of sketching

the sketchbook challenge app

Discover the ultimate sketching app that inspires creativity and helps you sketch every day!

Are you passionate about art? Do you yearn to express your creativity through sketching? 

Look no further! Introducing the SKETCHBOOK CHALLENGE APP - the revolutionary new tool that will take your artistic journey to new heights.

Saturday 16th March 2024

One-day sketching retreat in Surrey

Join me in my hometown of Woking, in the boutique hotel at Gorse Hill for a full-day of sketching and creativity. All materials, tuition and lunch included.

In this one-day sketching retreat with Susan, you will be looking at how to create interesting sketches and sketchbook spreads from the everyday objects around you.

Suitable for beginners to sketching or anyone wanting to be inspired by the things we come across in our daily lives. This is the perfect way to enjoy filling your sketchbook and build a regular drawing habit.

** ONLINE BOOKING NOW OPEN **

COMMUNITY

Inspire Sketching Membership

Your go-to creative membership for drawing, doodling, and sketching 

If you've been itching to unleash your inner artist, but the thought of attending (or paying for) a traditional art school sends shivers down your spine, Inspire could be the flexible, creative haven you’ve been searching for. 

Inspire is a monthly creative membership centered around a supportive, global community of like-minded creative types. With a plethora of inspirational, motivational, and creative resources at your fingertips, it’s designed to build and improve your sketching stamina no matter where you are on your sketchbook journey. 

The perfect online space for daunted dabblers or reluctant returners to develop a consistent sketching habit.

Join the growing community of Inspired Ones and let your inner artist flourish. Doors for new members open a few times a year.

What the Inspired Ones are saying

Inspire has been wonderful for me. Such a great selection of content and sparkling ideas! It’s lovely to dip in and out, always knowing where to go for inspiration.

Angela, Inspire Member

Oh, hello, creative soul

It’s me, Susan

When I’m not teaching, running my pottery cafe in Woking, writing books about sketching, or talking about all things creative, I’m busy being a mama to my very strong-willed daughter, dancing salsa, practicing yoga, or sewing my own (often lovely, occasionally terrible) clothes. 

So, believe me when I say I get it - life’s full-on! It’s why my own creativity has fluctuated over the years. And it’s what inspired me to create this space for you. So that amid life's beautiful, messy chaos, your sketchbook practice remains as easy, accessible, and constant as possible. 

Over the years, I’ve learned how to make my sketchbook practice work for me. Now, it’s where I turn as soon as I feel the urge to lose myself in a splash of colour or a quick continuous line. I find inspiration all around me, and I want to share that with you. 

You don’t need a reason to get creative, and you definitely don’t need to be ‘good’ at it. Creativity doesn’t need to be complicated. All you need is something to draw with, something to draw on, and a creative itch that wants scratching.

Susan, you are great: friendly, bubbly, and human, just like the rest of us.

Viv, Doodler

Start sketching

Say hello to all the ways you can sketch today

Inspire Sketching Membership

Join the growing community of Inspired Ones and let your inner artist flourish.

Sketchbook Challenge BOOK

Kickstart your daily drawing habit with 100 simple, sketch-provoking prompts.

sketchbook challenge app

Redicover your love of sketching through the Sketchbook Challenge app.

One-Day Sketching Retreat in Surrey

Join me in my hometown of Woking, in the boutique hotel at Gorse Hill for a full-day of sketching and creativity. Sat 16th Mar 2024.

It's well known that practising your sketching every day is the best way to improve your drawing skills. Susan Yeates' Sketchbook Challenge aims to kickstart your sketching habit with 100 simple ideas for sketching easy-to-find subjects. The challenges are specifically aimed at beginners, with an emphasis on having fun.

Paints for fun

After some creative inspo?

Look no further! Browse my Vlog for behind-the-scenes access to my sketchbooks, a sneaky peek inside my home studio, and more tutorials than you can shake a sharpened pencil at.

Sketchbook Stories Episode 14 - Landscape Tonal Studies
Sketchbook Stories

Sketchbook Stories Episode 14 - Landscape Tonal Studies

In this episode I am opening up the pages of a recent pith sketchbook where I have been sketching the landscape using a quick tonal study. As well as showing the page I will show you how to create ...
Sketchbook Stories Episode 13 - Blind Contour Drawing Faces
Sketchbook Stories

Sketchbook Stories Episode 13 - Blind Contour Drawing Faces

This sketchbook page shows the wonderful technique of blind contour drawing and how we can use this to sketch faces. So fun for loosening up and building confidence in pencil. Oh and it's quick too!
Sketchbook Stories Episode 12 - Sketching Landscapes like Cezanne
Sketchbook Stories

Sketchbook Stories Episode 12 - Sketching Landscapes like Cezanne

This A4 sketchbook page shows a colourful landscape sketch done in water-soluble crayons, inspired by an oil painting by Paul Cezanne. This video details the exact processes and materials used as w...

FREE RESOURCES

Stuck for sketchbook ideas?

Get ready to rediscover your creative mojo! Develop a daily sketchbook practice using my FREE ebook and fall back in love with sketching.

Kickstart your creativity for FREE. Treat your sketchbook to 5 days of play with fun exercises and prompts designed to flex your creative muscles.

Warm-up exercises will help get you started, and Susan provides helpful advice on thinking of your subject differently and taking a fresh approach. Susan's work will inspire you to have a go yourself, with a good mixture of black-and-white sketches in both pen and pencil, coloured illustrations, painting, and collage.

Paints for fun

Wanna join the most creative mailing list around?

Get sketch-inspo, drawing tips, tricks, and tutorials direct to your inbox every single month - for free! 

Trust me; your sketchbook will thank you.