Working with Your Mark

Well… we’re now fully into the second half of this year. Relentlessly so. Lol. Anyone else having a wild ride? Honestly I’m struggling to hold on, ready for some slower pace. But always and ever grateful to have moments of drawing in between the complete madness.

“Any day you get to put pencil to paper is a good day”.

I talked about this recently with one of the artists in my drawing group, because when it comes to drawing at least, it’s not always about making something perfect every time. Just because you make a bad drawing, does not mean it’s a bad day.

Obviously I’m always going to say that, since I believe process is more important than outcome. I get that it feels so very “short-change-y” to say that, when clearly we all want to make something close to the vision or feeling we have. Or, at the very least, to feel good about the work we made.

But, gentle reminder: life drawing is not really about making work. It is about developing a process. That’s why it’s never about making one drawing: it’s filled with short poses, long poses, different models, different sessions, different moods. In life drawing, every single pose is a new opportunity to unlock process even more.

One of the best comments I heard about life drawing this year is that it is about “working with your mark that day”

Because you’re not in the studio, you’re not in complete control, you can’t tailor the set up, zoom in on a photo, tear it up and start again 100 times…. it really helps to take a beat and just notice what mark is prominent. What mark are you unconsciously making, what mark is trying to come through.

Next time you’re at life drawing, even in the first few gesture poses, take a moment to stop drawing and notice what mark is happening. That’s a powerful guide to the process and can yield so much for you in terms of drawing. Follow that relentlessly.

The September Cohort is filling up!

If you’d like to take 4 weeks to focus on your drawing, work in a supportive group with me, and honestly transform your drawing in a short space of time…. This is your sign!! Come join me!! ❤️

How it works

The Cohort lives in my community site, and this is where we hang out, post work, talk through the ideas and keep each other moving for the whole four weeks. There is a lot of support and engagement there on a daily basis. Each week has three live sessions at 2PM UTC:

• Mondays — 60 min lecture / presentation

• Wednesdays — 1hr / 2hr group drawing session

• Fridays — 90 min group feedback session

But, what if you can’t make those times?

Every session is recorded and posted straight into the community, so the timing genuinely won’t lock you out. If 2PM UTC lands in your workday, watch the replay that evening and you’ll still be completely part of it, because the real engine of this Cohort is the community that runs every day. People all over the world will be progressing alongside you through this four-week window, and I’m in the chat throughout: post your work whenever you can and I’ll be there to respond. You won’t be doing this alone, even if you’re drawing at 9pm your time.

If you have any questions, just hit reply to this email.

Here is some really wonderful feedback about the Cohort:

Siobhan knows how to see a persons art and her focus on the process is thrilling. I have worked on becoming an artist for many many years and find her approach to coaching and teaching the best available. I felt like her classes, lectures and demos were directed at me.

- T.J.

I heartily recommend Siobhan’s approach to drawing, her ability to convey difficult and abstract approaches and her warm enthusiasm and precise comments on everyone’s progress really created a positive group dynamic that was exceptional and heartwarming.

- Ellen

This was a fantastic course to be on. Siobhán is a super teacher and excellent facilitator in a group where some students are further along their artistic journey than others. You learn from her and other people on the course. She is always really encouraging, celebrating and noticing every detail, while giving constructive feedback. She brings the same expressive, liberating approach to teaching that she does to her drawings and allows space for others to do so too.

- Catherine

Siobhan is a great instructor—laid-back yet consistently delivers clear instruction and thoughtful feedback. She encouraged me to look closer at my subjects and helped me create more subtle, suggested marks in my work.
Being part of a community of artists and meeting regularly kept me accountable and made me create art consistently. The constructive criticism I received, along with learning from critiques of other artists’ work, was especially valuable. Highly recommend this cohort if you’re looking for structure, community, and real growth in your drawing practice.

- Leanie

Thank you so much for reading! Wishing you a wonderful week,

Siobhan

❤️