Sketching for Life – Challenge 2025
JUNE 16th – JUNE 24th 2025
Only $20 for the full 10 day event
Get ready for 12 inspiring sketching sessions—9 favorite classics plus 3 brand new lessons—Special Edition for 2025. You’ll get simple, practical guidance, daily emails to keep you going, a cozy private Facebook group, and the option to keep all the lessons forever. It’s your once-a-year chance to sketch with me in a fun, structured, and uplifting way.
ENROLLMENT IS OPEN!
GRAB THE 2025 OWN FOREVER BUNDLE
What You’ll Learn
Inside Sketching for Life, you’ll learn how to:
- Build a joyful sketching habit that fits into everyday life—even just a few minutes at a time
- Draw from life, from photos, and from imagination—and begin to blend these approaches for greater creative freedom
- Let go of perfectionism and draw more intuitively, with confidence and ease
- Discover your personal sketching style through playful repetition and gentle experimentation
- Capture ideas quickly so your sketchbook becomes a source of future artworks
- Reconnect with your creativity and enjoy the process of drawing, just for you
Welcome to Sketching for Life 2025
A creative challenge designed to help you sketch with freedom, flow, and joy.
This class is a gentle but powerful journey into the art of sketching—designed to help you feel confident with a pencil in your hand, no matter where you are or what you see.
✨ Across nine beautifully structured lessons, you’ll explore the three essential modes of drawing: from life, from photos, and from imagination. Each approach brings something unique—and together, they give you the foundation for a deeply personal and expressive sketching practice.
✨ We’ll sketch everyday objects, figures, animals, abstract impressions, and dreamy scenes—learning to see more clearly, draw more intuitively, and create with a spirit of ease and experimentation.
✨ And this year, for returning sketchers or anyone ready to go even deeper, I’m including three brand-new lessons created especially for this year´s challenge—to expand your skills, spark fresh inspiration, and help you take your sketching to the next level.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or a returning sketcher, you’ll come away with a growing sense of trust in your hand and a sketchbook full of discoveries.
By the end, you won’t just know how to sketch—you’ll feel free to sketch anything, anywhere, under any conditions. A moving train, a quiet evening, a vivid dream—your sketchbook will be your companion through it all.
This is your time to reclaim drawing as something joyful, meaningful, and entirely your own.
Here’s a description of all the lessons in Sketching for Life – 2025 Challenge:
Graphite Materials – Intro Lesson
Start here: simple tools, beautiful results.
In this introductory session, Ida walks you through the essential graphite tools for Sketching for Life. You’ll see how easy it is to get started with just a few simple materials—no fancy supplies needed, just your curiosity and a pencil.
✍️ Graphite Favorites: Your Sketching Materials Guide
An inspiring walkthrough of essential tools—for beautiful graphite drawings, your way.
In this relaxed and informative video, you’ll be introduced to Ida’s most trusted graphite tools, from everyday pencils to beloved smudging tricks and favorite erasers. You’ll see how a simple, affordable set is more than enough to begin with—and how you can expand with a few extras for added joy and creative freedom. Whether you’re sketching at your table or on the go, this guide will help you gather what you need and feel confident using it.
- Discover Ida’s go-to basic sketching set—ideal for both beginners and seasoned creatives
- Learn the differences between graphite grades, erasers, smudging tools, and mechanical pencils
- Get bonus inspiration with metallic golds and optional tools to deepen your practice
ENROLLMENT IS OPEN!
GRAB THE 2025 OWN FOREVER BUNDLE
The 9 Classical Sketching Lessons:
These are the core lessons that started it all.
The 9 classic Sketching for Life sessions gently guide you through the essentials of everyday sketching—from observation and imagination to expressive detail. Whether you’re brand new to drawing or returning to it with fresh eyes, these lessons are easy to follow, deeply encouraging, and designed to meet you right where you are.
🐚 Lesson 1: Seashells from Life
Let your pencil dance across the page as you explore the beauty of real-life objects in a relaxed sketch session.
In this first lesson, you’ll create an intuitive still life using simple treasures—like seashells—arranged freely on the page. You’ll learn how to loosen your grip, let go of control, and allow your hand and heart to take the lead. This is joyful, freehand drawing from life, using minimal tools (just a pencil and your curiosity), with the option to embellish your sketch using gold Posca pens for a magical finish.
- Draw from real life with ease and playfulness
- Practice intuitive mark-making to let your natural style emerge
- Add optional shimmer with gold accents for extra joy
🌸 Lesson 2: Flowers from Photo
Loosening Up with Floral Inspiration. Be gently inspired by a floral photo as you create a light, expressive sketch—no measuring, just joyful mark-making.
In this session, you’ll learn how to use a small printed or phone-sized photo reference as a loose guide for sketching. With a playful approach to flowers, you’ll let your pencil flow intuitively while working with soft graphite, erasers, and blending tools to bring contrast and energy to the page. You’ll also explore creating light with erasers and layering values for a sense of form—without any pressure to be “right.”
- Draw from photo references in a relaxed and intuitive way
- Learn to build values with graphite and draw with erasers
- Capture floral forms through expressive lines and soft shading
🌌 Lesson 3: Abstract Marks from Imagination
Drawing from Life, Intuitively. Relax into mark-making and discover what emerges when you draw with no plan at all.
In this playful and intuitive lesson, you’ll explore the joy of abstract graphite sketching—no references, no expectations, just your pencil, your imagination, and a blank page. You’ll experiment with mark-making, hatching, smudging, and carving light from graphite using erasers, brushes, and cotton pads. As you build up tones and textures, your page becomes a space to daydream, observe, and let hidden forms quietly appear.
- Draw from imagination using intuitive abstract shapes and textures
- Practice meditative techniques with graphite, erasers, and smudging tools
- Explore light, shadow, and tone without the pressure of perfection
🧘 Lesson 4: The Buddha from Life
Enjoy a calming croquis-style drawing session using small objects from life as your inspiration.
In this sketch, we’ll gently draw a series of Buddha figurines—shifting angles, perspectives, and moods as we go. You’ll learn how to use quick sketching from life to strengthen your drawing eye and hand, while also connecting deeply with your chosen subject. There’s no pressure to get things “right”—just a joyful, soulful exploration that blends observation with imagination and expressive line work.
- Draw small objects from life in a loose croquis style
- Practice seeing and sketching quickly without overthinking
- Blend realism and imagination for a meaningful composition
🦉 Lesson 5: Owls from Photo
A lively croquis session using quick sketches of owls to sharpen your drawing flow.
In this joyful and time-boxed sketching session, we work from photo references to create three expressive owl drawings. With five-minute sketches and a gentle timer guiding us, you’ll practice letting go of perfection, capturing essential shapes quickly, and building confidence through repetition. This playful croquis approach is all about warming up your creative energy—and making the most of just half an hour of drawing time.
- Sketch three different birds with a light, intuitive croquis approach
- Use a timer to stay loose and focused while training your eyes and hand
- Blend photo reference and imagination for lively, expressive results
✨ Lesson 6: Faces from Imagination
Let a soulful face emerge from the page—sketching gently and intuitively.
In this favorite sketching process, you’ll create a whimsical and expressive face from imagination using light graphite lines, soft shading, and flowing hair. With Ida’s guidance, you’ll learn how to gently build up the features step by step, adjusting freely as you go. The session closes with a golden touch—adding light, sparkle, and personal expression with shimmering details.
- Sketch a face from imagination using a simple, circular structure
- Practice intuitive placement of facial features through loose layering
- Embellish your sketch with gold details and explore a gentle, joyful process
✨ Lesson 7: Jewellery and Wood from Life
Draw what you love—simple still life sketching with heart and intuition.
In this gentle session, you’ll sketch a few beloved objects from life—a piece of jewelry and driftwood—while exploring intuitive composition and the joy of looking closely. With a light, flowing line and a playful approach, you’ll discover how drawing from observation deepens your connection to the objects around you and strengthens your skills in a relaxed and soulful way.
- Practice drawing from life using simple household objects you love
- Explore intuitive composition and play with arranging still life setups
- Develop your eye for shape, line, and value in a relaxed, meditative sketching session
🌄 Lesson 8: Landscape from Photo
Capture the vast beauty of a landscape in a small and simple sketch.
In this peaceful session, you’ll learn how to break down a majestic landscape photo into simple, expressive shapes and values. By focusing on the big picture—light, dark, sky, earth, and the flowing diagonal of a river—you’ll see how sketching even a complex scene can be relaxing and doable. The session ends with a sprinkle of gold and a touch of imagination, inviting you to let your drawing evolve naturally.
- Practice simplifying landscapes into basic forms and shapes
- Explore value and contrast with soft hatching and gentle smudging
- Add magic and light with erasers, gold details, and optional fantasy elements
✨ Lesson 9: A Fantasy from Imagination
Sketch straight from the heart and let a magical scene unfold.
In this soulful session, you’ll learn how to create a loose and expressive sketch from pure imagination. Without planning or reference, you’ll allow shapes and figures to emerge organically from intuitive scribbles—just like a dream forming on the page. As we sketch, a delicate flower fairy takes shape, surrounded by wings, blossoms, and gentle textures. You’re invited to draw along or follow your own inner story, using simple tools and a sense of freedom.
- Let forms and figures emerge from intuitive scribbles and spontaneous play
- Blend smudging, erasing, and darker lines to create depth, contrast, and movement
- Use your favorite motifs to build imaginative scenes that feel personal and expressive
ENROLLMENT IS OPEN!
GRAB THE 2025 OWN FOREVER BUNDLE
The 3 new 2025 Special Edition Lessons
This year, we’re taking things a step further.
Alongside the 9 classic Sketching for Life lessons, you’ll get 3 special edition lessons—fresh favorites from Ida’s Drawing Magic Circle membership. Each one brings something a little different to spark new ideas and deepen your sketching journey.
Italian View to the Ocean
A sun-drenched wall, worn steps, and a glimpse of ocean through the buildings—this sketching session invites you into the rhythm of urban drawing. With just a pencil and a bit of joyful observation, you’ll capture the spirit of a quiet Italian view and discover how a few marks can bring a whole scene to life.
In this relaxed sketching session, we draw what I like to call an Italian view to the ocean—a charming glimpse of architecture with stairs, slanting doors, shadowy corners, and a narrow opening to the sea. Whether you sit outside or sketch at home, we’ll treat this like a true urban sketching moment. No rulers, no perfect lines—just improvisation, simple tools, and a healthy dose of curiosity. You’ll hear my thoughts as I sketch and share how I handle common architectural challenges—like leaning lines, unaligned proportions, and unexpected details like brickwork, wires, or even forgotten laundry.
This sketch is not about precision—it’s about capturing an impression. We’ll use everyday materials like a 2B pencil, a smudging rag, and maybe even a knitting needle to help visualize lines and angles. I’ll walk you through composition choices, value contrasts, and how to let your marks speak clearly without overworking the piece. Whether it’s lining up a staircase or finalizing a boat on the horizon, you’ll learn how to trust your eyes, improvise with grace, and enjoy the satisfying simplicity of sketching what you see.
Key learning points:
- Treat your photo like a real-life view—practice observational sketching from a reference
- Draw urban architecture freely by blocking in stairs, doors, and ocean views without overthinking
- Explore angles and measurements using improvised tools like a pencil or knitting needle
- Balance structure with flow—focus on rhythm over rigid precision in your sketch
- Use soft shading and hatching to bring in atmosphere and texture without extra materials
- Let your lines lean and shift naturally—embracing imperfection as part of the charm
Hat Full of Stars
Welcome to Hat Full of Stars, a fun and relaxing 1-hour sketching session, practicing the overall Drawing Magic Secret skills.
In this session, we’ll create a beautiful portrait, focusing on capturing the subject’s soft, dreamy gaze and the magical atmosphere of stars. We’ll emphasize rendering rich and deep skin tones, while keeping the process loose and light, allowing the drawing to unfold naturally. This session is designed to inspire creativity and help you finish a portrait in one sitting, all while embracing a calm, relaxed flow.
On the technical side, we’ll explore techniques for rendering a range of skin tones, using graphite to create smooth transitions and depth. You’ll learn how to work with light and shadow to enhance the richness of the portrait, and use expressive details and textures to bring it to life with emotional impact.
Key Learning Points
- Create a portrait focusing on soft and dreamy expressions.
- Render rich and deep skin tones, learning how to work with graphite to enhance tonal range.
- Explore blending and smudging techniques to create smooth transitions and depth.
- Master light and shadow to add richness and dimension to your portrait.
- Embrace a loose, relaxed approach to drawing, finishing your portrait in one sitting.
- Add expressive details and textures that bring your portrait to life with emotional impact.
Journey of the Dolphins
In this tender and immersive graphite drawing session, we sketch a trio of dolphins gliding through the ocean—capturing their graceful forms, gentle power, and the emotion that often arises when we draw from the heart. You’ll be guided through the full process of composing the scene, placing each dolphin with care using crosshairs and light measuring, and developing the forms with layered lines and deep observation. As we refine the drawing, we explore the use of atmosphere, values, and quiet contrast to suggest both water and light.
This lesson invites you to slow down and really sink into your drawing. From adding softness to the bodies through careful erasing and shading, to darkening the ocean behind them for maximum contrast, you’ll discover how to make the scene glow without rushing. Optional details like sea stars, splashy dots, or white acrylic highlights let you personalize the final artwork. Whether you draw just one dolphin or all three, this session offers a meaningful exploration of graphite, light, and the quiet joy of seeing a drawing come to life through time and attention.
Key learning points
- Sketch a three-dolphin composition using light measuring, crosshairs, and freehand adjustments.
- Layer graphite lines and shading to develop naturalistic form, depth, and subtle value shifts.
- Create atmospheric background contrast with directional hatching and soft smudging.
- Use erasers and blenders to refine shapes and bring out highlights with precision.
- Add optional final touches like splash dots, ocean stars, or white acrylic shimmer.
- Explore drawing as a meditative, emotional practice, where memory, movement, and meaning connect.
ENROLLMENT IS OPEN!
GRAB THE 2025 OWN FOREVER BUNDLE
What’s Included
When you join the Sketching for Life Challenge, you’ll receive:
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9 timeless sketching lessons — my signature step-by-step lessons that gently guide you through drawing from life, from photos, and from imagination—building a well-rounded sketching practice, one step at a time.
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3 all-new, Special Edition Sketching Sessions for 2025 — designed to take your skills to the next level and offer fresh inspiration for both new and returning sketchers.
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Daily inspirational emails to guide you through each session, help you stay on track, and gently support your creative flow.
- 9 days of supportive emails — one per day to help you build a joyful sketching rhythm, even on busy days.
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Access to an exclusive, pop-up Facebook community—a warm and welcoming space just for challenge participants, open for a limited time, where you can share your sketches, connect with others, and enjoy the journey together.
- All content is pre-recorded, so you can watch and sketch at your own pace during the challenge dates. Whether you join in daily or move through it in your own rhythm, everything is designed to be easy, flexible, and fun.
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A simple materials list and friendly guidance—no fancy supplies required. You can use what you have and start right where you are.
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Optional ‘Own Forever Bundle’ — want to keep the lessons? You’ll be able to upgrade and keep lifetime access if you wish.
10 days of joyful sketching with Ida Andersen Lang
Find your personal rhythm and creative touch through 9 inspiring lessons—plus brand-new bonuses for 2025!
✨ Ready to sketch with more ease, joy, and confidence?
Join me for this once-a-year creative challenge where you’ll learn my best practices for everyday sketching through 9 hand-tailored lessons, designed to help you sketch from life, photo, and imagination. You’ll build a regular sketch habit, discover your personal style, and reconnect with your love for drawing—supported by a kind and cozy private SFL community.
✨ Returning sketchers, take note: This year also brings 3 exciting new sketching lessons to deepen your experience and spark fresh inspiration!
✨ Want to revisit the lessons after the challenge?
You’ll have the option to purchase the Own Forever Bundle inside the challenge and keep everything for life.
Who Is This Challenge For?
This sketching challenge is designed for anyone who wants to draw more—without pressure or perfectionism. All levels are welcome, from complete beginners to experienced artists looking for a fresh boost of inspiration.
Whether you’re picking up a pencil for the first time in years or simply want to build a more joyful, consistent sketching habit, you’ll find guidance, structure, and plenty of encouragement here. Every lesson is taught step by step, with clear prompts and gentle support.
We’ll sketch from life, from imagination, and from photos—exploring different approaches to help you loosen up, try new things, and grow your creative confidence. If you’ve been craving a drawing practice that feels light, nourishing, and truly doable… this challenge is for you.
A Personal Note from Ida 💛
If you’ve been longing to bring more creativity into your everyday life—but find that time slips away, perfectionism creeps in, or you just don’t know where to begin—this challenge was made for you.
Sketching for Life is a gentle, joy-filled event designed to help you reconnect with your creativity, one sketch at a time. Over ten days, I’ll guide you through my personal sketching practices—approaches I’ve used for years to stay connected to my art, even during life’s busiest seasons.
You don’t need fancy tools. You don’t need hours of spare time. You just need a few minutes, a pencil, and a little curiosity.
Together, we’ll explore:
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how to sketch freely and intuitively
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how to draw from life, photos, and imagination
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how to make sketching part of your daily rhythm—without pressure
Whether you’re brand new to drawing or simply want to return to it with fresh energy, this is your invitation to reclaim sketching as something light, doable, and nourishing.
And if you’ve joined Sketching for Life in the past—you’re warmly invited back. This year includes three all-new, next-level sketching sessions created especially for returning participants who want to deepen their practice.
I can’t wait to sketch with you.
Let’s begin this creative journey together.
—Ida 💛