Through the Looking-Glass
A drawing intensive at Drawing Room
Sketchbooks are the artist’s filing cabinet. Part journal, part catalogue, the sketchbook has always been the most accessible and intimate lifeline to artmaking for every artist, whether beginner or veteran.
In this drawing intensive, we turn to the sketchbook as a foundational artistic practice and gateway to creative confidence. We’ll learn to use our sketchbooks as a lens that transforms the way we see and capture the world, by developing our drawing practices and creative voices over the course of 8 weeks.
Over 8 weeks, you’ll complete a large-format sketchbook. As your sketchbook fills with exercises, notes, and take-home projects, watch it transform into your personalized reference book for concepts you’ve learned, ideas that excite you, styles you’re curious to explore, as well as a repository for your observations, mementos, feelings, techniques, and more.
A beginner-friendly journey of 8 weekly sessions, developing your daily relationship with drawing!
We’ll explore and build on foundational techniques like observational drawing, mark-making, and figure drawing, all while discovering how drawing can fit into your everyday life through your sketchbook practice.
Now Enrolling for Winter
“Through the Looking-Glass”
4 installments of $230
(or $890 upfront)
8 weekly sessions. Tuesdays 6:30-9:30 pm from Dec 1 to Feb 2 at our Williamsburg location.
Exact dates: Dec 1, Dec 8, Dec 15, Jan 5, Jan 12, Jan 19, Jan 26, Feb 2.
Enrollment closes 12pm on the day of the first session, or when the 16 available spots are all filled. Don’t wait to save your seat!
Sessions in this Intensive
Session 1
“Beginning with Gesture”
We’ll begin by getting to know each other, exploring blind contour and gesture.
Casual dinner provided (think finger foods). Allergen-free options available.
Session 2
“Presence, Absence”
We shift our focus to positive and negative space, learning to see drawing subjects as series of shapes from big to small.
Session 3
“Light as Structure”
This week, we turn to translating the interaction of light on objects as value, creating value scales and markmaking explorations in class.
Session 4
“Figure and Form”
In this session, we introduce the figure. We return to gesture, as we practiced in week 1, focusing on line as a way to delineate between smaller shapes and overall proportion.
Session 5
“Shaping the Face”
This week, we zoom in from the previous week to explore how all the previous concepts covered come to play in portrait format. We start by revisiting line as a way to delineate between smaller shapes.
Fun fact: a line is the smallest shape!
Session 6
“Artistic Lineage”
This week, we take a field trip to a museum to gather some inspiration :) Scavenger hunt for artworks and artists you are particularly drawn to for different reasons. Start creating your own lexicon of works to look toward, reference, and learn from.
Tickets for admission are included.
Session 7
“Voice of the Hand”
This week, we continue to gather our art heroes! Whose work compels you? Why? We build on last week’s field trip with guided in-class work on our mastercopy assignment.
Session 8
“Open Session”
We end our course by celebrating our work this season! Each student will present their sketchbook, the rose-and-thorn of their drawing explorations throughout this course, and hear feedback from their peers.
Your Instructor
Ray (he him) is an artist whose work draws from memory, family, and home. Through painting and drawing, he layers personal history to explore belonging and cultural contradiction, while approaching both art and teaching with curiosity, experimentation, and care.
What makes up an Intensive?
Dive deeper and build confidence
While Intensives are still open-level and beginner-friendly, we dig deeper and push ourselves to gain confidence, practice, and see improvement.
Intensives are great for when you know you’re really interested in pushing yourself in a particular area. It’s an opportunity to actively create and discuss the philosophy of creativity—exploring how we can weave the practices into our daily lives with intention and purpose.
Unique program design at a great value
Each Intensive is designed with intention and care for the Drawing Room community by professional working artists that reflect their own practice.
We focus on learning and deepening new skills while also connecting with the group over food, drink, and conversation.
Recurring schedule and accountability
Intensives are recurring on the same day for 8 weeks, made up of the same group of up to 16 people.
Build connections with your classmates over the entire Intensive program, see each other grow, and hold yourself accountable to your commitments.
Drawing Room as your campus
Intensive enrollment includes the Creative Flow Membership, giving you access to the Art Library and Open Hours. Just show your digital member card to drop by anytime the space is open—whether to keep practicing, co-work, or connect with friends.
Get 15% off everything else with the membership, too.
Workshop materials and supplies
All materials and supplies needed for your workshops are provided on-site and you take home the pieces you create.
Depending on the intensive, you’ll also receive storage space or take-home kits to work on your projects between sessions!
Office Hours with Instructors
Starting Fall 2026
Intensive students and alumni have the ability to schedule time with Instructors to receive additional support, access to class equipment, and ask questions as you work on independent projects during Open Hours.
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FAQs
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Yes, of course!
If you are already a member with a payment method on file, please use the same exact email we have on file for your membership.
Since the Creative Flow Membership is included for all Journey participants, you’ll be prorated for any days not covered by the journey, and these days will be added back at the end of the journey. This means you will not be charged again until you’ve used all the days you’ve paid for last, before signing up for a journey. (Don’t worry, we do the math for you).
Please reach out to our team at info@nycdrawingroom.com with any questions, or for help enrolling
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If you aren’t able to make one of the dates, we will be able to share the lesson plan for the day with you and encourage you to complete the assignment so that you will be prepared for the discussions in the subsequent session.
Unlike the Cohort Program, each session builds on the last, so it’s important to try to make each one! There are currently no make-up days available due to the nature of our programming availability.
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Yes! We offer interest-free payment plans via Klarna. Simply select that option on the payment page.
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Intensive workshops are not open to the public and are exclusive to your group.
You can expect to see the familiar faces of your Intensive members in each of these classes, and you'll get first dibs and get to sign up for any future journeys at Drawing Room.
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All enrollments are final. Please double check your calendar.
However, if you find you are unable to join us for the program for whatever reason after booking, you can let us know at least 7 days before the first session to get credits for a future program date. The credits cannot be individually transferred to events, they must be used in one go for the same program at a future date.
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Absolutely!
There’s so much to learn each time you participate in an Intensive, and they’re open level, so you are encouraged to work with the instructors to push yourself.
Plus, each Intensive is a new opportunity to make new friends and share an experience with a tight knit group of people!
If after an Intensive (or two) you find you’re ready to explore other mediums or want to dive deep into another medium, you can explore our other journeys – you’ll get first dibs!
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We’d recommend you take them one at a time! Each of our journeys are designed to be a comprehensive experience. While participating in multiple (Cohort Program AND an Intensive, for example) is not impossible, you may find yourself at Drawing Room a LOT!! Which, we’d love, but may be intense!
For context, through the Cohort Program you can expect to be at Drawing Room and average of 1-2 times per week, and the Intensive is an average of once per week.
Join the mailing list!
Want to be the first to know about an upcoming season of this Journey? Join this mailing list and we’ll send you an email before everyone else so you get first dibs.