Drawing with Sensitivity - 8 Week Drawing Course

Drawing with Sensitivity - 8 Week Drawing Course

Unlike many of my other expressive drawing classes, this course is all about slowing down.

Rather than working with big gestures and loose marks, we'll take our time and learn how to handle a pencil and fountain pen with care, intention and sensitivity. We'll focus on observation, learning to see what is in front of us and translate it onto paper with confidence.

Drawing on a smaller scale invites an intimate way of seeing. As our drawings become smaller, we may notice subtle shifts in shape, tone and line that might otherwise go unseen. Through careful observation and sensitive mark-making, we'll discover that even the simplest drawing can hold depth, presence and quiet expression.

You'll learn how to handle a pencil with the confidence of a skilled draughtsperson. We'll explore how to vary pressure, make purposeful marks, use the whole pencil, and allow your hand to move with ease rather than tension. These small refinements can transform the way you draw.

This course is designed for people who enjoy working on a smaller scale and appreciate the quieter side of drawing. Together we'll explore how simple materials can produce rich and expressive drawings when used with patience, care and curiosity.

Each week we'll investigate a different drawing principle through practical exercises and demonstrations. The emphasis will be on developing your observational skills, refining your technique, and enjoying the process of looking closely.

Whether you're completely new to drawing or looking to strengthen your foundational skills, this course will give you the confidence to work with pencil and fountain pen in a thoughtful and enjoyable way.

And yes... this is definitely one for those who prefer to stay clean!

Image: Jody Graham ' King Island - Currie, Tasmania' 2026, pencil on paper

Expressive Portraits: Drawing in Mixed Media using Unconventional Materials

Ever wanted to draw portraits but felt held back by the rules? This playful one-day workshop invites you to let go and explore a more expressive approach. Using unexpected tools like sticks, spoons, and masking tape, you’ll experiment with bold mark-making while learning a simple method for creating a front-facing portrait.

Perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike, this hands-on session is all about loosening up, embracing happy accidents, and rediscovering the joy of drawing. You’ll leave with unique artworks, fresh techniques, and a renewed creative confidence.

Moody Landscapes: Drawing & Mixed Media Masterclass

One-Day Workshop: Moody Landscapes: Drawing & Mixed Media Masterclass
Date: Saturday 2nd May
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Hanke Studio, Royal Art Society, North Sydney (upstairs)

Discover how to create moody, atmospheric landscapes using charcoal, ink, and conte in this immersive one-day workshop. You’ll learn special techniques to bring greater expression and sensitivity to your artwork, exploring innovative ways to capture mood and texture. Some prior drawing experience recommend, but not essential in this class which offers personalised tuition in a supportive environment.

For more information about workshop, materials and price follow link.

What others are saying…

“Love her work! Jody is one of my favourite artists and humans, and one of the best art teachers and mentors I’ve had. Her students run the full gamut of skills, interests and ambitions, and yet Jody manages to tailor her teaching to make sure that everyone gets what they need to develop not just as artists, but as artists with their own unique voice. And that’s no mean feat. She really has changed my life. Can’t recommend her highly enough. “

Mo Fox 2025

Image: Jody Graham ‘Path Unfolding’ 2025, 42cm x 29cm

Expressive Drawing in Charcoal & Mixed Media (All materials supplied)

Join me for a full-day of charcoal and mixed media drawing workshop, where all materials are provided. All you need to do is show up and learn something new that will change the way you think about drawing and working with charcoal. This workshop is designed to be both fun and inspiring, pushing you in new directions while expanding your drawing and mark-making skills.

During the workshop, we’ll explore a range of subjects—from figurative drawing to birds, buildings, and abstract mark-making. We’ll start with a series of guided exercises that will help you see and think about drawing in new ways. Throughout the day, we’ll explore the different effects you can create using both compressed and willow charcoal. You’ll also learn key techniques related to line, tone, composition, and how to develop your creative ideas.

The workshop takes place in a comfortable, air-conditioned studio in North Sydney, with free parking available onsite. You’ll receive an email the week before the workshop with directions and any other helpful details to ensure you have an enjoyable experience.

This workshop is open to all skill levels, so whether you’re a beginner or more experienced, you’ll find plenty to inspire and challenge you.

*This workshop includes a premium charcoal kit, valued at over $50, with high-quality materials that you can take home with you.

Venue Accessibility Notice - Please note, this venue is not wheelchair accessible and has stairs

Image: Jody Graham ‘Lookout Cockatoo’ mixed media on paper’ 76cm x 56cm

Advance Your Artistic Potential in 2026 - Monthly Mentorship Workshops with Jody Graham (Saturday)

Ready to elevate your creative practice? Join me, Jody Graham, for a year-long, hands-on mentorship designed to help you expand your artistic voice, refine your professional practice, and build a cohesive body of work.

What You’ll Get:

Monthly workshops (first Saturday, except June & July) combining mentorship, demonstrations, and focused creative exploration.
Guidance on developing a body of work, online presentation, writing about your art, pricing, exhibitions, and sustaining your practice.
Personalized support in a small group (limited to 10 artists) with a welcoming, air-conditioned studio, morning tea, and easy access.

Special Offer:
Book the full series before February and receive $250 off – that’s one workshop free!

Whether you attend one session or the full series, this is your chance to grow as an artist, gain confidence, and connect with a supportive creative community.

Secure your place now and invest in your artistic future!

2-Day Birds & Mixed Media Masterclass – Discover a Technique That Will Transform Your Art - SOLD OUT

In this immersive two-day expressive drawing and mixed media workshop, you’ll explore birds not just as subjects, but as dynamic characters full of movement, personality, and story. Together, we’ll use their gestures and forms as a launching point for deeper creativity, playful experimentation, and artistic discovery.

You’ll also learn a unique layered mixed media technique I’ve developed over many years—one that brings rich texture, depth, and energy to your work. Because it takes time to learn fully, I rarely teach it, making this extended two-day format a special opportunity.

Across the weekend, we’ll begin with guided drawing and mark-making sessions to loosen up, then move toward a more resolved final artwork. Expect exploration, surprising breakthroughs, and a welcoming space to strengthen and express your own creative voice.

2 day Expressive Portrait and Life Drawing Intensive Workshop

Discover the energy and expression of figurative drawing in this inspiring two-day workshop!
Join me for an immersive experience designed to elevate your portrait and figure-drawing skills through bold techniques, dynamic mark-making, and creative exploration. With a professional life model (Alicia) booked for both days—and all model fees included—you’ll have the perfect opportunity to deepen your practice in an encouraging, hands-on environment.

Across the two days, you will:

Explore expressive portraiture and full-figure drawing through clear demonstrations and guided practice.
Develop confidence in capturing proportions, facial features, hands, and energetic gestures.
Experiment with innovative techniques such as ink washes, quick gestural marks, and mixed-media layering.
Create dynamic compositions using materials like charcoal, ink, watercolour, and pastels.
Receive personalized feedback throughout, culminating in a supportive group critique to celebrate your progress.

Whether you’re looking to expand your creative toolkit or breathe new life into your figurative work, this workshop is designed to spark growth, expression, and artistic discovery.

Advance Your Artistic Potential in 2026 - Monthly Mentorship Workshops with Jody Graham (Sunday)

What You’ll Get:

Monthly workshops (second Sunday, except June & July) combining mentorship, demonstrations, and focused creative exploration.
Guidance on developing a body of work, online presentation, writing about your art, pricing, exhibitions, and sustaining your practice.
Personalized support in a small group (limited to 10 artists) with a welcoming, air-conditioned studio, morning tea, and easy access.

Special Offer:
Book the full series before February and receive $250 off – that’s one workshop free!

Whether you attend one session or the full series, this is your chance to grow as an artist, gain confidence, and connect with a supportive creative community.

Secure your place now and invest in your artistic future!

Drawn from Memory

DRAWN FROM MEMORY

2 – 31 August 2025

Exhibition opening with the artist: 2-4pm, Saturday 2 August

View exhibition on gallery website or digital catalogue

This collection of landscape drawings were inspired by long, reflective walks through the Blue Mountains and the Central West of New South Wales. Drawn from memory, these works are not direct representations, but quiet recollections of places and moments that stay with me long after the walk is over.

In making these drawings, I wanted to honour what time in nature gives back: a sense of clarity, steadiness, and mental balance. These landscapes are as much about inner space as they are about geography. Out walking, among hills, trees, long grasses and open skies, I’m reminded that even challenging times will pass. The land has a way of putting things in perspective: its scale, its silence, its drama, and endurance. Nature teaches me to be patient, to let things unfold, and to recognise that I am part of something larger.

These drawings are also a kind of reverence, a reminder to tread lightly on the earth, with others, and with myself.

Jody Graham (July 2025)

Burnt into Memory Exhibition

Hawkesbury Regional Gallery warmly invites you to attend a new major exhibition, three years in the making: Burnt into Memory.

Featuring works by 14 artists living and working within and beyond the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains region, Burnt into Memory includes artworks created both in the immediate aftermath of the fires and more recent responses.

Please join us in celebrating the opening night on Friday 6 June, 6pm – 8pm, with Welcome to Country by Senior Darug Woman, Melissa Stubbings, opening addresses from Susan Templeman MP, Clr Sarah McMahon (Deputy Mayor, Hawkesbury City Council) and Brett Adlington (CEO, Museums and Galleries NSW), and live music by local artist, Mady Disbray. Light refreshments will be provided. You can RSVP via Eventbrite here.

Aotearoa Art Fair, New Zealand

My work explores the hidden stories I see in architecture. Buildings speak to me, drawing me in through the narratives embedded in their facades, scale, and form, and in how they engage with the spaces they occupy.

I’ve created a new collection of drawings inspired by New Zealand architecture for Nanda/Hobbs Gallery exhibited at Aotearoa Art Fair

My new collection of artworks can be viewed at Booth U37 – Paper at the Auckland Art Fair, 1–4 May

Auckland Town Hall - 130cm x 114cm - Charcoal on paper - April 2025

3 day - Expressive Portrait & Life Drawing Workshop

Workshop Overview:
Join me for an exciting 3-day workshop that focuses on expressive portrait and figure life drawing. Throughout the workshop, you’ll learn innovative techniques, create dynamic compositions, and work with different media to bring your drawings to life. All model fees are included in the price!

Day 1: Expressive Portraits & Innovative Techniques

Start with an introduction and demonstration on portrait guidelines and proportions.
Draw two live models in expressive portrait styles. (To be confirmed)
Focus on hands, facial proportions, and expressive mark-making.
Learn techniques like ink washes and quick gestural marks.
Receive personalised feedback to build confidence in your approach.

Day 2: Full Figure Life Drawing & Mixed Media Exploration

(Life Drawing model - Passion booked in for day 2)

Begin with a demonstration on figure proportions.
Focus on drawing dynamic poses and using mixed media.
Work with materials like ink, watercolour, pastels, and charcoal.
Experiment with gesture and balance, bringing figures to life.
Get feedback on your composition and figure work.

Day 3: Advanced Gesture, Composition & Expressive Mixed Media

Push your compositions further with advanced gesture techniques.
Use mixed media to create energy and mood in your work.
Final group critique to reflect on your growth and progress.

Workshop Details:

Location: Hanke Studio, North Sydney (Please note: venue has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible)
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Daily
Price: Includes all model fees
Facilities:
- Air-conditioned and heating in studio
- Kitchen for lunch storage
- Nearby shops for convenience

Book Your Spot Today!
Spaces are limited, so make sure to reserve your spot early!

Cost $665 (inc model fees) + $30.35 booking fee

Book Now