The Collective Sketchbook: Virtual Open Studio & Community

Artist with her sketch book in hand and her laptop open - Avenue Road Arts School Art Collective Sketchbook

The Collective Sketchbook: Virtual Open Studio & Community

Beginner
Intermediate
Summer 2026
Schedule
Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 (4 weeks)
9:30am - 11:30am
Location
Virtual
Course Fee
$205+HST
Enroll Now
Back to classes

About this course

Establish a dedicated and collective drawing routine in this four-week open studio designed to build artistic connection, creativity and accountability. Every session begins with a minimalist prompt, focusing on media, process or subject such as, working in charcoal, or drawing with only straight lines, or drawing your drawing tools. The prompts are designed to guide your process and serve as a common thread connecting everyone’s work. While the core drawing time is self-guided to maximize your creative autonomy and individual focus, each session concludes with a group review, allowing time for discussion and reflections. Led by drawing artist Rose Montgomery-Whicher, these sessions provide an opportunity to exchange constructive peer feedback and professional insights, offering a balance of solitary artistic freedom and community connection.

What you'll learn

  • Cultivate a Studio Routine: Build a consistent, weekly drawing habit within a virtual environment.
  • Interpret Minimalist Drawing Prompts: Expand your creative boundaries by adapting individual projects to specific media restrictions or thematic constraints.
  • Engage in Constructive Art Critique: You will be encouraged to articulate your own creative choices and provide meaningful feedback to peers.
  • Strengthen Self-Directed Problem Solving: Gain confidence in navigating your own creative process.

 

What students say

They didn't think they were artists either.

"I really didn't know the first thing about Contemporary art beforehand. He has a real talent for encouraging and inspiring students — everyone leaves his classes feeling great about themselves and their work."
Jamie Mudrick · Art of Colour
"A very engaging and fun class. It's a fantastic way to help loosen up and get the creative juices flowing. If I was able to, I would take this course every time it's offered."
Leslie Greenbaum · Drawing More Expressively
"I loved all of the exercises — it was very inspiring for me and a fabulous entry into drawing. It was way too short. The four weeks flew by."
Jamie Mudrick · Drawing More Expressively
"She was incredibly patient with me as a first time painter and gave detailed instruction on how to move my piece forward while preserving and helping me to find my own artistic style."
Adult student · Acrylic Art 101
"I am a beginner painter and learned a lot and now feel confident to paint on my own. I attended three courses — it was a lovely experience."
Shipra Pandey · Acrylic Art 101
"Rachel's demeanor is great. Her feedback and inclusiveness made it a comfortable environment. This class made me look forward to Monday evenings."
Itzel Rendon · Drawing for Beginners
"I really appreciate the focus on right-brain thinking and learning to be in a more receptive, curious state. The warm-up exercises were fun and novel — it helped me get out of my own way."
S. Siskind · Drawing for Beginners
Image

ROSE MONTGOMERY-WHICHER

Ph.D. in Art Education · Routledge Published Author · University of London & Kettle’s Yard (UK) · Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Faculty
Rose Montgomery-Whicher is a distinguished artist, educator, and author whose practice is centered on the meditative art of observation drawing. With a PhD in Art Education from the University of Alberta and an MA from Concordia, her teaching is deeply informed by a philosophical and historical research background. She has shared her expertise across prestigious international institutions, including the University of London, Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Through her work, she helps students of all ages find confidence and innovation while discovering the joys of the creative process. Rose is also the author of a 2022 Routledge publication exploring the phenomenology of drawing as a way of preserving fleeting, specific experiences. Based in Toronto, she balances her academic pursuits with her family and a dog with the excellent name of Tapioca.

FAQs

Please find answers to commonly asked questions here. If you're still in doubt, don't hesitate to contact us: contactus@avenueroadartsschool.com


Summer 2026
Schedule
Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 (4 weeks)
9:30am - 11:30am
Location
Virtual
Course Fee
$205+HST
Enroll Now

Keep exploring

  • Artist painting an expressive botanical composition on paper using gloved hands and ink
    Virtual
    Art of the Moment: Contemporary Painting - Intensive
    Thursdays, July 9, 16, 23, 30 (4 weeks)
    7 - 9:30pm
    Learn More
    $245 +HST
  • Artist applying thick impasto paint to a small canvas with a palette knife in a studio setting
    Virtual
    Nature in Abstraction
    Thursdays, July 2, 16, 23, 30 (4 weeks)
    10am - 12pm
    Learn More
    $265 +HST
  • Bronze sculpture with a decorative ceramic globe for a head standing outside the Gardiner Museum entrance — Avenue Road Arts School Floral Motif at the ROM course
    In person
    Drawing the Collection: Form and Texture at the Gardiner Museum
    Wednesday, August 5
    10am - 12:30pm
    Learn More
    $175 +HST
  • Exterior image of Spadina museum - Avenue Road Arts School Art Sketching the Garden and Orchard
    In person
    Sketching the Garden and Orchard: Ink and Watercolour at the Spadina Museum
    Thursday August 27
    11am - 2pm
    Learn More
    $195+HST
  • Large canvases laid flat on a studio floor with artists painting expressive works from nature reference photos using long-handled brushes — Avenue Road Arts School Painting BIG from Nature course
    In person
    Painting BIG from Nature: Large-Scale Abstract Painting
    Saturday & Sunday, July 4 & 5
    10am - 1pm
    Learn More
    $345 +HST
  • Gallery visitor looking up at a large vibrant mixed-media painting on a white gallery wall — Avenue Road Arts School Inside the Exhibition course
    Virtual
    Inside the Exhibition: Curating and Exhibiting in Nuit Blanche 2026
    Wednesdays, July 29 - August 26 (4 weeks)
    7 - 9:30pm
    Learn More
    $625 +HST
  • Artist with her sketch book in hand and her laptop open - Avenue Road Arts School Art Collective Sketchbook
    Virtual
    The Collective Sketchbook: Virtual Open Studio & Community
    Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 (4 weeks)
    9:30am - 11:30am
    Learn More
    $205+HST
  • ARAS students paint plein air - Avenue road arts school rural city
    In person
    Rural City: Painting en Plein Air at Evergreen Brick Works
    Wednesday, July 22
    10am - 4pm
    Learn More
    $295 +HST
  • Artist painting a colourful floral bouquet in a spiral sketchbook
    In person
    Drawing from Antiquity: Floral Motifs at the ROM
    Tuesday, July 14
    11am - 1:30pm
    Learn More
    $185 +HST