Sketching is Seeing

Celebrate sketching at the National Gallery of Art!  You’ll be surprised by what you see and remember about an object after sketching it. All ages, backgrounds, and skill levels are encouraged to participate.

Find out what Sketching Is Seeing is all about! Let teaching artist Stephanie Morse guide you through six different sketching activities. Each video demonstrates a different sketching technique that can be used with any object in the National Gallery’s collection.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.

Discover how to sketch the space around and between objects with teaching artist Stephanie Morse.

Try this activity with another work in the museum.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.

Join our challenge to sketch using your other (less dominant) hand. Teaching artist Stephanie Morse shows how.

Try this activity with another work in the museum.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.

Join teaching artist Stephanie Morse as she uses basic shapes to build the composition in the sketch.

Try this activity with another work in the museum.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.

Watch teaching artist Stephanie Morse demonstrate how to sketch using one continuous line.

Try this activity with another work in the museum.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.

Find the key to sketching even a complex painting. Join teaching artist Stephanie Morse as she reveals how to use a viewfinder.

Try this activity with another work in the museum.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.

Watch teaching artist Stephanie Morse draw a portrait using 10 lines or less.

Try this activity with another work in the museum.

Share your creativity!  Tag your sketch with #ngasketch. Your work might be featured (with credit) on the National Gallery’s social media channels.

View all six sketching activities.