Free Up  Your 

Sketchbook and Grow

 

The course that helps you loosen up, trust your process and fall in love with your art again.

 

 

 

 

 ENROLMENT is now closed. The date of the next course (November 2026) will be issued soon.

  • Course Fee: £290 (or 2 x £145)
  • Early Bird: £20 off
  • Plus £10 off if you joined the Taster Lesson

    → That’s £30 total savings!

  • Course starts: November 2026
    • One-year access
    • Self-paced
    • All levels welcome

What “Free Up” Really Means

It is not about drawing perfectly or realistically.
 
It’s about letting go, exploring freely, and discovering what makes your sketchbook truly yours.
 
Through six weeks of mixed-media lessons, you’ll build pages full of movement, texture and life, while learning to quiet that inner critic and enjoy the process again.
 

“It’s not about perfection. It’s about quietening the inner critic.”

Watch this video!

 
 

What You’ll Learn (and Feel Along the Way)

 
By the end, you’ll have a sketchbook that reflects your energy, not your fears.

 

Inside the course you’ll learn how to:

  • Use mixed media in your sketchbook
  • Develop exciting mark making from simple starting points
  • Free up and respond to the marks that you make
  • Easily fill page after page with creative mark making
  • Build on techniques lesson by lesson
  • Select what interests you and develop it further
  • Be more confident in your decision making
  • Let go and play! 

What Students Are Saying


”
Of the many courses that I have taken, Karen's was the stand-out. It was the one that most helped me to loosen up and discover 'my' marks. It challenged me, inspired me and built my confidenve to just go for it!

- Wendy Howse

”
Thank you so, so very much for such an inspiring and joyful course! I have loved absolutely every week and I'm so proud of how far I've come. It's been truly inspirational from start to finish.

 

- Miranda Hamilton

”
Karen, I have so enjoyed your class. I had lost my inspiration for my art practice. Wasn't sure that I would ever paint again. But your sketchbooks class has been a catalyst. I think I got my mojo back so thank you SO MUCH!
 
- Paula Sugarman
Join thousands of students from around the world who’ve rediscovered their creativity, from the UK to Australia, the USA to New Zealand.

Look inside the course

  • 6 weeks of lessons — around 15-20 short videos each week (5–10 mins each)
  • 3 live Zoom sessions — connect, ask questions, stay motivate
  • Weekly artist interviews — hear from artists in the UK, US and Australia
  • Private Kajabi community — share your progress and stay inspired
  • Access for one full year — take it at your own pace

It’s like six weekends of creative play,  all from your own home.

⭐ Bonus Lesson ⭐
Make Your Own Accordion Sketchbook

 

Want to create your very own concertina sketchbook from scratch?

In this bonus video, Ali Manning from Vintage Page Designs shows you how to make a beautiful handmade accordion book, the same kind we use throughout ‘Free Up Your Sketchbook and Grow.’

You’ll learn how to:

  • ✂️ Choose and fold paper following the grain for perfect concertina folds
  • 📏 Cut, score, and join panels with simple, clean methods
  • 🎨 Add decorative covers and finishing touches that make your sketchbook feel special

By the end, you’ll have your very own handmade concertina, ready to fill with colour, collage, and expressive marks!

Who It’s For

This course is for you if you…
 ✅ Want to let go and enjoy creating again
 ✅ Feel stuck or afraid to “ruin” a page
 ✅ Have sketchbooks half-finished or untouched
 ✅ Want to find your own artistic voice, not copy someone else’s
 ✅ Love the idea of expressive, layered pages full of life

Not for you if you…
 ❌ Want strict, step-by-step tutorials or rules
 ❌ Prefer neat, predictable outcomes
 ❌ Want to learn realistic drawing or colour theory

This is for the curious, the playful, the ready-to-explore.

 

How It Works

→ Each week, you’ll receive a new lesson by email, or log in anytime through Kajabi.
→ You can stop, rewind, and rewatch as often as you like.
→ I recommend spending 3 to 4 hours a week, but you can move slower or faster, it’s up to you.
→ You’ll have access for one full year, so no rush, no pressure.

More lovely words from our students

 
 

 

Why Students Love “Free Up” 

Because it changes how they see their art and themselves. 

You’ll:

 

  • 💛 Feel proud of the pages you create
     
  • 💛 Start enjoying the process again
      
  • 💛 See possibilities instead of limits
     
  • 💛 Create art that feels more you

Who is Karen Stamper?

Karen is a UK based artist and teacher who helps people break free from creative blocks and fall in love with their sketchbooks. She loves collecting inspiration from her travels in her concertina sketchbooks.

She has taught thousands of students through in-person workshops, art holidays and online classes to play with collage, and enjoy the process even if they don’t feel “good at art”.

Her approach is simple: no pressure, no perfection, just joyful, expressive sketchbooks.

Ready to Free Up?

 

Join Free Up Your Sketchbook and Grow and rediscover your creative joy.

£290 (or 2 x £145)

Early Bird £20 off 

Plus £10 off if you joined the Taster — total £30 savings!

 Next course starts November 2026

Frequently Asked Questions