Day 709: Sketching into 2026
Happy New Year! Wishing you all the very best for a wonderful 2026 as we move through the first full working week back after the festivities.
My daily sketching has continued, and it remains such a special and joyful way to begin each day creatively. Every morning I draw what’s in front of me, following my List of 10. Today marked day 709 — without a single missed morning.
I also took two full weeks off social media, which felt like a real luxury. Those days were spent with loved ones, reading, drawing and walking — and continuing my first winter of outdoor swimming. The pool today was 1°C! The New Year’s Day dip was positively balmy by comparison, thanks to Cascais…
Because I wasn’t sharing daily on Instagram over the festive period I will make a short video bringing together all of my morning sketches from that time. My small sketchbook and pencil case travel with me wherever I go, and many of these quick drawings later become the starting point for larger paintings and the new textile designs I’m working towards launching later this year.
To help share my process of building a drawing habit, I’ve also set up Sketching Not Scrolling workshops at Cass Art in Hampstead, starting this month.
You can book tickets via Eventbrite:
Location
Cass Art Hampstead
58–62 Heath Street
London, NW3 1EN
Dates / Times
Thursday 22 January, 11–1
Thursday 5 February, 1–3
Saturday 21 February, 11–1
Thursday 5 March, 1–3
Sketching Not Scrolling: Workshop Overview
Start your mornings with creativity — not your phone.
Join artist, colour specialist and textile expert Natasha Marshall for a fun, relaxed two-hour workshop designed to help you build a daily sketching habit that truly sticks.
In this hands-on still-life session, you’ll experiment with quick drawing, painting and mark-making techniques, all aimed at loosening up, enjoying the process, and creating with confidence. Natasha will introduce her simple List of 10method — an easy way to remove the daily question of “What should I draw?” so you can sit down and start sketching straight away.
Natasha has sketched every single morning for over 650 days and will share the habits, practical tips and mindset shifts that transformed once-empty sketchbooks into a joyful daily ritual that now feeds directly into her studio practice.
This workshop is perfect for complete beginners, lapsed creatives and seasoned sketchers alike.
What You’ll Learn
Simple techniques for quick, expressive drawing
How to build an effortless morning creative routine
The Sketching Not Scrolling Before Breakfast mindset
How to create your own personal List of 10
Ways to make time for creativity — even on busy days
