Develop a consistent drawing practice, find your artistic voice, and create a body of work that's unique to you!
Create with Joy, Confidence and Purpose
The creative process can be absolutely thrilling. There’s nothing like creating something that feels like an extension of yourself! It's one of the most fulfilling experiences as an artist.
But ... let’s be honest — creativity comes with its challenges.
From doubts and insecurities to technical questions, these obstacles can hold us back from starting, sticking with, or completing a project. And when that happens, we miss out on the joy and growth that come with creating.
But it doesn't have to be this way!
The Creative Drawing Studio is here to help you navigate the ups and downs of the creative process.
Together, we’ll:
✔ Tackle your creative and technical questions.
✔ Build confidence in your decisions, and
✔ Develop a consistent practice that keeps you inspired and moving forward with purpose.
Let's turn doubts into confidence, struggles into breakthroughs, and your creative ideas into reality — together, inside the Creative Drawing Studio.
What Students Are Saying:
"I completely got knocked off my perch this year (due to a personal experience) and I wasn’t able to paint or draw. I just didn’t have the heart to do anything. When I saw what Marina was doing with the Creative Drawing Studio, I thought maybe it would be easier to focus on that. Now things are starting to gel, and I feel enthusiastic about having found my pathway back into painting and drawing. And that’s a direct result of being in this group. So it's quite significant, and I’m really happy about it." -Helen G.
“You're opening up different neural pathways and different ways of thinking for me. It's way more than I thought, it's amazing.” -Christine C.
“This is so much more than I hoped it would be. So often you get so much technical information, and then some very superficial input on creativity that's almost meme quality. But you're giving me a dialogue that I can internalize, look at my art and what I'm creating and what other people are creating, and find myself in it all. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't realize that's what I was looking for. I knew I wanted to study creativity and become inspired, but I didn't realize how excited I would get by it.” -Sandra W.
"I just wanted to share that when I was drawing squiggles, trying to loosen up, I found that one squiggle led to another, then another and another. After 30 minutes I had drawn one that I really liked and realized that my creativity has been buried for a long long time. I didn’t really think of myself as creative, but when you said I was, something began to loosen up. I realize it is what makes me happy and I would so like to have it in my life again! You are a rock star!" -Nancy S.
These Transformations Are Waiting for You
The stories above reflect the heart of the Creative Drawing Studio. It’s designed to help you overcome creative challenges and find joy, confidence, and growth in your artistic journey.
Here’s how we do it:
How to Build a Creative Practice that Grows with You
As a professional visual artist, I’ve experienced how challenging it can be to sustain an independent studio practice — the doubts, the struggle to stay consistent, and the ongoing search for inspiration.
Through my own journey, I’ve identified three essential components that make it possible to start, restart, and sustain a fulfilling creative practice.
These three components form the foundation of the Creative Drawing Studio.
The Three Pillars of the Creative Drawing Studio
In the Creative Drawing Studio, you'll:
- Cultivate creativity & inspiration,
- Receive guidance, support and accountability,
- Refine your technique, and experiment with new approaches to drawing!
Cultivate Creativity & Inspiration
Uncover new ideas, develop your artistic voice, and find inspiration to fuel your practice:
Monthly live lectures
Explore the creative process, uncover your unique artistic voice, and more!
Inspirational drawings and readings
Discover new artists, artworks, and writings on creativity every month.
Weekly studio updates
Follow my creative journey as I share my wins, challenges, and mindset.
Get Support, Guidance, and Accountability
Feel focused and encouraged with personalized guidance and a supportive community:
Weekly planning sessions
Share your wins and challenges, set meaningful goals for your creative work using the Creative Momentum Planner, and stay encouraged and on track!
Monthly Strategy Sessions
Plan the next steps of your drawing, troubleshoot challenges, or simply be encouraged to keep moving forward!
*Artwork by Monica Dix
Monthly one-on-one critiques
Receive tailored feedback from Marina on your technique, creativity, or both!
Refine Your Technique & Explore New Possibilities
Build strong foundational skills and keep your practice fresh with innovative approaches:
Drawing Decoded curriculum
A clear, step-by-step program covering foundational to advanced realistic drawing techniques.
Monthly experimental drawing prompts
Expand your creative practice, try new techniques, and keep your studio sessions exciting.
Imagine having inspiration, guidance, and support on your creative journey:
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You’re finally consistent: drawing every week with focus and purpose, and feeling proud of your progress.
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You feel inspired: New ideas are flowing, and you have the tools and prompts to bring them to life.
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You feel supported: Instead of second-guessing yourself, you get expert feedback and encouragement to keep growing with confidence.
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Your skills are growing: With structured lessons and experimental prompts, you’re seeing real improvement.
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You’re part of a community of like-minded artists who celebrate your growth, problem-solve alongside you, and keep you motivated.
Who you'll work with:
Hi there! I'm Marina.
I'm a professional visual artist, arts educator, former Tenure-Track college professor of visual arts, and Founder (or 'Drawing Source'ress') of TheDrawingSource.com
In my creative practice these days, I create 'drawing installations': large-scale drawings that transform a space, such as the one below. (Yes, entirely hand-drawn using charcoal on white paper!)
Below: finishing a drawing of Charon, Pluto's largest moon (timelapse video)
Fancy Third-Person Bio
Marina Fridman (MFA, BFA) is a visual artist, arts educator, and author (or Drawing Source'ress!) of The Drawing Source.
As an educator of visual arts, Marina held a Tenure-Track Instructor position at Northwestern Polytechnic in Alberta, Canada before leaving to focus on developing The Drawing Source. She enjoys distilling complex drawing concepts into steps that are easy to understand and implement, and considers herself successful when her students increase both their skills and their enjoyment of the drawing process.
Marina holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Sculpture and Dimensional Studies from Alfred University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
She is a three-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, an Edmonton Arts Council Grant, a Canada Council for the Arts Grant, the Manifest ONE Prize, and an Honorable Mention in the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.
She has been awarded residencies at MacDowell, the I-Park Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, the League Residency at Vyt, the Creative Practices Institute, the Manifest Gallery, the Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society (BEAMS) Residency in Estonia, and the invitational ArtBnB Jerusalem Residency.
Marina’s work has been published by Hi-Fructose Magazine (online), Booooooom, Art in America, ACS Magazine, Drawing Discourse, the Manifest International Drawing Annual, Foundations of Drawing (Random House), North Light Books' Art Journey, and Strokes of Genius, to name a few. Her works have been exhibited and collected in the US, Canada, and Israel.
Marina's work has been featured in:
Who is the Creative Drawing Studio for?
The Creative Drawing Studio is for you if you want to:
☑️ Develop an enjoyable, consistent drawing practice.
☑️ Find your unique creative voice.
☑️ Create a body of work that feels authentically your own.
In this membership, I’m right there with you — working through the wins and challenges of developing new work. I share my process, mindset, and journey with you (unfiltered!) to inspire and guide your own creative path.
The Studio is home to artists at all stages of their creative development:
☑️ Emerging Artists: Those just starting to learn to draw, and focusing on building foundational, technical skills while cultivating creativity.
☑️ Developing Creators: Artists beginning to find and refine their unique creative voice.
☑️ Evolving Artists: Those working to create personal, independent work and deepen their creative practice.
Wherever you are in your journey, you’ll find kindred spirits and valuable resources to support your creative goals. And of course, I'll be here every step of the way — to offer guidance, encourage you, and celebrate your progress!
Frequently Asked Questions
"Do I have to participate in all of the membership activities?"
Not at all, you're welcome to participate in any of the components that you find most helpful. Join them all, or select the ones that resonate most with you.
Maybe you're mostly drawn to the accountability and goal-setting components. Maybe you want to make use of the entire membership. It's completely up to you.
"What if I'm only interested in the Drawing Decoded courses, the personalized monthly drawing critique from you, and the weekly goal-setting/accountability components of the program?"
Perfect! You're welcome to focus on those components and leave the rest (or return to them later if you choose).
"What if I'm already in Drawing Decoded?"
No problem, we'll just need to switch your subscription, because you'll have access to the Drawing Decoded courses in the Creative Drawing Studio.
You can cancel Drawing Decoded and sign up for the Creative Drawing Studio, or simply reach out to me (Marina) at [email protected] for some help with that.
"What if I'm still working on technique and don't feel ready to dive into more creative drawing?"
I can absolutely understand why you would think that technique needs to come first. I used to think so myself!
I suggest reading this article on Creativity vs. Technique: What's more important?
The short version is: because technique and creativity inform each other, in my opinion it's best to develop them simultaneously.
When I started my artistic education, I was immersed in technique for a long time before attempting to develop my creative voice, and I wish that I had been taught how to cultivate my creativity earlier on, because the creative process takes practice, just like our technical skills!
Creative Drawing Studio:
✔ Monthly live lectures
✔ Inspirational drawings and readings
✔ Weekly studio updates from Marina
✔ Weekly live planning sessions
✔ Monthly Strategy Sessions
✔ Monthly one-on-one critiques
✔ The Drawing Decoded curriculum
✔ Monthly experimental drawing prompts