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SketchLAB

@sketchlab.ca

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Empowerment from the first line. ✏️
Creative experiences that spark imagination, confidence & growth.
Nanaimo | Vancouver Island

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Most people start with the face.
Then the hands. Then they wonder why the figure looks frozen. 🥶
Hila does the opposite.
Blue first: the structure, the movement, the life.
Red second: details and shading.
Skeleton before skin. That’s gesture drawing.
Our class sold out, merci à tous 🙏
Comment GESTURE to get first dibs on the next one. taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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7 days ago

A short session with Hila, where she shares a tip on how to simplify your gesture drawings and make them more appealing.

If you’d like to explore gesture drawing more deeply, using it to build the foundations of your drawing, capture the essence of a pose, and discover the story it tells, we invite you to join our monthly workshops at VIS Studio.

Link in bio.

If you have any questions or would like some guidance, leave us a comment or send us a message. We’ll be happy to help! taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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a month ago

We used to think the goal was simply to reduce screen time.

Then we started paying more attention to what happened after the screen turned off.

When Theo became fascinated with the ocean, sharks and diving, we followed that curiosity beyond the screen into books, drawing, LEGO, swimming, snorkelling and real-world experiences.

Suddenly, watching wasn’t the end of the experience. It was the beginning.

He would draw what he learned, explain it back to us, invent new things and ask more questions.

That changed the way we think about screens.

We still set limits. But now we also ask: Is this content leaving him wanting more screen… or leaving him full of ideas?

Maybe the screen doesn’t always have to compete with creativity. Sometimes, with the right bridge, it can spark it. 🌊✏️

What kind of content makes your child want to go create, explore or learn something afterwards? taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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a month ago

Sometimes the people who inspire us are doing something completely different from us… but the reason behind it feels exactly the same.

Ronald helps people grow their businesses.
We use drawing, creativity, and play to help people grow their confidence.

Different tools. Same idea:

Helping someone believe they can move from where they are to where they want to be.

That’s a big part of what we want SketchLab to become a place to experiment, make mistakes, keep going, and discover what you’re capable of.

Ronald, thank you for reaching out and letting us draw you. ❤️

You keep empowering people your way.
We’ll keep doing it ours.

#sketchlab #nanaimo #caricature #vancouverisland #community by @sketchlab.ca

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2 months ago

So grateful for the opportunity to spend the day with the Huu-ay-aht community at Pachena Bay.

I came to draw caricatures, but left with something much bigger. I left inspired by the way people showed up for one another.

Thank you for the warmthֿ and the beautiful moments we shared ❤️ taken in Pachena Bay Campground by @sketchlab.ca

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2 months ago

Community isn’t built by big moments. It’s built by small acts of kindness. ❤️

A few days ago, we found a message hidden in our Instagram requests.

Dave, from Rainy Island Imagery, reached out simply to say he loved what we’re building at Sketch Lab. Then he offered to donate a couple of his beautiful wildlife and landscape prints for our studio—just because he wanted to support what we’re creating.

We were genuinely touched.

We’re still new to Nanaimo, and moments like this remind us why community matters. It’s people choosing to encourage each other, support local dreams, and give without expecting anything in return.

Dave, thank you. We can’t wait to meet you next week.

And to everyone watching: if there’s a local artist, small business, or creator you believe in, send them a kind message, leave a review, share their work, or simply tell them you appreciate what they’re doing.

Those small actions have a much bigger impact than you might imagine.

❤️ Here’s to building a stronger creative community together.

#Nanaimo #Community #SupportLocal #Kindness #SketchLab SmallBusiness CreativeCommunity VancouverIsland ArtistsSupportingArtists by @sketchlab.ca

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2 months ago

In 2023, I thought I might never draw with my right hand again.

What scared me most wasn’t losing drawing.

It was losing a part of who I thought I was.

But somewhere between the pain, rehabilitation, learning to draw with my left hand, and slowly getting my right hand back, something changed.

I realized I don’t want my greatest achievement to be the art I create.

I want it to be the people I help create.

The kids who become a little more confident.
The adults who start drawing again after 20 years.
The person who finally says, “Wait… I can actually do this.”

That realization became part of the reason we’re building Sketch Lab.

I thought my gift was drawing.

Maybe the real gift is helping someone else discover theirs.

And we’re only getting started. ❤️ taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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2 months ago

Some things only make sense when you look backwards.

Hila and I met when we were young. We fell in love, lost each other, lived completely separate lives for years… and somehow found our way back.

I used to think the important part of our story was finding each other again.

Now I think it was everything that happened in between.

We needed time to grow into people who could actually appreciate what we had.

Since finding each other again, we’ve created constantly, projects, drawings, ridiculous ideas, a marriage, two little humans, a new life in Canada… and now Sketch Lab.

And we’re still figuring it out.

Maybe that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned from Hila:

You don’t need to know exactly what something will become before you start creating it.

You just need someone willing to keep experimenting with you.

Sketch Lab is our newest experiment ,a place where we hope creativity can bring people together the same way it brought us together.

This is only the beginning.

If you’d like to see where this family, this little art school, and this experiment go next ,come along. ❤️ taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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2 months ago

Theo had a funny business idea… 😂🌭

A little while ago, we surprised a local hot dog shop with a caricature just because we loved their vibe. They surprised us back with hot dogs, and Theo’s conclusion was:

“Dad… let’s make 100 caricatures so we can get 100 hot dogs!” 😄

Then another local hot dog business commented on one of our posts… so naturally, we made them a caricature too.

The truth is, we don’t create these because we’re expecting anything in return. We do it because we’re new to Nanaimo, and this is one of our favorite ways to connect with people. Art has an incredible way of starting conversations, making people smile, and bringing communities a little closer together.

One of the fun parts? We can often create a caricature just by exploring your Instagram or Facebook photos (or even videos!) and turning your story into something playful and personal.

Another happy face added to the SketchLab collection. ❤️

🎨 We also run creative workshops for all ages through SketchLab, and our Celebrated Faces by SketchLab brings live caricatures to birthdays, weddings, markets, and community events.

📍Tonight you’ll find us at the Downtown Nanaimo Night Market, come say hi, watch the drawings come to life, or let us draw you!

See you there! ✏️😊

#Nanaimo #DowntownNanaimo #NanaimoNightMarket #SketchLab #Caricature LiveCaricature SupportLocal VancouverIsland Community ArtBringsPeopleTogether taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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3 months ago

🎉 Our first FREE caricatures are officially coming to life!

A huge thank you to Famous Franks for letting us capture their awesome food truck in caricature form! It was such a pleasure meeting you during our live with Chris from True North Power Washing.

And yes… the offer is still open! 🙌

If you haven’t claimed yours yet, head over to our live post with Chris, comment “FREE”, and we’ll create your very own caricature.

Thank you to everyone who’s already joined in. We can’t wait to meet you in person and hand you your caricature ourselves. ❤️

#SketchLab #Caricature #Nanaimo #SupportLocal #VancouverIsland SmallBusiness Community LiveCaricature FamousFranks TrueNorthPowerWashing taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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3 months ago

Comment “FREE” to get your CUSTOM DRAWING 🎨

Or dm @sketchlab.ca

Josh was an applicant for the 0-1 challenge and he was such an amazing guest. Lots of incredible stories that would seriously touch you.

Everyone who wants to support his passion go and get your FREE caricature!

Nanaimo has so many incredible talented people!

#entrepreneurlife #caricature #chriswolfe #nanaimo taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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3 months ago

Le camp d'été est officiellement lancé! 🎉

C'est parti pour plusieurs semaines bien remplies! On démarre chaque semaine en beauté grâce à @sketchlab.ca ! Un immense merci à eux de faire partie de cette aventure et d'inspirer nos jeunes avec des activités créatives. 🎨

Si vous cherchez encore des activités artistiques pour vos enfants, ou pour vous même, n'hésitez pas à aller découvrir leurs programmes!

L'été ne fait que commencer! 🌞

#Nanaimo #NanaimoBC #SummerCamp #Francophonie #FrancoBC #CommunautéFrancophone #ExploreNanaimo taken in Nanaimo, British Columbia by @sketchlab.ca

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3 months ago