The Best Way To Learn Is To Teach

My loyal and enthusiastic students generally trust me, so when I offered an illustration course last summer as an add-on to my weekly classes they joined in their dozens. Perhaps it helped that I wasn’t charging anything extra for it! Why wasn’t I charging? There were a couple of reasons.

1. I didn’t know what I was doing. My aim was to make it up as I went along, but I certainly couldn’t charge for something that wasn’t planned or thought-out.
2. I was primarily doing it for myself. I was hoping that after 40 years of trying to prod my illustration mojo into action, of calling in vain for the muse to come and settle on my shoulder, holding illustration classes would make that happen.

The result was a spectacular success. I had students who were quite sure they had no interest in illustration, but who joined just because it didn’t cost anything extra. Some of them are passionate illustrators now. I had those who sank blissfully into warm, cozy memories of childhood, as I found my teaching way through the great illustrators of the past. And personally, I achieved the Holy Grail I was searching for – the muse came knocking.

So far, so good. There had been grumblings beforehand, little characters whom I had dreamed into being through some illustrated recipes I had done with my class. I published them as a little book called Reuben And The Gastrobeasts, which is now in homes all across the world, I am proud to say (they are running low, but you can get yours here https://roisincure.com/product/reuben-and-the-gastrobeasts-by-roisin-cure/).

Now. What if you could see into the mind of an artist? Are you interested in understanding the inner cogs of an artist’s brain? I am. It’s something I have explored for decades. I have any number of biographies of Hergé, because I wanted so badly to understand the factors that released the genius of Tintin: I discovered the secret, as I hoped I would. I read biographies of Disney too. I learned so much from delving into their minds.

This article isn’t really about what I learned, but in case you’re interested, I picked up from the books I read that it helps a lot if you just keep working, keep producing output. Volume. Ink under the bridge. In the case of Hergé, his huge growth occurred through producing a weekly comic strip every Friday for ten years, no excuses, for Le Petit Vingtième, the “funnies” for kids in a Belgian newspaper. I also learned that in the cases of Hergé and Disney they had huge teams, and had a lot of help.

Then, from one of my favourite books of all time, Kevin Hart’s I Can’t Make This Up, I learned that being brave enough to share your innermost soul, showing resilience in the face of constant failure and not believing your own hype are also crucial. I may have read the book 600 times and it’s 11 hours long (it’s my “can’t sleep” book), and I am starting to know it off by heart. I still learn something on nearly every listen.

And if you are interested in how the creative brain works, then you might find the next bit interesting. I am keen to share it, partly because it’s the story of how I discovered a process that works for me, and partly because I would be very excited if it was helpful for someone else.

After I produced that little book of recipes, I noticed that I really enjoyed drawing the animals of my local area. Then the guru I follow, a Californian called Pat Flynn, suggested taking part in a 30-day challenge, wherein you would post a short video each day for thirty days, starting on January 12th. I am used to a very intense workload so I knew that part wouldn’t bother me. Pat said that after years of making longer-form YouTube videos, he had come to realise that short form was where it’s at now, and that magic could happen when you post every day (and he didn’t mean growth necessarily). I don’t have any feelings about it one way or another, but Pat made sense in his explanations so I figured it was worth a try.

But life got in the way of planning my choice of theme. Dad died, Mum moved into a new apartment and needed help with the move and all the subsequent practical things that the move entailed, Christmas and New Year came and went. And of course I have a job that needs lots of preparation, teaching once a week, and twice every other week. The first day of the challenge arrived and on the morning of the day I still had no idea what my topic would be.

So I decided to do something fun. It would have to be, to be sustainable. I would draw the animals in my local area, this time wearing clothes. Antique clothes, not t-shirts and sweatpants. Anything pre-1900 would do fine.

And guess what? Something was unleashed. You’ll have to look me up on Instagram or YouTube to see what I am doing – and please comment in so doing, it helps the algorithm think people are interested – and I am flooded with joy.

But here’s today’s offering, because I felt I needed a title page…

And it all started last summer when I decided to teach illustration, despite not really knowing what I was doing. It’s true what they say – the best way to learn is to teach.

Talking of teaching, here are some courses coming up:

10th March – 14th April on Vivify.ai: https://www.vivify.ai/browse – online, six weeks of learning from the masters of illustration. Every Tuesday. Only 8 in the class. Live and recorded with plenty of critique and feedback. The course is called Free Your Inner Child and it’s all about exactly what I have just been talking about in this article.

18th-20th May, in Artform, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, Ireland: three days in a wonderful art school right beside the strand on the southeastern tip of Ireland, at a beautiful time of year. We’ll look at some really back-to-basic sketching techniques like sand, sea, sky, water, rocks. Contact Artform for more details: https://www.artform.ie/ – my course isn’t up yet but Martina will give you all the practical details in order for you to book your place.

29th May, in Kinvara Village, Co. Galway, Ireland, as part of Kinvara Plein Air 2026: one full day of urban sketching the vibrant and lively weekly market in Kinvara! For the fit – you will most likely be standing for a number of hours, with a tiny urban sketching kit that I will recommend for you. To book: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/kinvarapleinair/1953486

25th July – 1st August, in Atelier Clos Mirabel, Pau, France: Vignettes of the Pyrenees: a week-long residential course in the most stunning setting, in the most stunning French manor house, with the most gracious and generous hosts. Lots of urban sketching, lots of very French markets, lots of dedicated tuition from me, lots of incredible home cooking and produce from the manor’s garden. There is still space but I sold out quite early last year. Not to be missed! Book here: https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/painting-holidays/vignettes-of-the-pyrenees-sketchbook-workshop-roisin-cure

2nd – 9th October, in Hotel Leone, Montelparo, Le Marche, Italy: a second chance to spend a week under my guidance in a beautiful location! I haven’t been there yet as this is my first time working with the very impressive Madeline who runs the hotel, but you can find YouTubes of other tutors who have taught there. The course is sold out but I highly recommend you join the wait list as someone nearly always has to change plans before the start date. More info here: https://hotelleonemarche.com/en/retreats/art-retreat-italy/memories-of-le-marche-wtih-roisin-cure/

I hope to see you at one or more of these courses in 2026.