Creating rich darks and using a wide range of values is one of the best ways to increase the drama and “organize” your composition. This workshop will teach you how to look creatively in dark shadows and grey walls producing sketches that are bursting with color, life and personality despite the grey subject matter.

Learning Goals: creative use of watercolor, mixing techniques, textures, architectural drawing

Level 2 - 3

We all love drawings that are not only beautiful to look at but also tell a compelling story. How do you infuse your work with meaning that is universally understood? Successful visual reportage requires familiarity with your subject, research, and time for extensive exploration. How do you tell a good story as you witness it happen in front of you with limited time and tools while standing in a crowded place? This workshop will introduce you to the key ingredients of a visual story and teach you easy to follow recipes to put together one of your own.

Learning Goals: Learn quick techniques for visual storytelling on the go, learn to zero in on the most important, people drawings, techniques for capturing action

Level 2 - 3

Rivers, lakes, and bays make for a perfect urban setting on a warm summer day, but how do you capture this liquid perfection and everything that is reflected in it with mastery and ease? In this workshop we will enjoy a beautiful morning by on a shore learning how to convincingly portray water and objects that are reflected in it.

Learning Goals: watercolor, glazes and washes, drawing water, implying reflections, splashes and ripples

Level 2 - 3

This workshop will address one of sketchers’ major challenges–drawing people who are on the move. Drawing convincing human postures and gestures requires one to rely on a solid visual vocabulary of people in specific circumstances. We will explore shortcuts for drawing people and build a vocabulary of gestures , so next time you are drawing dynamic subjects you won’t throw in the towel before you even begin.

Learning Goals: Human anatomy, vocabulary of gestures, speed sketching

Level 2 - 3

Trees are a vital element to the health of any urban setting. They filter light, create intricate textures, and mark seasonal changes. Yet, drawing natural looking greenery could be challenging–some sketchers get lost trying to draw every single leaf, others struggle with drawing convincing canopy shapes. We will demonstrate how to capture different elements of a tree and how to use color to make sense of light and shadow to imply urban forests.

Learning Goals: Effective use of texture, watercolor, shadows, color casts, learning to draw trees

Level: 1 - 2 - 3

A lot of times we are so concerned with what we are drawing we forget to pay attention to how we are translating what we see onto a page. Strategically planning your sketch is something that all successful artists do before they make their first mark. In this workshop we will learn various approaches to composition and how applying these principles can solve a lot of issues for you in the process: relative size, what to include and what to leave out, choosing the layout, “finishing” the edges, and how the overall shape of your drawing is an important ingredient of success.

Learning Goals: rules and principles of composition, working with thumbnails, strategy, planning

Level 1 - 2

Typical American street consist of predictable elements: sidewalks, buildings, trees, cars parked along a curb, pedestrians, and urban furniture. In this workshop we will learn how to place all of these elements accurately from a one point perspective in a step-by-step fashion making sure that all of the elements are proportionate and consistently adhere to the perspective grid.

Learning Goals: one point perspective, street elements, proportions, architectural drawing, putting it all together

Level 2 - 3

In this workshop we focus on capturing urban settings on the go. Using playful vignette sketches that emphasize linear perspective we will demonstrate that one doesn’t need hours to grab the essence of a place successfully.

Learning Goals: linear perspective, quick thumbnails, ability to simplify complex scenes, capturing the essence of a place

Level 1 - 2

Urban sketching doesn’t always allow for many hours of leisurely drawing outside. Often we have to capture the scene before we have to run off or conditions change. This workshop will focus on how to make sketches that feel finished and interesting but also quick and spontaneous–without feeling rushed or resorting to speed sketching. We will practice on what to draw and what to leave out, how to maximize the power of every stroke that you make and what tools to use.

Learning Goals: quick gestural sketching, decision making, tools, doing more with less

Level 1 - 2