Classes, Workshops, Presentations

“As a beginner I had a lot of apprehensions going  to this workshop with mostly experienced sketchers and such a world-class teacher. Not only did I learn so much, and get excited about continuing this urban sketching journey but I overcame my fears through Rita’s gentle encouragement, excellent teaching and the other sketchers camaraderie.”

- Michele, Tijeras, N.M.

“Rita’s passion for capturing places and the people shines through in her approach to reportage urban sketching and her generosity as a teacher. Classes were well organized and suitable for beginners and those with experience. Daily class topics were sequenced to build skills so we could tackle increasingly complicated scenes over the week. I had a lot of fun and came away with new skills and a good sense of where to focus on my own to keep improving. If you’re hesitating — Don’t!”

-Maureen

“Rita was an excellent teacher!  Her enthusiasm for urban sketching was contagious, as she patiently met each participant at the skill level where they were at.  After the week-long course, I am no longer scared to tackle difficult urban scenes, particularly panoramic city views.  The lessons learned from the week will continue to propel my urban sketching skills forward!”  

-Kat, Guanajuato Workshops participant

“Rita Sabler presented techniques in a different way than I’ve learned before, and everything clicked for me.”

-Guanajuato Workshops Attendee

“Rita is an excellent instructor - very knowledgeable, organized, supportive and fun. She generously shares techniques and tips. She's a great role model for sketching anywhere, anytime, too! I learned so much from Rita and highly recommend her. “
- Tamara W.

“Rita Sabler ‘s manner of instruction is always so clear, non-judgmental and supportive. I value the way she reviews the basics – line, value, thumbnails, etc – all of the elements of a strong composition. It's like first getting all of the ingredients together before making a delicious cake!”


Susan, Portland OR

“I want to thank you for a wonderful experience this morning, it was the highlight of my week! Your instruction and your process are so clear and "do-able", they give one confidence to just go.

Thank you for your insights and your very clear instruction. Your paintings have a friendly accessible quality that makes one think "I can do that too!". And the handout is genius. I look forward to taking another class with you.”

-Liz Williams , Portland, OR

“An unexpected "gift" of this course, was being retaught how to really look and observe life all around me. I look forward to attempting more urban sketching as the weather improves! Thank you for everything, Rita!”

-M.P.

“I was impressed and pleased at how quickly the instructor responded to my questions. She quickly understood what the question was about and then answered it clearly. Not all teachers do that. A lot of instructors let themselves be de-railed. As a teacher, Rita Sabler is a Gem!”

-Fundamentals of Drawing student from Lantzville, BC

“The online class I took with Rita Sabler was my favorite activity of the year. I have a degree in studio art from 25 years ago, but having worked in a different field, my drawing and painting became rusty. Rita’s online class was a crash course, helping me to remember perspective, composition, tonal values, storytelling, drawing, and seeing. She demonstrated ways to prepare and complete a sketch that I wasn’t taught in art school.”

- Jen, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

“Rita Sabler is an excellent instructor, super helpful and inspiring. The course was really enlightening, she made difficult concepts very simple to understand. I learned a lot from her drawing process and her feedback every week.I am so glad I decided to take this course. I would highly recommend it!”

- Marisol Pastrana, Italy

“Drawing architecture and complicated scenes has always been a challenge for me - something always seemed wrong in my sketches. Rita’s “Drawing Cities'' online course equipped me with valuable know-how and suggestions for a process which gave me confidence to sketch even the busiest surroundings.”

- Martina, Germany

“Drawing Cities in Ink and Watercolor with Rita Sabler provided not only the technical foundations, but also the practice and confidence to develop my urban sketching skills. The live zoom classes provide ample opportunity to receive personal feedback and guidance during class. Each class is developed around solid content for a specific topic, building on top of the skills developed on previous classes. I highly recommend the course!”

- César Landin, Mexico

“Really enjoyed the class and appreciated the feedback. I thought Rita Sabler did a great job of explaining in a way that was accessible and understandable to me - a beginner - even though she also needed to present in a way that was also good for the more experienced class members. Thank you!”

-2024 Fundamentals of Drawing Urban Spaces Student

“I’ve taken classes from Rita for a decade. I started out with a loopy perspective, sickly trees and lame compositions. After Rita’s courses on urban scapes, trees, composition and more, my sketching progress is gratifying. Friends who follow me on Instagram say, “You’re so much better!””

- Pat Harrison, Astoria, OR

“Rita is approachable and relatable, and she teaches with focus and patience. She has a talent for selecting what is good about a student’s sketch, and she suggests tweaks to make future sketches more successful.”

- Jen, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

“Rita Sabler makes the problem of simplifying the chaotic visual scene easy to follow. No one has taught me that so clearly. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!”

-Thia Bankey, Portland, OR

“I really enjoyed the logical approach to the “Fundamentals of Drawing Urban Spaces.” The instructor explained the steps of the process we need to complete in sequence, emphasizing that troubleshooting practice makes the difference in the final drawing we do. Thank you for sharing your valuable sketching knowledge and experience!”

-Diane Mills, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada

“The Urban Sketching in Guanajuato was will planned and Rita was well organized in all the sessions. Hugo was a great host and he even taught a print making workshop that was a lot of fun. The participants all seemed to enjoy the workshop and improved their skills.”
- William Woods (Portland, OR Urban Sketcher)