Classes, Workshops, Presentations
Course Sketching Urban Greenery
April 3-May 8, 2025; Thursdays from 5pm-8pm
Oregon Society of Artists 2185 S.W. Park Place Portland, Oregon 97205
Drawing greenery could be challenging–some sketchers get lost in drawing every single leaf, others struggle with simplifying while still capturing the essence of an overall shape. In this course we will cover how to to draw trees in conjunction with architecture and other urban elements, to develop your drawing skills from direct observation. This class will begin indoors and then move outdoors to walkable locations for drawing sessions.
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Immersive Travel Sketching Retreat
May 26-June 2, 2025
Provence, France
The retreat is sold out. Join the Waitlist
On location Urban Sketching Workshops
June -October, 2025
Portland, Seattle, Ashland
More information is coming in March
Festival Sketcher Fest Edmonds, USA
July 19-July 20, 2025
Edmonds, Washington, USA
International Festival of Travel Sketchbooks featuring workshops, meetups, sketchwalks, presentations, and lectures and the ability to see the work of and interact with some of the superstars of travel sketching and reportage.
Immersive Urban Sketching Workshops with Madeline School of Art
Madeline Island, Wisconsin, USA
July 21-July 25, 2025
This 5-day immersive workshop is designed to help you build a solid foundation in sketching while pushing your creative boundaries. With expert guidance from four world-class instructors, you’ll explore exciting subject matter around the island, experimenting with new techniques and concepts that will enhance your skills and boost your confidence as an urban sketcher.
Urban Sketching Symposium in Poznan, Poland
20-23 August, 2025
The International Urban Sketching Symposium is an annual educational event organized by Urban Sketchers (USk). The event offers valuable field-sketching instruction and opportunities for participants to network and socialize.
Rita Sabler will be teaching workshops and conducting a demo as well as presenting a lecture on Reportage during the symposium.
Immersive Storytelling Through Sketches: Discovering the Beauty of Croatia
Sep 1-Sep 8, 2025
Mlini, Croatia
Join us for immersive sketching workshops in the picturesque Croatia. Nestled along the stunning Adriatic coast our home base of Mlini offers breathtaking views, fragrant pines, and charming coastal architecture, perfect for capturing in your sketchbook. We'll explore the essential components that contribute to a captivating travel sketchbook. You'll receive personalized guidance from Rita Sabler, honing your sketching skills while exploring the local culture and landscapes. Enjoy a blend of practical techniques and artistic inspiration while documenting your journey.
Immersive The Art of Travel Sketching
March 21-March 28, 2026
Jurançon, France
Join us for a week-long workshop on creating a perfect travel sketchbook, or what the French call “carnet de voyage”. We will learn all of the main aspects of telling a visual story of a place from drawing sweeping landscapes and rendering architecture, to sketching traditional Pyrenees villages and capturing unique flavors of a local market.
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Student Testimonials
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.
“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
“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
“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
“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 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!”
-Student from Lantzville, BC
“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
“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
I was not new to urban sketching or a beginner sketcher when I signed up for this course, but I struggle with where to start when sketching a big scene on location and I feel like I sketch very tight and controlled, which frustrated me. This course gave great tips on how to approach a scene and not feel so overwhelmed. Over the 7 weeks I could feel my approach to sketching really loosen up. I loved the tips Rita shared and really feel grateful for the skills I learned.
-2025 Fundamentals of Drawing Urban Spaces Student