Travel Sketching Retreats

  • Travel Sketching in Provence, France

    The retreat is full. Waitlist only
    Dates: May 26-June 2, 2025
    Early bird rate till Nov 30, 2024

    During our time together we will learn how to capture scenes on the go in a style of a quick vignette. We will also learn how to make longer meditative drawings that allow us to truly immerse ourselves in a scene. I will show you how to compose your drawings, how to simplify and extract the essence of what you are seeing when you only have a short time to capture something while enjoying a cup of coffee on a sunny terrace. I will share some of my favorite watercolor techniques and tips on drawing architecture, water, and greenery creating a beautiful travel diary that will bring joy and memories for years to come.

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  • Storytelling Through Sketches: Discovering the Beauty of Croatia

    Dates: September 1-8, 2025
    Location: Mlini, Croatia

    This part of Croatia is unique in its beauty, encouraging one to take pleasure in painting and sketching. The retreat offers an opportunity to learn to draw vistas rich in vineyards, quiet coves, small beaches, flourishing olive tress , and architecture.

    We will be sketching in areas such as Mlini, Cavtat, Ljuta, Lokrum, Čilipi and at your leisure, Dubrovnik.

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  • The Art of Travel Sketching in Clos Mirabel, France

    Dates: March 21- 28, 2026
    All levels welcome
    Language: English (with French translation available)
    Non drawing partners are welcome

    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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  • Urban Sketching in Guanajuato, Mexico

    Urban Sketching in Guanajuato, Mexico

    Join us in Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) of Guanajuato for a week long sketching retreat. We will be hosted by the owner of Alma del Sol and a fellow Mexican artist Hugo Anaya. The colorful town is the Unesco World Heritage Site surrounded by mountains. It boasts rich history, beautiful architecture, unique culture, and mild climate.

    Information coming soon

Student Testimonials

“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, New Mexico

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

— Guanajuato Workshops Attendee

“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, Portland, OR

“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 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 ‘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