The Art of Travel Sketching in Southern France
Dates: 21 March, 2026 - 28 March, 2026
Location: Atelier Clos Mirabel, Jurançon, France
Participants: All level of drawing ability including beginners
In March 2024, I traveled to Atelier Clos Mirabel with a wonderful group of students from around the world. It’s hard to put into words the magic of this place. Imagine waking up to crisp, clear mornings and a breathtaking panorama of snow-capped Pyrenees, accompanied by fresh croissants and coffee. Picture a cozy art studio with a crackling fire, and the feeling of a homestay combined with the comforts of a world-class retreat—complete with lovingly prepared multi-course meals, fresh local ingredients, and excellent regional wine. Add to that the warmth and generosity of our hosts, who made us feel pampered every step of the way. We sketched timeless mountain villages, historic French towns, and bustling local markets. We laughed, shared stories over many meals and happy hours in the most inspiring setting imaginable. That’s how I remember the experience—and I can’t wait to return and share it with you!
The Cost and Registration
1. Tuition is $500 (or €450) (paid to Rita Sabler)
What is included
25 + hours of tuition per week in English with French translation provided if needed.
5 workshops and 5 guided sketching sessions
Full color booklets with tips and extensive examples
Individualized instruction, live demos, individual and group feedback
2. Full Board Accommodation (paid to Atelier Clos Mirabel) starting at 1595€ per week based on room choice & single or shared occupancy including:
Gourmet meals with fresh local ingredients including some from Atelier Clos Mirabel garden
Beverages, wine
Excursions and outings
Use of artist studio, sketching stools
Click here to pick your accommodations directly with Clos Mirabel.
About the Retreat
Have you ever arrived in a new place and been immediately overwhelmed by its unique character and beauty? Our natural instinct is to capture this beauty, to cherish and remember it. Taking photos provides a quick and easy solution, but doesn’t allow you to really look and absorb the place with all of your senses to truly make it yours.
Join us in the magical place following in the footsteps of French romantic painter Eugène Delacroix. While suffering from respiratory ailments Delacroix came to this area seeking fresh mountain air of the Pyrenees. What he found were majestic mountains and the hidden villages that provided a lot of inspiration to the 19th century artist –he filled many pages of his famous sketchbooks with scenes that largely remain unchanged even today. We now have a unique chance to spend a week in the same location that inspired Delacroix putting together a perfect travel sketchbook.
Let’s delve into the art of Carnet de Voyage. Over the course of a week we will create a travel sketchbook that truly captures the place and honors its beauty.
Program
Saturday
4.00 -Check-in time from 4pm onwards. Guests arrive, settle in and explore Atelier Clos Mirabel
6.30 Welcome drinks and dinner
Sunday – Objects That Tell A Story
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Main themes and tools of Travel Reportage. Intro to Storytelling, Textures and Values. Writing in Travel Reportage.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Field Exercise: Drawing objects that tell a story
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Monday – The Natural World
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 12.00 Natural World in Ink and Watercolor. Monochrome washes. Watercolor techniques. Atmospheric perspective. Value Maps.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Capturing the majestic landscape that surrounds us
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Tuesday – Day Out in the Pyrénées
9.00 –1.00 Exploring the traditional villages of Castet and Bilhères en Ossau. Choosing and Simplifying What you Draw. Perspective. Vignettes
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at local Auberge or gourmet picnic
2.00 – 5.00 Sketching in Castet and Bilhères en Ossau
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Wednesday – Day off
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
We suggest wine tasting in local vineyard, explore Pau or beyond
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Thursday – Capturing the Spirit of a Royal City
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Drawing in Pau: C16th quarter with its historic Château and Parliament of Navarre. Creative approach to capturing Architecture. Composition.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch on your own (recommendations provided)
2.00 – 5.00 Drawing in Pau: Place Royale & Boulevard des Pyrénées.
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Friday – Telling The Story of Human Activity
8.30 – 9.30 Buffet breakfast of local and regional produce
10.00 – 1.00 Jurançon Market. Drawing people. Showing activity. Putting your visual story together.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch at Clos Mirabel
2.00 – 5.00 Sketch Walk to our local vineyard
6.00 – Evening exhibition of the work produced during the week
6.30 – Aperitifs before 4 course dinner in the Manor House
Saturday – Buffet Breakfast and departure (Check-out 11am)
Questions
Please contact urbansketcherspdx@gmail.com
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
It's a great mix of learning how you work, artists that inspire you and learning from other students as we face the same challenges. I appreciate that the class is so interactive and you adjust to the skill levels of the class while keeping us motivated. Drawing along with you is my favorite part because it gets me in the flow of getting straight into the drawing and painting. Watercolors are no longer intimidating! I also notice that I am looking at things much differently and noticing details out in the world that I never have before.
— Dawn
“Rita Sabler presented techniques in a different way than I’ve learned before, and everything clicked for me.”
— Guanajuato Workshops Attendee
“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’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 Sabler is both an amazing artist and an incredibly skilled teacher. Her combination of explanation, demonstration, working with us during class, and individual feedback for the work we turned in taught me more in 6 weeks than I ever expected.
“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
“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
I appreciated the systematic way Rita taught each topic, such as value or perspective. She began with an explanation, then demonstration, then having us work along with her in class, followed by a homework assignment emphasizing that technique. And then she gave individual feedback on every piece of homework, feedback that was always clear. My favorite aspect of the course was how encouraging Rita was and how she fostered such a welcoming atmosphere for all levels, while at the same time providing thoughtful critiques. That's a tricky balance!
“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