Classes and Workshops

Demo Playfull Vignettes in Ink and Watercolor (in person)

Feb 15th, 2024 from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Where: Oregon Society of Artists, Portland, OR 
More Info and Join

Immersive Travel Sketching Retreat (in person)

March 23-30, 2024 
Clos Mirabel, Southern France 
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Course Urban Sketching: Focus on Vegetation (in person)

Apr 15 - May 20, 2024, Mondays from 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Where: Oregon Society of Artists, Portland, OR 

More Info and Register


Workshop Urban Sketching Summer On-location Program (in person)

May -September, 2024, Saturday/Sunday from 10am-1pm
In and Around Portland, OR
More info coming soon

Workshop USk Chicago Sketch Seminar 2024

July 12-14, 2024 
Chicago, IL USA
More info 

Workshop/Demo/Lecture Urban Sketching Symposium in Buenos Aires

Oct 9-12, 2024
Buenos Aires, Argentina
More info

Immersive Travel Sketching Retreat (in person)

May 26-June 2, 2025 
Provence, France 
More info and Join 

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • You make 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

Classes and Workshops

Fundamentals of Drawing Urban Spaces
from $35.00
sold out
Register