Monday, July 14

1-3 pm | Sketching in the Garden: Palette & Chisel Courtyard Sketching with Sydnye Cohen

The Mostly Mondays sketch group will meet in the garden of the Palette & Chisel. They welcome all newcomers and old hats to sketch with them. Sandra Beaty and Sydnye Cohen started this group in August of 2024 and they are always delighted to sketch together in a wonderful and talented community.

Tuesday, July 15

12:30-4 pm | Demos with David Roberts, Don Yang and Ken Czech 12:30-2:30; 2:30-4 pm | Sketch Talks with David Roberts

David Roberts will demonstrate his popular “Sketching on the Dark Side” artistry; Ken Czech will show his marker/pencil approach to drawing figures in the urban landscape; Don Yang will demonstrate his techniques in oils or gouache.

Sketch Talks is an opportunity for urban sketch show exhibitors to tell us more about their work in the Sketch Show, and about their sketch process. This will be a combination of live in person interviews as well as prerecorded interviews occurring during the Seminar weekend or presentations prerecorded separately. All exhibitors and workshop instructors are invited to participate in person/and or prerecorded.  

Wednesday, July 16

5-7 pm | Watercolor Play with Amy Gowans

We will play with watercolors and learn how to use them as you create an urban sketch. Although this class is for beginners, all levels are welcomed. Let’s relax and play!

Thursday, July 17

10-11:30 am | Mixing Up Your Composition with Kris Van Stockum

Kris will share her favorite tips and strategies and introduce the design principles behind each one. You will learn how to add different elements, where to put them on each page, different compositional approaches, adding ephemera, and how to create variety on your sketchbook pages. You will take a look at how composition can be applied to an entire page, or a single sketch, and we’ll talk about materials and color.Kris will introduce you to the design concepts step by step with lots of examples and sketching demos, so that you can adapt to your own way of working.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Show & Tell at Lunch: Become a Minimalist Urban Sketcher with Susan Pace

Enjoy a Bring-your-own-lunch session where sketchers can explore urban sketching without the supply overload. Whether you are a beginner or an urban sketching veteran, this session is for you. This interactive “show and tell” will discuss ways to streamline, carry, and make the most of supplies to maximize your sketching. Topics will include tools, supplies, how to make them work for you and how to eliminate those that do not. Also, what is on your wish list, or what would you like to try.

Bring your own supplies and join us for a fun time discussing urban sketching. There will be plenty of time to practice urban sketching with your fellow sketchers.

1-2:30 pm | More Watercolor Play with Sherry Smith

Sherry will demonstrate some of her tried and true watercolor techniques for urban sketching. Bring along your own watercolors!

2:30-4 pm | The Essentials of Art Materials with Jaclyn Mednicov

This activity focuses on art materials and the relationship between paper surfaces and drawing/painting media. This empower artists with the knowledge necessary to choose the right papers and art materials for their own artistic practice. Urban sketchers will participate in hands-on exercises using a selection of papers and drawing materials.

5:30-7:30 pm | Sketch Meetup with Robert Cordero (at Holy Name Cathedral)

Join the Thursday Night Sketch Crew at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N State St. Meetup at 5:30 pm at the entrance stairs and
throw down at 7:30 pm. Feel free to arrive early and bring a chair!

Friday, July 18

10-11:30 am | Bringing Collage and Multi-Media into Urban Sketching with Anna Rappaport

Collage can be used in Urban Sketching as background for a drawing or added directly into the drawing. It can be used alone or with watercolor, gouache or other paint, or with pens, markers and other drawing materials. Collage materials include newspaper, magazines, brown paper bags, calendars, old stamps, fabric scraps, maps, pattern paper and more. Anna will bring examples of several different approaches to collage and materials for people to use. After a short demo, participants will work together to make a collage and use materials – 15 minutes and will then have a longer exercise to do an urban sketching scene Students should bring a sketch they would like to redo with collage, or select something in the area where participants are working.

11:30 am-12:30 pm | Show & Tell at Lunch: What’s in Your Bag with Kathi Wilson

Kathi Wilson shows different sketch supplies she brings in her sketch bag, and why she brings different supplies based on each sketch outing or event. Bring your typical supplies, and supplies you think others might want to learn about.

1-2:30 pm | Concertina Sketchbooks & Granulating Colors with Kelly Hoernig

The art of storytelling started with a simple concertina sketchbook. Kelly will share her thoughts on your unfolding inside. Introducing you to handmade granulating watercolors and the advantage of working with them. Supplies – sketchbook or watercolor paper, your favorite brushes, water containers, paper towel, spritz bottle.

2:30-4 pm | Branching Out into a Different Medium: Let’s Sketch a Tree in Pastel with Shabad Kaur Khalsa

The class will begin with a pastel demo by the instructor, and then participants will be given an opportunity to explore techniques with the pastel medium on pastel paper. Shabad Kaur looks forward to sharing tips for pastel painting and that she has gathered in her own art-making journey!

5:30-7:30 pm | Sketch Meetup at the Riverwalk with Joel Berman

Meet up at the east side of the Orleans bridge on the Riverwalk (Wacker & Orleans St.), near the west end of Brews & Bites.
This is about a 30-minute walk from Palette & Chisel.

Saturday, July 19

10-11:30 am | Marker Mark Making with Bernie Martinez

Bernie will be demonstrating marker techniques and their use on different surfaces. He’ll have markers and different drawing papers to try. Bring along your own markers too!

11:30 am-12:30 pm | Show & Tell at Lunch: Your Organized Sketchbook Life with Tammy Campbell

Join us for a Bring-your-own-lunch session where we’ll dive into the art of sketchbook organization! Whether you’re just starting your creative journey or you’re a prolific urban sketcher, we all accumulate sketchbooks. This interactive “show and tell” is the perfect opportunity to discover new ways to manage your collection, from choosing the right books to knowing what to do with the finished ones.

Bring your favorite organizing hacks! We encourage you to bring any items or photos of tools that have helped you keep your creative space tidy. Let’s share what works, learn from each other, and get inspired to make our creative lives more organized and joyful!!

1-2:30 pm | Of Ink and Wash with David Lawrie

What is the value of creating a quick Ink line and color wash image in the field? This workshop will enable participants to prepare a simple draft line composition of a city view; add inked linework to achieve a hierarchy of form and texture; overlay a little watercolor wash to fill out the scene; and add some shading and highlight to give a final snap to the sketch.

2:30-4 pm | Graphite, Ink, Black and White Colored Pencil on Gray Toned Paper with Ryan Chester

A demo followed by on-site sketching will show how perspective can be created simply and enhanced through on-site sketching. Often sketchers can become discouraged when their experiences see negative results from sketching which then results in a disinterestin drawing. This discussion will layout a process of how to create a well-proportioned sketch on paper with tips I have discovered in my own experiences.