Workshop: June 27 - Plein Air Watercolor at the Lake in Central Park with Patrick King

Students of all levels are welcome in this outdoor workshop in Central Park. They will learn basic watercolor techniques as well as advanced methods of glazing to achieve deep, rich, layered colors. They will learn to bring a greater depth and intensity to watercolor through multiple glazes and other intensive painting techniques. An emphasis on composition, drawing and perspective will be an integral part of the workshop. The first part of the workshop will consist of a brief demonstration, after which you will be aided in planning your composition and moving on to painting.

Legion Paper will provide paper for this workshop. @legionpaper

When:  Saturday, June 27th, 10am-1pm

For information and tickets: Eventbrite

WORKSHOP: Gesture Painting: Large, Loose and Fast with Rene Barkett, June 6

Learn to make quick impressions of a scene in watercolor with large brush strokes loosely applied.

The inspiration for this workshop is Gesture Drawing - the art of capturing the essence of the human figure in a very short period of time. Gesture Drawing is fast, expressive and loose. Using the same techniques, Rene will teach how to depict the heart of an urban scene with Gesture Painting.

Students will learn to observe and record quickly what they see, not becoming stuck on any one detail. The goal will be to depict the whole of a scene, giving a fresh, vivid description. We will do this so that an entire image can be created at once, just as you would in a life drawing quick pose, avoiding the problem of working too tightly.

For information and tickets: Gesture Painting: Large, Loose and Fast 

May 2 - Building a Spiral of Attention with Nishant Jain

 

Attend this workshop on May 2 and you'll have a chance to win a copy of Make (Sneaky) Art, by workshop instructor Nishant Jain. 

Nishant’s art revolves around a curiosity for urban life, and how cities allow strangers to coexist in harmony. His book, Make (Sneaky) Art, offers ideas and techniques to build a sketchbook habit based upon mindfulness and observation of one’s environment. Nishant lives in beautiful British Columbia, with his wife and a baby boy whom he draws everyday.

Join him on May 2 at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. 

Purchase tickets on Eventbrite here. 

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Urban Sketch Like an Architect with Charles Cannizzaro - Afternoon Session

The Morning Session of "Urban Sketch Like An Architect" SOLD OUT! 

An Afternoon Session has been added to teach these valuable urban sketching skills.  

Have you ever wondered how the principles and techniques an architect uses in the studio can be applied to plein aire sketching? This is the workshop for you. Learn how to boil down the knowledge of an architecture studio into basics needed for sketching and painting on location. And enjoy the experience of learning from an architect with over 25 years of experience.

Where: Chelsea Triangle, 9th Avenue and 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

When: Saturday, September 20th, 2pm - 5pm

Click Here For more information and tickets, 

                                                           Charles Cannizzaro

Food Glorious Food-Workshop with Shawne Cooper

 

Join Shawne Cooper for a one-of-a-kind workshop that blends artmaking with flavorful discoveries. We’ll explore the vibrant food scene of Flushing, Queens, stopping at a variety of Chinese eateries that will feed both your appetite and your imagination. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a curious beginner, Shawne will guide you in capturing the colors, textures, and energy of each delicious dish, quickly and playfully. It’s a chance to savor each bite and document the experience as it unfolds.

Come hungry for good food, creative fun, and community!

When: September 7, 2025 2:00pm

Where: New World Mall  136-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354

Many More Details and How To Sign Up: Click Here

WORKSHOP with Mario Linharas July 12, 2025

Candle and Drawing Interaction with Mario Linhares

When: Saturday July 12, 2025 from 10am-1pm

Where: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park

Sketchbooks are laboratories for experimenting with new materials and ways of thinking about drawing. In this workshop we will explore using Portuguese candle wax in developing a new approach to interacting with our sketchbooks. 

Mario Linhares is a noted lecturer, teacher and author who currently is on the Faculty of the University of Lisbon. He was the founder of Urban Sketchers Lisbon and served on the international Board of Urban Sketchers from 2011 to 2019. For examples of his work on instagram, see: @linhares.mr

Click Here for More Information and To Purchase a Ticket

5/17/25-Afternoon Session-Workshop with Carol Fabricatore-Watercolor and Gouache Painting

 

Afternoon Session

Workshop with Carol Fabricatore - Watercolor and Gouache Painting

When: Saturday May 17, 2025 from 2pm-5pm

Where: Bethesda Fountain

For more details and how to sign up: Click Here

Summary of Workshop:
This workshop will focus on a unique technique, using watercolor and gouache together. Attention will be paid to creating vibrant, rich color, and applying it in transparent watercolor first, then layering, and finally building gouache over it.


Carol Fabricatore is an award-winning artist who received an MFA at the School of Visual Arts. She has taught at SVA since 1994. She has had several artist residencies in the US and Mexico and participated in many exhibits in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and France. To learn more about Carol and her work, see her website: carolfabricatore.com or Instagram: @cfabricatore

For more details and how to sign up: Click Here

May 17 Workshop - Carol Fabricatore - Watercolor and Gouache Painting

 

Workshop with Carol Fabricatore - Watercolor and Gouache Painting

When: Saturday May 17, 2025 from 10am-1pm

Where: Bethesda Fountain

For more details and how to sign up: Click Here

Summary of Workshop:
This workshop will focus on a unique technique, using watercolor and gouache together. Attention will be paid to creating vibrant, rich color, and applying it in transparent watercolor first, then layering, and finally building gouache over it.


Carol Fabricatore is an award-winning artist who received an MFA at the School of Visual Arts. She has taught at SVA since 1994. She has had several artist residencies in the US and Mexico and participated in many exhibits in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and France. To learn more about Carol and her work, see her website: carolfabricatore.com or Instagram: @cfabricatore

For more details and how to sign up: Click Here

Workshop 5/4/25-Food Glorious Food-Workshop with Shawne Cooper

 

Food Glorious Food-Workshop with Shawne Cooper

When: May 4, 2024 2:00PM
Where: New World Mall 136-20 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, NY 11354
More details and how to sign up: click here

Join Shawne Cooper for a one-of-a-kind sketching workshop that blends art with a culinary adventure. We’ll explore the vibrant food scene of Flushing, Queens, stopping at a variety of Chinese eateries—each offering sustenance for our sketchbooks and our stomachs. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a curious beginner, Shawne will guide you in capturing the colors, textures, and energy of each delight, quickly and dynamically. It’s a chance to savor each bite and translate the experience onto the page. Come hungry for good food, creative fun, and community!

More details and how to sign up: click here

Sold Out Workshop 4/26/25-Painting The Bridges of Central Park with Gavin Snider

 

Workshop

Painting The Bridges of Central Park with Gavin Snider

When: April 26 at 10am with a rain date of April 27
Where: Central Park Gapstow Bridge
All the info and how to sign up: click here

Westchester Workshop, 3/1/25 -Drawing People in Mixed Media with Min

Westchester-Workshop NYC USk : Drawing People in Mixed Media with Min, March 1, 2025

When: March 1, 2025 at 11am

How: for all the details and how to sign up click here.

Location: The New Dawn Foundation, 590 Davenport Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10805

This indoor workshop will be held at The New Dawn Foundation, located in “The White House,” which is also known as "The Oaks."  The historic estate house is located on the exclusive waterfront peninsula of Davenport Neck in New Rochelle, NY.  This house is an added treat to this workshop!

Workshop Description:

Have you ever wanted to draw a character in your own unique style? The purpose of this workshop is to teach how to draw people by creating layers, using both wet and dry media. She will demonstrate how to employ different materials to create patterns before you begin to draw your character. The patterns will be used for the background, clothing and accessories of the character. You will learn how to draw people from simple shapes and be able to add elements that will add your own style of character design. Reference photos of characters will be provided, but you may also wish to bring your own to add to your creativity. As a fun treat, the last part of the workshop will show how to add collage work to your character.

Tons more details, directions, supply lists etc: for all the details and how to sign up click here.

Feb 16, 2025-Winter Workshop with Min Lee

Sold out! NYC Urban Sketchers Workshop: Drawing People with Mixed Media with Min Lee

When: Sunday February 16, 2025 at 10:00 am

How to Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-urban-sketchers-workshop-drawing-people-with-mixed-media-with-min-tickets

Where: The Hugh Citicorp Building, 601 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY.

Have you ever wanted to draw a character in your own unique style? The purpose of this workshop is to teach how to draw people by creating layers, using both wet and dry media. She will demonstrate how to employ different materials to create patterns before you begin to draw your character. To see more of Min's work, please visit her Instagram page.

Many more details in the event page, please click the link to see more information. 

Workshop-Playing with Posca Markers

 

Playing with Posca Markers with Shawne Cooper

Join us for our last workshop of the season!

When: Sunday September 15th, 10am-1pm


Location:Meet right outside the entrance to Little Island. From there, we will find a terrific vantage point to gather.

Overview: Explore Posca markers: a vibrant and versatile medium that has the look of gouache paint, the portability of markers, and elicits the joy of crayons. During this workshop, Shawne will show you what's possible with Poscas.

How to sign up and more details click here:

Workshop With Mel Barranco

All Details and to Sign up Here:

When and Where:

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024

Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EDT

Location: Bryant Park, Meet in Front of the Fountain

About this Event:

In this workshop, Mel will share with you his technique of creating a visually appealing artwork with big bold marks. You’ll start by creating a “pre-marked” page. Have you ever worked with a “pre-marked” sheet before? A “pre-marked” page is sheet of paper with random black lines drawn on it.

That’s the easy part - you now have a nice art background to work with. The tricky part is integrating and blending the selected scene into this “pre-marked” page.

In this workshop, Mel will share with you the things he has learned to create a visually appealing artwork with big bold marks. Much like a puzzle, you will be able to capture and fashion the scene into your “pre-marked” canvas. The big bold marks will be your friend rather than a distraction. You will use some addition/subtraction techniques to blend the lines into the scene. You will learn to see what little gem details are in the scene that could add impact to your artwork.

Schedule:

Hour 1: Introduction followed by Random Mark Types: Demo and Practice

Hour 2: Composition, Construction, and Editing: Demo and Practice

Hour 3: Mixed Application: Demo and Practice

Suggested Supply List:

• Wide Black marker (Elmers Marker)
• White Gelly Roll broad (0.8mm or 1.0 mm) pen
• Posca Acrylic Brush Pens (light Blue, White, Red, Yellow)
• Orange Gelly Roll 08
• Watercolor Paper (Hot Press)
• Watercolor (What ever set you haveWatercolor)
• A stool

*The wide black marker pen is a plus but not necessary. I will share mine and perhaps some others may share theirs. (Big Marker such as Elmer’s Boardmate Colossal Extra Wide Tip Permanent Marker)

All Details and to Sign up Here:

 

NYC Urban Sketchers Workshop with Katie Woodward

Creating Layered Reflections

When and Where:

Date: Saturday, August 10, 2024

Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EDT

Location: Central Park Conservatory Waters

How: Click to sign up

Workshop Description:

The purpose of this workshop is to simplify how we approach reflections in water into only a few simple steps. It will cover information on how reflections work, what to look for when getting started, and how to paint realistic looking reflections in water. It should demystify the water painting process and make it fun!

Required Materials:

• Water cup

• Watercolor palette and paints (whatever you usually use)

• Watercolor brushes (I use rounds in a variety of sizes but the workshop can be completed in whatever you usually use)

• Pencil

• Watercolor Paper of your choosing

• Recommended: White Uniball Signo Gel Pen or white gouache

• Stool

We will be meeting in front of the Hans Christian Andersen Statue on the west side of the Conservatory Waters. Enter the park on 72 Street, take the first path on your left. 

Workshop is scheduled for August 10. We have a rain date of August 11. As the day approaches we will assess the weather and communicate via the email address you provided at enrollment. A reminder email will be sent regardless. Please make sure that emails from events@nycurbansketchers.org will not go into spam.

Two Workshops with Gavin Snider-Painting Coney Island July 27

 

Workshop with Gavin Snider-Painting Coney Island

Morning and Afternoon Session

July 27th with a rain date of August 3rd. 10am-1pm or 2pm-5pm

In this workshop, Gavin will take on the beach, one of his favorite (and most challenging) subjects. He'll start with light washes to capture water and sky, then demonstrate how he fills up a scene with figures, focusing less on exact details and more on color, value and negative space. He'll show you how to capture the energy of a scene by going straight to the final artwork, painting people and landscapes confidently without using pencil lines.

We will be meeeting at the West 16th Lifeguard Station. It's next to two public restrooms, and people can choose to draw from the beach, from the boardwalk, or even from the pier if they'd like.

Please read carefully and choose a morning (10am-1pm) or an afternoon (2pm-5pm) session. All the details on the workshop are in the event pages.

For all the details and to sign up for the Morning Session here

For all the details and to sign up for the Afternoon Session here

Carol Fabricatore - Watercolor and Gouache Painting workshop June 1, 2024

 

Workshop with Carol Fabricatore 

Watercolor and Gouache Painting

When: Jule 1, 2024 rain date of June 2
Where: We will meet at Central Park Conservatory Garden located between 104 and 105th Street and 5th Avenue. Meet outside the front Vanderbilt Gates.
How to sign up: Click Here

Carol Fabricatore is an award-winning artist who received an MFA at the School of Visual Arts. She has taught at SVA since 1994. She has had several artist residencies in the US and Mexico and participated in many exhibits in New York, New Jersey, Connecticutt and France. To learn more about Carol and her work, see her website: carolfabricatore.com or Instagram: @cfabricatore

This workshop will focus on different techniques, from intermediate to more advanced, using watercolor and gouache together. Attention will be paid to creating vibrant, rich color, and applying it in transparent watercolor first, then layering, and finally building gouache over it. 

More details, to sign up and supply information at the event page here:

Erin Hill Two Workshops May 19 and May 21 2024

 

Two Erin Hill Workshops 

May 19, 2024-The Big Picture in Little Pieces

New York City

When: May 19, 2024

Where: Meet at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, 30 West 8th Street, New York, NY 10011 for an overview of the class. Then, we walk to Washington Square Park.

How: Click Here

Erin Hill is an accomplished artist and teacher who resides in Australia. She teaches workshops throughout Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe. To learn more about Erin and her work, visit her website at https://erinhillsketching.com

Erin will begin by taking a double page spread of a sketchbook and start with a decorative title at the top of one page. Then she will show you how to sketch everything all over our pages choosing anything or size you like. We may start with our coffee, but move on to people we see, parts of the Washington Square Arch, plaques and signage, anything historical, trees and foliage, and birds and other wildlife. We will include notes on what we see around the page.

More details here.

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May 21, 2024-People in Action

Westchester

When: May 21, 2024

Where:Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation , 468 Rosedale Ave, White Plains, NY 10605.

How: Click Here

Erin will start by teaching students about human proportions through mannequins. By seeing mannequins on a table in a variety of poses, students will learn about proportions in a fun and easy way. We will take time to observe the angles the body takes and sketch it as we see it. We’ll sketch as many as we can over our page and then add color.

In a second exercise, we will observe our sketching friends in action. And finally there will be a third exercise that Erin will explain at the time. This one causes great hilarity. The goal of the exercises will be for students to become comfortable with adding people to their other art works.

More details here:

 

Workshop with Susan Greenstein

A Watercolor Journey in Greens

When: May 25, 2024 with a rain date of May 26

Where: We will meet at the corner of Prospect Park West and 15th Street, at the entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

How: Click Here

Susan Greenstein is an accomplished artist living in New York City. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute and Queens College and has exhibited extensively in New York City, New Hampshire and the Delaware Fine Arts Museum. Her work can be found in private collections across the United States. You can learn more about Susan and her work at www.susangreenstein.com and in a recently-published article: https://boldjourney.com/news/meet-susan-greenstein/

In this watercolor workshop, Susan Greenstein will show how to open options in landscape painting by going beyond the green in a tube of paint. Through a step-by-step approach she will help us understand and expand the types of greens in our palettes. We’ll learn how other colors, along with the use of light and deep space, allow greens to really shine.

All details on workshop schedule, supply lists and map visit the event link.

 

 Workshop with Gavin Snider

Painting Brooklyn Brownstones

When: April 27th with a rain date of April 28, 2024 10:00 am-1pm
Where: 95 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215
How: Click Here
About this event:

Gavin Snider is an artist who lives and works in New York. He spends his days painting the city and the people in it.

In this workshop, Gavin will focus on the architecture of Brooklyn, specifically the brownstone. He'll show you how he builds up a watercolor from the blank page, "carving out" the painting with increasing levels of detail. He'll talk about composing with negative space, applying light and shadow, and approaching both architectural and landscape elements in a painting.

We will meet on the corner of 5th Street and Prospect Park West. There's lots of space and people to paint and you can also turn around and paint the Litchfield Mansion as an alternative to the brownstones. Restrooms are located in the park at the Picnic House and the Bandshell. 

Workshop is scheduled for April 27. We have a rain date of April 28. As the day approaches we will assess the weather and communicate via the email address you used to enroll.

To see more about Gavin visit his website.

For more information see event page.