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Market watercolor by Suhita Shirodkar.

Sketching Vignettes

Learn to sketch fearlessly by simplifying a scene.

Online Workshop

When you sketch on location, are you overwhelmed by all that you see? Do you struggle to simplify the scene before you? Have you been afraid to dive in and sketch the subject because it involves people? In this workshop, set in a Farmers’ Market, you will learn to sketch quick vignettes that capture the energy and essence of a place and its people.

Suhita Shirodkar will share skills designed for and transferrable to working on location, including composing vignettes and thinking in visual stories. You will learn to draw sketches fearlessly, regardless of subject matter, and get tips on how to begin sketching people.

Not currently scheduled

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What to expect

This is a live workshop that will take place on Zoom. During the workshop, you will have a chance to ask the instructor questions and connect with your fellow classmates. After the workshop, we’ll provide you with a recording to review on your own time.

We’ll be in touch the week of the workshop with instructions for connecting and additional information. Please remember to set a reminder for yourself, and adjust for your timezone. Tickets are non-refundable, but we may be able to transfer your ticket to another student if there is a wait list.

Curious about tickets, technical details, gifting workshops, or anything else? Please see our frequently asked questions page for more details, and please don’t hesitate to contact us for help.

Recommended supplies

These are the supplies that Suhita recommends, but feel free to use what you have on hand!

  • Paper/Sketchbook: multiple loose papers or a sketchbook that handles watercolor, pen and ink. (Paper should be thick enough to work for watercolor, but smooth enough for pen work). I use a Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook. You can use a paper or book you know well as long as it meets the above criteria.
  • Pen: any pen with waterproof ink works. We will use watercolor over our pen drawing. I use fountain pens filled with either DeAtramentis Document Ink or Carbon Platinum Ink, both in black. My favorite pen is a Sailor Fude nib pen, but it’s not a pen to bring to the workshop unless you have used it before and like it. Other fountain pens I enjoy include the Lamy Safari and TWSBI pen.
  • Brushes: a round brush size 6 or 8 with a good tip (like the Rosemary R13 or R9) or a dagger brush like the Rosemary Travel R12 Dagger.
  • Pencil and eraser: a soft pencil, 4B or 6B for thumbnails.
  • Watercolors:

    Suhita encourages you to use what you have and enjoy, with at least a couple of reds, blues, yellows, one green, and a brown. The list below includes the fundamentals of her palette. If you’d like to test out these paints, we’ve created an optional Sample Dot Card that you can select at checkout.

  • Other Media: bring along a few colored pencils, or crayons if you have them. A tube of white gouache is always handy.
  • Paper towel or cloth to keep things clean
  • Cup for water

What to expect

Art Toolkit workshops are live events that take place on Zoom. During the workshop, you will have a chance to ask the instructor questions. After the workshop, we’ll provide you with a link to a recording to review on your own time (viewable for at least six months).

We’ll be in touch a week before the workshop with instructions for connecting and additional information. Please remember to adjust for your time zone. Tickets are non-refundable, but we may be able to transfer your ticket to another student if there is a waitlist.

We present our workshops with automated captions. If you wish to request additional accommodations, please let us know in advance.

Curious about tickets, technical details, gifting workshops, or anything else? Please see our frequently asked questions page for more details, and please don’t hesitate to contact us for help.