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A grid of loose thumbnails sketches of houses and neighborhood scenes with notes under each one.

Thumbnail Magic

Capture the Essence of Your Surroundings with Barbara Luel

Online Workshop Saturday, June 10, from 9am-11:30am Pacific

Join us on Saturday, June 10th from 9am–11:30am Pacific for Thumbnail Magic with Barbara Luel! Capturing the essence of a place and facing a blank page can feel overwhelming.

In this workshop, you will learn how to let go of perfectionism by creating a collection of thumbnail sketches. Barbara will lead participants in making a page of playful 5cm x 5cm “mini-paintings.” Thumbnails are a great way to boost our skills and a chance to play with different colors and layouts we want to illustrate.

A collection of thumbnails is ideal for illustrating a place’s spirit and recording the details you love. And, sometimes, a page of thumbnails can lay the groundwork for a larger project: they’re the perfect exercise for discovering your personal sketching style.

Saturday, June 10, from 9am-11:30am Pacific

You may register by selecting "Add to cart" below, and checking out.

To gift a workshop, go ahead and purchase with your own name and then email us the recipient details.

$50.00

Barbara’s Recommended Supplies

  • Watercolors

    Barbara recommends your favorite watercolor paints, watercolor pencils, and any other tools you love to use.

    • Watercolor Paper

      Preferbaly A4

      • Brushes

        Thumbnail sketches are small; you will want a fine-tipped brush.
        • Paper towel or cloth
          • Graphite pencil
            • Eraser and sharpener
              • Ruler or triangle
                • Masking tape (optional)

                  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.

                  An artist in a bright red coat and warm hat sits at a table covered in sketching supplies.

                  About Barbara

                  Barbara Luel is a Brussels-based architect, artist, illustrator, author, and sketchbook addict. Despite her busy schedule working as an architect to restore monuments, she makes time for art. She loves to share her passion for drawing and painting with people around her, whether through a series of Skillshare classes or light and whimsical sketches of her surroundings on Instagram.

                  Currently, Barbara is in the process of finishing her third book about drawing and watercolor. The first two were about Japan and traveling; her latest one is about her hometown of Brussels, Belgium.

                  You can see more of Barbara’s work on her website, on Instagram, and in this Art Toolkit live demo.