Sketching Around Town is a six-week series for anyone who has wanted to draw the world around them, and isn’t quite sure where to start.

We begin with a three-hour foundations class in my studio, where you’ll build the core skills—line confidence, perspective sketching, learning to see, and watercolour brush strokes—in a calm, controlled setting before we take anything outside. From there, we meet somewhere around Ottawa each week—a market, a heritage street, a garden, a café patio—and spend two hours sketching together. Just a pen, a sketchbook, and whatever’s in front of us.

This class is pen and watercolour only—no pencils, no erasers, no rulers. That’s not a limitation, it’s the whole point. Learning the skills and developing confidence to allow you to pull out a sketchbook anywhere, anytime, and just draw what you see… capturing moments, memories and scenes.

Here’s what we’ll explore together:

Line Confidence  |  We start with the pen—no pencil, no erasing, no rulers. Warm-up exercises loosen the hand and quiet the inner critic. By the end of the first class, you’ll have made more marks than you thought possible.

Learning to See  |  The most important skill in sketching has nothing to do with drawing—it’s learning to really see. We will slow down and study each scene before our pens even move.

Colour for Story  | Adding watercolour from simple washes, layers for depth, and details for accuracy.

Depth + Dimension  | One- and two-point perspective will be introduced in week two and practiced each week thereafter, keeping our sketches from looking like the crazy crooked kitchen. We’ll practice finding angles and vanishing points with our eyes, hands, and pens.

Composition  | What to include. What to leave out. This series is about developing your eye as much as your hand—learning to find your version of a scene rather than drawing everything in front of you.

By the end of the six weeks, your sketchbook will be full of loose, confident lines, colourful imagery, and detailed scene sketches… and more importantly, you will wrap-up with the confidence to carry your sketch kit with you wherever you go so you are ready at a moment’s notice to capture what you see.

Wednesday mornings, September 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21 + 28, 2026 | 9am–12pm (foundations), 10am–12pm (on-site sessions)

$357 + HST per person

One 3-hour foundations class + five 2-hour on-site sketching sessions

Supplies kit included: quality sketchbook, sketching pen + travel watercolour set with brush

Limit of six (6) participants

LOCATION: Our foundations class will take place in the second-floor studio of my Kanata/Stittsville home. Each week’s on-site location will be shared via email or group chat a few days prior, all within the Ottawa area, with an indoor option in case of rain or cool weather.

REGISTRATION POLICY: Advance payment is required to hold your spot. All bookings are final. No refunds or date changes. If you can’t attend, you may gift or sell your spot to a friend. If I cancel, you’ll receive a full refund or credit.

HEALTH GUIDELINES: As these events take place partly in my home and partly in public spaces around Ottawa, participants are asked to stay home if feeling unwell. You can transfer your spot to a friend, or contact me to inquire about coming another time.