Workshops

Welcome to my workshops page. Upcoming workshops both in-person and online.
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With two Gateway to India workshops under our belt, we are super excited to launch this 3rd year of our sketch adventure. We’ve incorporated all the best bits of what we learned over two years to bring you a fresh experience rich in teaching, sketching locations, cultural context, and just an all-around fantastic way to experience India, with a sketchbook in hand.

Below are the details, FAQs, and some testimonials. Feel free to reach out to us if you have more questions. But don’t wait too long!

A Gateway to India 2025: A Sketching Adventure in Mumbai
An ON-LOCATION WORKSHOP
Come Sketch and Experience India with Suhita & Zainab

Jan 21- Jan 29th, 2025

Cost: $2300 (for Sketchers, non-sketcher companion pricing below)

Includes
• 3 Zoom sessions before traveling to India
• 14 sketcher workshop led by two instructors (great instructor-to-participant ratio for individual attention and varied demos and techniques)
• historical tours and cultural events
• welcome and farewell dinners
• transportation in a private air-conditioned bus during the workshop

Does NOT include:
• all other travel including airfare to and from India
• accommodation
• meals (We have hotel and restaurant suggestions at all locations and a travel agent to help you with any bookings you need.

If you have ever wanted to travel and sketch in India, this is your chance! Come sketch in the perfect city to introduce you to this complex, exciting, ever-changing country: India’s largest metropolis, Mumbai. This richly curated trip with seasoned instructors, Suhita Shirodkar and Zainab Tambawalla features an itinerary that combines historical and cultural tours led by experts, demos, reviews, and plenty of on-location sketching sessions. 

But the adventure and learning start before you even land in India!
Our on-location adventures will be preceded by three online Zoom-based sessions. In these sessions, we build a foundation of sketching concepts that can be put into practice on location and we share practical information like packing and supply tips for your trip. 

Why Mumbai, you might wonder? Mumbai, a metropolis and a melting pot of cultures, is a great place to start your Indian adventure. Once a fort city, the many cities within this walled city still exist as distinct places we will explore. You will literally sketch the Mumbai of a thousand years ago, and move through the ages to capture the glory of the British Era, monuments to the Industrial Revolution, and today’s bustling markets and streets.

Our workshop comes with a promise: When you learn to sketch on location in India, you can travel-sketch anywhere in the world!

Wondering what you will experience and sketch?
On this adventure, you will not only sketch grand monuments in different architectural styles but will also sketch the heart of daily life in markets and little bylanes and will witness and sketch ancient traditions and ways of life through the people who are at the core of what India is about. It will be an enriching experience and your sketchbook will reflect just that. 

With tours led by historians and a low instructor-to-student ratio, you can expect lots of one-on-one attention, and a host of techniques and ideas shared daily. There will be frequent review sessions that strengthen your understanding of concepts and techniques and indoor teaching sessions to cement techniques.
In your time with us you will see and sketch India beyond a tourist’s view, yet always feel safe and taken care of. Our workshop costs cover a welcome and farewell dinner and travel around the city in an air-conditioned bus. Bottled water and snacks are always available and you will have a host of vetted places to eat at for every location we sketch at. 

Excited? Here’s what you do next: Spaces are limited, so book your spot NOW. To do that, email us at sketchtourindia@gmail.com and let us know you are joining us and your preferred payment method. A non-refundable deposit of USD 300 is required to hold your spot. Payment can be by bank transfer, check, Venmo, or Zelle. Paypal transfers require an additional fee. The full payment is made in two more installments, one in July and one in October 2024. Details are at the bottom of the page.

Know Your Instructors

Suhita Shirodkar was born and brought up in Mumbai and now lives in San Jose, California. She has been an instructor at 6 Urban Sketcher International Symposiums and is a USk blog correspondent who teaches workshops worldwide. Telling visual stories, working in a mix of media that allows for exciting sketches, and capturing the energy of places and people is what she loves best. You can see more of Suhita’s work here.

Zainab Tambawalla has lived in Mumbai for 24 years and heads Urban Sketchers Mumbai. She is an animation designer, a children’s books illustrator, and has been an educator for 13 years. Her Mumbai-focussed reportage was part of a USk grant-winning project for outstanding visual reportage. She is on a constant quest to document stories within her city while exploring techniques for creating an evocative and emotive sketch. You can see more of Zainab’s work here.

A few testimonials from previous workshops
“A rich experience to say the least! Suhita and Zainab intertwined history lessons, cultural training, and, of course, drawing skills into an unforgettable week. Not only did I come home with improved skills, but also a greater appreciation and understanding and love for all things Indian.” – Susan

“This was my first sketching trip and I enjoyed every minute. I felt supported because both instructors met me where I was. The welcoming and inclusive group, seeing different areas of Mumbai on our tours, and the Zoom sessions helped establish a feeling of community even before the trip.” – Elizabeth

“This workshop was a wonderful adventure! The experience included knowledgeable guided tours of the history and culture of Mumbai, as well as many and various sketching opportunities throughout the week. We were mentored at every step of the way by Zainab and Suhita. I highly recommend this sketching workshop for new and experienced sketchers.” – Lynn

This workshop far exceeded my expectations! I loved the organization of the workshop, the expert guides, and having two instructors and seeing different approaches and techniques.” – Maria

“This workshop pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I learned so much. Suhita’s sketches explode on the page while Zainab’s come to life gently, and I loved learning both approaches. Thank you!” – Sujatha

“This workshop made me revive and fulfill a 50-year dream to go to India. Thank you!” – Liz

Still have questions? Here are some FAQs, but feel free to email us with your questions. 

FAQs and Other Helpful Information

• What will I learn?
This workshop is designed to meet you where you are in your sketching journey. With three Zoom-based sessions before you even get to India, we will cover the basics of practical matters like packing an art kit and also the fundamentals of working on location in busy places, sketching from life, choosing a color palette, color mixing, and a working understanding of perspective and people sketching for on-location drawing.

This solid groundwork will set you up for a successful sketching trip in India: There will be demos on location by the instructors, who will be sketching alongside you every day so you can watch the concepts put into action, get feedback, and ask questions anytime. There will also be frequent review sessions and indoor learning sessions for specific subjects.

And if you are a seasoned sketcher who knows your basics already? Zainab and Suhita will demo different techniques for you to add to your sketching repertoire every day. And you will never be out of new, interesting, and challenging subjects to sketch in India!

• Safety, Food Concerns, and Accommodation
The beauty of doing this workshop with us is that you’ll see India beyond a tourist’s view, yet always feel safe and taken care of. All transportation to destinations beyond a short walk will be in an air-conditioned vehicle. At every location, you will have a list of vetted places to eat at a range of prices. We also have a list of vetted hotels at various price points close to our workshop meeting point.

• Is this trip suitable for me?
India is an exciting, welcoming country. To fully experience and enjoy it, bring a sense of adventure with you. While you will always be safe, this is not a cocooned experience removed from the real world: you will see everyday life and sketch it close-up and first-hand. You will visit markets and bustling neighborhoods as well as quieter areas and historic places. If you can be adaptable and open to new ideas, you will experience the magic of India, that is a promise! If you have specific concerns, write to us and you’ll get an honest answer on whether we think this trip is right for you.

• India beyond Mumbai
The themes, colors, and architectural styles you will sketch, and the sketching techniques you will learn will make a great set of tools to sketch anywhere on your further adventures.

So start your exploration of India with us and if you decide to stay on longer, we can recommend a travel agent who can suggest and help you book hotels, flights as well as further adventures in India. We recommend coming to Mumbai at least a day or two in advance to get over jetlag and be ready for the workshop. If this is your first visit to India, we also recommend you stay on and explore India after the end of this workshop. Wherever you go, your sketching skills will serve you well in capturing many more memories of all your adventures!

One of the first things we do is put all our workshop participants into a Whatsapp group so they can share travel plans and ideas with each other. This year’s group has several previous participants whose knowledge of travels in India can inform your trip planning!

• Insurance:
As with all travel, we recommend you get travel insurance. Here are some recommendations from forbes.com

Ready to sign up and reserve your spot? Here, again, are the details.

Sketcher Spots (a total of 14 total but only a few remaining now) You are being contacted first before the workshop opens to the public.

To reserve your spot, email us at sketchtourindia@gmail.com and let us know you are joining us and your preferred payment method. 
• A non-refundable deposit of USD 300 is required to hold your spot. Payment can be by bank transfer, check, Venmo, or Zelle. Paypal transfers require an additional fee.
• a second non-refundable payment of USD 800 is due at the start of July 2024.
• The last non-refundable installment of USD 1200 is due at the start of October 2024.

Non-Sketcher Spots (up to 7 spots available) Bringing along a non-sketcher? Non-sketcher costs are $900 per person (Three installments of $300 each on the same schedule as the Sketcher Payments) and include all tours and cultural events, transportation and welcome and farewell dinners. This ticket cannot be purchased by anyone who plans to sketch or paint.

Still got a question? Just email us and we will answer back asap.

– Suhita and Zainab

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THIS WORKSHOP IS FULLY BOOKED
Color That Pops: Find and Celebrate Color in Every Sketch

Saturday, March 2nd from 10am–12:30pm Pacific Time 

Do you want to notice vibrant colors around you and capture them with paint on your page? Do you wonder how to find jewel tones in the drabbest of scenes?

In this color-centric workshop, I will share my techniques for finding color in any scene and lead you through a series of exercises to help you find yours. You will develop an eye for seeing color everywhere, learn to balance vibrant colors with quieter ones and use mixed media to add that extra zing of color to your artwork.

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ONLINE WORKSHOP
People Alive! Sketches Full of Life (March 2024)

And for everyone who asked for it, my Online People Sketching Workshop that runs for 4 weeks is back!

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Spring Sketching in Mixed Media: A Celebration of Color in Santa Fe

With Maru Godas and Suhita Shirodkar
Spaces filling up . Sign up here.

About This Workshop

Come be inspired by the colors of Santa Fe in springtime. See as you have never explored it before in this mixed media workshop with two instructors with a flair for color: Maru Godas and Suhita Shirodkar

In this workshop we will work on location and in the studio, carrying inspiration and experiments from each encounter into the next. We will capture the exuberance of the city and the season while focussing on the emotive power of color. We will learn to use color that conveys the essence of our studies and captures a range of moods. We will explore landscapes, cityscapes, people, objects and food in our artwork.

You will learn to:
• harness the power of color in your work
• explore and create your own color palettes to set the mood and unify your work
• boldly mix media to make a statement
• compose pages that combine lettering, vignettes, panoramas and more
• use accent colors and unusual media for special effects

We will be inspired by the works of artists like Georgia O’Keefe and will explore the power of abstraction, collage, and textures in our work. At the end of the workshop, you will have a body of work that reflects a wide range of techniques in mixed media and a new understanding of the power of color in your work.

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A Gateway to India 2025: Sketching Mumbai and Kochi

Want to join us in India in Jan 2025? Details coming soon, but if you want to get on the Early Bird List, message me at suhita@gmail.com and let me know!

Click here for more details
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/people-alive-sketches-full-of-life-march-2024-tickets-769764324817?aff=oddtdtcreator