Participants will draw and paint from a still life and from what’s around them, learning to observe the world with fresh eyes. Gayle will guide you in developing a fun and sustainable sketchbook practice, showing how to draw and paint not only what you see, but how to interpret it—transforming observation into something expressive, playful, and uniquely your own.

The workshop offers a warm, immersive introduction to the creative process and is open to everyone, from experienced artists to complete beginners, including those who have never held a brush but feel the desire to paint. The day begins with gentle sketchbook exercises designed to loosen the hand, quiet self-doubt, and awaken curiosity. Through simple prompts and demonstrations, the sketchbook is introduced as a safe, inviting space for exploration rather than perfection.

As the day unfolds, participants move naturally from sketchbook work into painting, learning through observation, experimentation, and hands-on practice. Gayle shares her techniques, materials, and ways of seeing, while offering individual guidance and encouragement tailored to each participant’s experience level. Emphasis is placed on process, intuition, and discovering a personal visual language.

Gayle paints in Acryla Gouache. After signing up, participants will receive a suggested supply list, though you are welcome to work in whatever materials you feel most comfortable using.

The workshop concludes with a relaxed group sharing and reflection, celebrating both the work created and the confidence gained. Participants leave with new tools, a deeper connection to their creativity, and the understanding that painting is accessible to anyone willing to begin.

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Meet Gayle

Gayle Kabaker is an award-winning painter, writer, teacher, and visual storyteller whose work explores beauty in all its forms through a distinctly feminine lens. After graduating from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, she began her career as a freelance fashion illustrator.

In 2012, Gayle created her first New Yorker cover, June Brides, celebrating marriage equality. Since then, she has illustrated a total of ten covers for the magazine. She is especially known for her painted portraits of women, including Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower, a series of 100 portraits created for the book and its companion exhibition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

During the pandemic Gayle authored an ongoing illustrated column for The Washington Post titled Sketching My Way Through Crisis, which explored the therapeutic power of maintaining a sketchbook practice—whether or not one identifies as an artist. Her own sketchbooks serve as visual diaries, documenting daily life, travel, and emotional landscapes. She teaches sketchbook painting workshops internationally and online.

She was selected for a life-changing collaboration with Condé Nast and The New Yorker, painting her personal experience of traveling through Australia, resulting in a series of short films that you can see HERE.

Her work has been featured in advertising and editorial commissions worldwide, including a special Maker’s Mark label created to celebrate Women’s History Month.

In addition to commissioned projects, Gayle sells original paintings, prints, and scarves through her online shop and accepts private commissions.

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Workshop Schedule:

9:30 am
Arrival and settling in

10:00 am
Introductions and overview of the day

10:45 am – 12:45 pm
Warm-up exercises followed by drawing and painting

12:45 – 1:00 pm
Sketchbook Throwdown
A group look at what everyone has created, celebrating the many different ways we each interpret what we see

1:00 – 1:30 pm
Lunch break
(Please bring your own lunch. For those who don’t, local shops are close by)

1:30 – 4:30 pm
Demonstration #2 followed by drawing and painting

4:30 – 5:00 pm
Show and Tell / Sketchbook Throwdown
A final sharing and reflection on the day’s work

Following the workshop, a WhatsApp group will be created so participants can stay in touch and continue sharing their work.