Sketchbook Evolution: A Drawing & Watercolor Retreat on Madeline Island

You asked for it - and we made it happen! After two years of rave reviews, our renowned sketching duo of Eduardo Bajzek and Rita Sabler return to Madeline Island for the 2026 season with an all-new curriculum designed to expand, refine, and energize your sketchbook practice.

This immersive 5-day retreat covers composition techniques, selecting and simplifying visual information, values and tones, and drawing people–the topics most requested by sketchers of all levels. These are the specific topics that will be covered through the week:

Building in tones with Eduardo Bajzek

Simplifying complex scenes with Rita Sabler

Playing with Whites  with Eduardo Bajzek

Drawing Expressive People with Rita Sabler

Both instructors bring a distinct artistic lens, and together they offer a rich blend of demonstrations, guided exercises, and on-location sketching adventures around the island. Sketchers of all levels will be supported, challenged, and inspired every step of the way.

Throughout the week, you’ll rotate between instructors at different island locations, with additional opportunities to learn together in group settings. Expect a dynamic mix of campus sessions, field sketching, camaraderie, and creative play.

Special highlights: 

• Tuesday: Discover the complex dynamics of the rainforest through the eyes of a sketcher in the talk “Amazon Sketching Trip: The Challenges of the Rainforest”  

• Wednesday: Enjoy breathtaking views of Apostle Island on a boat cruise (Optional - ticket not included)

• Thursday: Sketchwalk and Drink & Draw – a fun and relaxing group activity that intends to show two important aspects of urban sketching: sharing and socializing!

• Friday: Enjoy an Open Studio Morning, a flexible, self-directed session with instructors available for feedback and personal guidance. It’s the perfect moment to deepen your work, revisit earlier concepts, or explore new ideas sparked during the retreat.

INSTRUCTOR: EDUARDO BAJZEK  

Workshop 1 – BUILDING IN TONES

1. FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPT: Thinking in tones rather than in colors is the key to creating pictures with a sense of overall depth and solid forms.

2. APPLICATION: By transforming a scene into various tones, we will follow a scale from light to dark, resulting in a structured, organized process.

The instructor will provide brief demonstrations and simple exercises to establish the fundamentals of watercolor value arrangement, such as layering washes, pigment concentration, and creating visual unity through value simplification. This workshop is scheduled to take place both in the studio and outdoors, taking advantage of both settings.

Workshop 2 – PLAYING WITH AND AROUND THE WHITES

1. FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPT: Exploring creative approaches to working with the white of the paper as a compositional tool.

2. APPLICATION: Creating dynamic and playful compositions through the interplay of positive and negative shapes, presence versus absence of color, and lively framing

The instructor will introduce the concepts of the workshop through visual references, detailed explanations, and useful exercises, such as “Framing Games”: a playful way to bring interest and variety to the edges or boundaries of the image

INSTRUCTOR: RITA SABLER  

Workshop 1 – SELECTING AND SIMPLIFYING: DRAWING FOR IMPACT

1. FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPT: Simplify complex scenes by selecting key visual elements

2. APPLICATION: Learning what to choose and what to leave out of the picture. How to simplify complex shapes by using thumbnails (a valuable tool to improve fluency), simplified linear perspective

Urban sketching can be fun and rewarding—but also a bit daunting. Faced with an overload of visual information, complicated perspective, and endless details, it’s easy to feel unsure about where to begin. This workshop is designed to help you approach the scene with confidence by learning how to select what matters most and simplify everything else. Do much more with less!

We’ll focus on capturing vibrant urban scenes on the go, using quick, playful sketches that highlight a sense of depth and atmosphere and bring in elements of visual storytelling. Through step-by-step demos and hands-on practice, you’ll learn how to create a sketch that truly captures the spirit of a place.

Workshop 2 - DRAWING EXPRESSIVE PEOPLE 

1. FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPT: Drawing people directly from observation, capturing gestures, movement, personality, and the energy of everyday life

2. APPLICATION: Learning practical shortcuts for believable proportions and building a visual vocabulary of poses and gestures that makes drawing people in motion less intimidating. 

Through guided exercises and demonstrations, we’ll move from quick gestures to expressive figures, exploring how exaggeration, humor, and a personal point of view can transform a simple observation into a lively sketch. 

Workshop Schedule:
Sunday Night: Welcome Reception at 6pm
Monday – Thursday: 9am – 4pm, Friday 9-12
*Subject to change*