Where do I even begin?: Learning to Simplify Very Complicated Scenes with Rita Sabler
This workshop is a part of USk Vancouver Sketch Weekend 2026.
Many scenes worth drawing are incredibly complex—overlapping forms, dense detail, tricky perspective, and endless repetitions like windows, doors, and archways. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even start. In this workshop, we’ll practice identifying what truly matters in a scene and what can be simplified, grouped, or even omitted.
You’ll learn how to create visual shortcuts for repeating elements—how to suggest a row of windows without drawing every single one, or capture the rhythm of architectural details with just a few confident marks. Instead of getting lost in detail, we’ll focus on patterns, structure, and visual hierarchy.
Just as important, you’ll learn where to fully state information and where to suggest it—guiding the viewer’s eye while keeping your work fresh and expressive. Through practical exercises and observation, you’ll gain the confidence and tools to approach even the most complicated subjects with clarity and control.
Timeline:
10 min Introduction + Warmup
20 min Explanation of the main concept and demo
20 min Short exercise #1
5 min Throw-down and feedback
20 min Short exercise #2
5 min Throw-down and feedback
20 min Set-up and demo for the longer exercise
60 min Longer exercise applying the concepts learned
15min Final throw-down, feedback, closing remarks
Learning Goals include:
How to simplify complex visual material
Creating visual shortcuts
Values in Drawing
Stating vs. Suggesting
Rita Sabler is a visual journalist, artist, and educator based in Portland, Oregon, USA. She teaches Drawing, Urban Sketching and Visual Journalism courses at the Parsons School of Design, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and Portland State University and gives lectures and workshops all over the world. In between teaching she works on drawing reportage projects. Rita Sabler has served as the Education Director on the board of the global Urban Sketchers organization since 2019.
Rita’s main areas of expertise are Reportage Illustration, Travel Sketching, and Visual Storytelling, but she is often seen on street corners capturing busy markets, festivals, protestors, musicians, and regular citizens living their life in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. When not drawing or teaching she is a busy parent and a tango pianist.