Nature Meets City: Beginner Urban Sketching Workshop

Spring has arrived!

Discover the joy of urban sketching in one of Chicago’s most beautiful spots! This beginner-friendly workshop at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum combines nature trails, butterfly gardens, and stunning skyline views with easy drawing techniques.

No experience needed! You’ll learn basic sketching skills and how to create unique, eye-catching compositions using simple layouts.

In just two hours, you’ll complete 2–3 original sketches while exploring the museum.  All levels welcome — supplies will be provided, or bring your own sketchbook, pens, watercolors and waterbrush.

Come draw, relax, and see Lincoln Park in a whole new way!

This class is designed for guests age 13+. Tickets to this class include admission to the whole museum, including the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven.

Family and Family+ Members receive discounted admission to this workshop.

Museums for All tickets are available upon request. Please email programs@naturemuseum.org for more information.

Meet the Instructor:

Amy Gowans is a passionate local and global urban sketcher dedicated to capturing the world one sketch at a time. With a sketchbook always in hand, Amy finds beauty in the everyday — from bustling cityscapes to quiet neighborhood corners — using ink and watercolor to tell visual stories of place and presence.

As an experienced instructor, Amy has led multiple urban sketching classes, sharing not just techniques, but a philosophy that sketching is for everyone. Her teaching emphasizes the calming, mindful nature of the practice, encouraging students to focus on observation and experience rather than performance or perfection.

Through her work and workshops, Amy strives to make urban sketching an inclusive, approachable hobby — one that reconnects people to their surroundings, sparks creativity, and fosters a deeper appreciation of the moment.