Fall Urban Sketching Workshop

Discover the intersection of the city and nature while capturing your autumnal POV

Join Amy Gowans, Traveling Urban Sketcher, for this relaxed two-hour workshop where we let go of the pressure to draw “perfectly” and instead explore the simple joy of choosing what to include. You’ll discover that a blank page is simply an invitation—ready for whatever you decide to place on it.

Gathered at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, we’ll work with a warm fall color palette—golden yellows, soft oranges, deep reds, and earthy browns—while observing the changing leaves, trees, and natural details around us. Through easy exercises, you’ll practice picking out the interesting parts of a scene, arranging them with intention, and capturing the quiet energy of the season in your own way.

No drawing experience needed—just come ready to look, choose, and enjoy the process.

This class is designed for guests 13+. Tickets include full admission to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum including access to the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven. Family and Family+ members receive discounted admission to this class. 

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.