Sketching in Edges and Shapes with Liz Steel: 2 days on Cockatoo Island

Sketching with Edges and Shapes with Liz Steel: 2 day workshop on Cockatoo Island

Learn how to simplify complex scenes and create sketches with lively colour!

When starting urban sketching many people  think they have to draw everything they see before adding colour.They keep drawing and drawing (possibly getting lost in the details) and never get their watercolour paints out or if they do, their washes become murky and their sketch feels overworked.  They also can get discouraged because they know their sketch doesn’t look right but don’t know how to fix it. 

This workshop has been designed to address these common struggles! 

You’ll learn how thinking about edges and shapes will make your sketches more lively and also at the same time more accurate. The varied scenes of Cockatoo Island is a perfect location for exploring how to sketch with edges and shapes.

On the first day we’ll explore how to look for important edges, and how to measure angles and lengths. This will not only improve the accuracy of our sketches but will also help us create a focus, so we don’t have to draw everything we see.

We’ll also learn how to apply simple lively watercolour washes to our line drawings and use watercolour pencils for added texture and interest. 

On the second day we’ll explore different ways of sketching with shapes (big shapes, negative shapes and shadow shapes) and learn how to use them to simplify scenes and create bold sketches. 

"Sketching with Shapes in Ladenburg - my first urban sketching workshop.

It was such an amazing day. Liz is so generous and sharing her knowledge with us very effectively. Finally, I understand what “Shapes” people keep talking about. Liz can convey and explain the “why” and “how” shapes work.

My mind and eyes are upgraded to a new version now!😂😂😂

I learned a lot from other participants too! 🤓🤓🤓

Thank you so much, Liz"

- Tiney, Sketching with Shapes workshop, Germany August 2025

Programme

Day 1

In the morning we will do a number of line exercises (using pens and watercolour pencil) to learn how to find important edges, measure angles and lengths and train our eye-hand coordination.

During the afternoon session we’ll explore how to create lively washes with watercolour and how to combine them with watercolour pencils. We’ll then add a few shapes to a line drawing.

Day 2

In the morning session we’ll do  a number of shape exercises using watercolour pencils  - simplifying a scene into similar coloured shapes, starting with negative shapes and looking for shadow shapes. 

In the afternoon we’ll explore ways of combining edges and shapes using ink, watercolour and watercolour pencils - putting together all the techniques we’ve learnt during the previous sessions.

Sketching with Edges and Shapes with Liz Steel: 2 day workshop on Cockatoo Island

Price: $441.67 AUD ($380 + Eventbrite fee + GST)
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00pm
Minimum Participants: 6
Maximum Participants: 12

This workshop is suitable for beginners!

REFUND POLICY: If you cancel before 5 February 2026 (2 weeks beforehand) you will receive a refund less a $25AUD cancellation fee. After that date, if we are able to fill your spot we will refund 50% of the workshop fee.

Materials List

• Paper/sketchbook suitable for ink and wash – A5-A4 size.
• Permanent ink pen
• Dry (or quick drying) media for shape exercises: A small selection of coloured or watercolour pencils, markers (such as Tombows) in a range of light. mid and dark values. Specific colours are not important - more details will be provided closer to the workshop date.
• Watercolour - bring your usual watercolour palette - no specific colours are requirements
• Waterbrush or sable brush and water container.
• Any other materials you have in your bag!
• Small portable stool or something to sit on.
• Hat, sunscreen, extra layer, rain protection etc.

About Liz

Liz Steel worked for 18 years as an architect in Sydney and is now a full-time artist, teacher and author focusing on quick sketching with ink, watercolour and mixed media.

She captures moments from her daily life and travelling adventures in her sketchbooks and publishes regular updates on her blog – lizsteel.com – and inside her Sketching Adventure Community on Patreon.

Liz teaches on-location urban sketching workshops throughout the world and has also taught drawing and perspective classes to architects and interior designers in Australia.

She has her own online school – SketchingNow – where she offers in-depth courses to participants from over 40 countries.

She is a regular instructor at the international Urban Sketchers Symposiums.

Liz is the author of “Five Minute Sketching: Architecture” and loves to incorporate her architectural training with core drawing concepts, creating a fun yet accurate approach to location sketching.