SketchDesigning in Carmel-by-the-Sea
with Leslie Fehling
October 26-30, 2026 (FULL- waitlist)
November 2-6, 2026 (spots available)
What makes a perfect painting vacation?
I’ve heard a lot of discussion on that subject among my students over the past decade of teaching travel painting workshops, and I’ve taken their collective wisdom and put it to good use when planning future tours.
The consensus seems to be that an ideal painting vacation should include…
- exceptional instruction and generous one-on-one assistance
- small group size
- plenty of time for painting, plus opportunities to explore on your own
- spectacular scenery, charming villages, and distinctive surroundings
- plein air sketching plus a spacious indoor studio
- a well-organized itinerary with a reputable company
Add in some traveling companions who make you laugh and inspire you with their creativity, and I’d say that’s a recipe for the perfect painting workshop trip.
A travel workshop represents a big investment of time, energy, and money, and my goal is always to exceed expectations and have my students go home feeling that they got more than they ever expected out of the trip.
My brand new workshop on the Monterey Peninsula is no exception. It’s a trip that will check off all those points on the “Ideal Painting Vacation” checklist!
This painting workshop is being organized by Madeline Island School of the Arts, one of the top art teaching organizations in the country. I’m excited to be working with this well-respected company and am impressed with the extensive experience they bring to the table.
We have a fabulous itinerary planned for you, with lots of variety in the subjects we’ll be painting, everything from crashing ocean waves at Asilomar State Beach…
to the windswept pines at Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove.
And who could resist sketching the cutest candy shop in Carmel? (Better pick up some fudge while you’re there – it’s important to keep up your strength when you’re painting!)
If nature journaling is your thing, you’ll love sketching coastal wildflowers, dune grasses, tide pool creatures, seals, and sea birds.
Sketchable scenes are everywhere!
Our home base will be the Asilomar Conference Grounds, an amazing historic property nestled amongst the pines right next to the Pacific.
It’s a perfect place to get away from it all, yet it’s just a short drive to Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, and other points of interest.
Our glass-walled studio at Asilomar has lovely natural light and looks out over the dunes to the sea.
It will be the perfect place to gather for classroom instruction and for finishing up sketches done on location.
The workshop will include daily lessons in the studio each morning before heading out for onsite sketching. Lessons will be a combination of page design and layout ideas, lettering instruction, and watercolor tutorials and demos.
Our first day together will be spent entirely at Asilomar, soaking up our surroundings and capturing images of beaches, dunes, skies, trees, rocks, and tide pools.
Other days will find us painting in Carmel, Monterey, and Pacific Grove.
And I’m hoping to squeeze in a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium – it’s incredible!
The workshop is called “SketchDesigning in Carmel-by-the-Sea” to emphasize the fact that page layout and design are a big part of my approach to sketching. Giving thoughtful consideration to design options and creative possibilities at the start of a sketching session is the key to creating unique artwork that is visually pleasing and entirely original.
SketchDesigning offers practical ways to add energy and excitement to your work. It gives you the tools needed to feel confident and successful in your sketching.
I’ll give you a framework of design options to work with throughout the week; these will serve as a foundation for you to build upon to create sketches that reflect your own style, personality, preferences, and insights. After you’ve taken a SketchDesigning class, your sketchbooks will never be the same!
I empower my students to create better sketches than they ever dreamed they could. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the pride on their faces when they hold up a sketch that they worked so hard on…and they absolutely love it!
Meet me at Asilomar in October/November 2026, and let’s share a fun week together experiencing all that the Monterey Peninsula has to offer.
My painting workshops take all the work out of travel planning. With the click of a button, you can book a trip where all of the lodging, meals, itinerary, transportation, and excursions are planned for you – all you have to do is relax and enjoy yourself!
You’ll paint in gorgeous locations and meet wonderful people who share your interests. And, I promise, you’ll learn so much your head will be spinning.
If you ask me, it’s the ideal way to travel! To register, hop on over to the Madeline Island website using this link…
I hope you’ll be able to join me on this perfectly planned sketching trip. If you have any questions, you can get in touch with me by email.
