Outdoor Sketching and Plein Air Classes in Bangalore
Join us under the open sky. Since 2011, we have brought artists out of the studio and into nature to capture the city's rhythm with just a sketchbook, a pencil, and a cup of chai.
This is the story behind our name. From our earliest days, we gathered outdoors with pencils in one hand and chai in the other, creating a community around art.
A flashback to our 2014 outdoor sessions. The enthusiasm of this batch still inspires us today as they sketched Bangalore's landmarks.
A throwback to our 2017 Urban & Life Sketching Course. This was not just a one-off activity but a full course on improving observation and speed.
A gathering of artists amidst nature. Our outdoor sessions are about dedicating art to the very elements that inspire it.
An instructor gives feedback during a fun plein air sketching session, helping students capture the true effects of light on nature's colors.
An instructor sets up his easel on a quiet pathway, demonstrating landscape sketching techniques for the group.
An instructor reviews a student's work during an outdoor session. These on-the-spot critiques are crucial for learning to sketch from life.
A student finds a spot on a bench to practice her pattern work, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the park.
A throwback to our 2019 plein air sessions at Cubbon Park, where an instructor demonstrates shading techniques on a public dustbin.
A student's beautiful watercolor sketchbook captures the lush greenery of Cubbon Park during one of our outdoor sessions.
About Sketching in the Wild: Outdoor Sessions
Unlike indoor studio work, these Sunday sessions at Cubbon Park require you to be ready for the elements—changing light, passersby, and the occasional breeze. We teach you how to set up your easel quickly, manage your materials in a public space, and translate a living environment onto your page before the sun shifts.
Sketching Where Life Happens
There is a specific kind of focus you only find when you are sketching 'plein air'—the French term for painting or drawing outdoors. At our outdoor sessions, we do not work from printed photos. You are drawing the actual trees, the movement of people, and the architecture of the city as it exists in that moment.
What to Expect
These sessions are designed to break the habit of perfectionism. When you are sitting on a bench in Cubbon Park, you do not have the luxury of spending hours on a single line. We teach you to trust your observation, make quick decisions, and find the essential shapes that define a scene.
The Practicalities
- Location: We meet at Cubbon Park on Sundays. The environment is the classroom.
- Technique: We focus on perspective, quick shading, and managing charcoal or pencils in an open-air setting.
- Feedback: Because we keep our groups small, you get personal critiques on your technique while you work. You don't have to wait until the end of the class to know if your perspective is off.
- Who is this for: Whether you have never held a pencil or you are an artist looking to break out of studio habits, these sessions are about the practice of seeing. We strip away the intimidating formal environment of an art school and replace it with a collaborative, community-driven space.
Bring your own supplies, a folding stool if you prefer, and a willingness to be imperfect. This is how we have been teaching since 2011—simple, direct, and always with a cup of chai to close the session.
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