Workshops - Leslie Fehling - Everyday Artist

One thing I enjoy almost as much as painting is sharing my love of watercolors and sketchbook journaling with others. My classes are packed with information and inspiration, and I hope my enthusiasm and organized approach to teaching helps all of my students to move ahead on their creative journey. Check the listings below for scheduled classes and workshops. If you’d like to schedule a class in your area, I’d love to talk with you. Just drop me a note via email.

US Workshops

Sketching & Journaling in Santa Fe

May 4-9, 2025 (full - wait list)

5-day workshop with French Escapade in Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe has a rich cultural history that dates back centuries. It has long been a center for the arts and is even recognized as a “UNESCO Creative City”. Could there be any more perfect place for an art workshop?

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains make a beautiful backdrop for this town filled with historic adobe buildings, colorful markets, and world-class restaurants. There’s so much to sketch in the city itself: bright blue doors, red hot chili peppers drying against adobe walls, and the distinctive regional architecture.

We’ll have a spacious studio at our hotel where I will teach lessons each day on drawing, watercolor, page design, and lettering. I’ll even show you some lettering styles that will fit well with a southwestern-themed travel journal. During our five days together, we’ll enjoy the amazing food that Santa Fe is famous for, and have a chance to browse shops selling local art and handicrafts. We’ll have an opportunity to visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and gain insight into the life and work of this reknowned artist. We’ll also visit historic sites in the city itself.

Small group workshops like this one offer a chance to get to know each other on a personal level. I get the nicest people on my workshop trips, so don’t worry about coming by yourself. I promise you will make new friends and have the time of your life! It’s the very best way to travel. My friends at French Escapade will take care of all the details – all you need to do is relax and enjoy all that Santa Fe has to offer.

Registration: Read more and register on the French Escapade website. Questions? Email Jackie at French Escapade or Leslie.

Watercolor for Sketchers

May 19-20, 2025 (FULL - wait list)

2-day workshop at Summerhill Cottage in western PA

Do you love to draw but feel challenged when it comes time to add paint to your sketches? Do you want to build your skills with watercolor and learn to paint with confidence? In this two-day workshop at my home studio in Center Township, PA, I’ll share the techniques I use to create colorful watercolor sketches in my sketchbooks and travel journals, and I’ll show you how to paint many of the subjects that we sketchers encounter most often.

My organized approach breaks the process down into manageable steps which build on each other, one step at a time, and result in finished sketches you will be proud to share. Subject matter will include flowers and foliage, trees, food, buildings, skies, water, tea cups, and more. Each student will receive a full-color spiral-bound instruction book which includes all of the step-by-step lessons from the workshop, so you can refer to it during the class and later on at home.

With my helpful instruction, encouragement, and one-on-one guidance, your skills and confidence will grow, and you will leave the class feeling excited about capturing your world on the pages of your sketchbook.

I’m looking forward to welcoming you to my home studio in Center Township, PA, for this workshop. I have a spacious painting area plus overhead camera and monitor setup. And a yummy homemade lunch is included each day!

Price: $300.00 for the 2-day in-person workshop. Class will be held from 9-4 each day. Enrollment is limited to 8 people.

Registration: Email Leslie for a registration form, payment information, and info on travel & lodging.

Sketch Your Life!
An Introduction to Sketchbook Journaling

May 21-23, 2025 (Full - waitlist)

3-day workshop at Summerhill Cottage in western PA

Get ready to learn, play, and grow in this jam-packed three-day workshop! It offers a fun-filled introduction to expressing yourself creatively through illustrated sketchbook journaling. You’ll be treated to a show of inspiring pages from my journals, and I’ll share the secrets to designing artful sketchbook pages filled with watercolor sketches, dynamic page layouts, hand lettering, and decorative elements like borders and corner designs. Best of all, I’ll offer clear guidance on how to organize and design pages of your own. Then the real fun begins! With pencil, ink and watercolor, you’ll sketch and paint several pages in your own sketchbook using what you’ve learned. Before long, you’ll be seeing your world through new eyes as you record the everyday things of life in your sketchbook journal. (Each student will receive a 45-page full-color spiral-bound handbook filled with all the information from the workshop.)

I’m looking forward to welcoming you to my home studio in Center Township, PA, for this workshop. I have a spacious painting area plus overhead camera and monitor setup. I’ll even make you lunch each day!

Price: $450.00 for the 3-day in-person workshop. Class will be held from 9-4 each day. Enrollment is limited to 8 people.

Registration: Email Leslie for a registration form, payment information, and info on travel & lodging.

European Workshops

An art workshop tour offers a fun, safe, and easy way to see Europe. All the logistics are taken care of for you on my European sketching trips, and the itineraries include the perfect balance of time spent painting, touring, shopping, and just plain relaxing. The destinations I have chosen for my workshops are places with incredible scenic beauty, a rich cultural and historical heritage, wonderful food and wine, phenomenal shopping, and friendly people who love American visitors. I hope you’ll join me on a European sketching adventure soon!

Watercolor Sketching in Giverny

August 30 - September 6, 2025 (2 spots open!)

7 nights near Giverny, France

Read all about this painting tour here. For workshop information and to register, click here.

Watercolor Sketching in Alsace

October 1-8, 2025 (FULL - waitlist)

7 nights in northeastern France

Read all about this painting tour here and register for the waitlist here.

Watercolor Sketching in the French Alps

August 24-31, 2026

8-day workshop in southeastern France

Read all about this painting tour and register here.

Sign up before 11/30/2025 and receive $150 OFF!

I’m Leslie. A painter, teacher, and lover of all things creative. A sketchbook artist who captures everyday life on the pages of my illustrated journals. I love sharing, connecting, and encouraging people to find their creative voice through sketchbook journaling. Read more about me, my art, and my life HERE.