Name: Urban Sketching: The Historic Cityscape of Portsmouth w/ Bill Paarlberg
Start: 2026-06-03T17:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-13T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 3S Artspace

$Urban Sketching: The Historic Cityscape of Portsmouth w\/ Bill Paarlberg$

Registration Open!
About this Event

Urban Sketching: The Historic Cityscape of Portsmouth
Multi-day workshop w/ artist Bill Paarlberg
5 - 7pm on the following dates:

Wednesday 6/3
Friday 6/5
Monday 6/8
Wednesday 6/10
Friday 6/12

Location: meet at 3S Artspace
Registration: Member $225 / Non-Member $275
Supplies: list provided after registration
All ages (under 16 with a parent/guardian)

This multi-day workshop led by artist Bill Paarlberg takes you outdoors to sketch the beautiful buildings of downtown Portsmouth, NH.

By stopping at several locations around Market Square, participants will learn to capture the distinctive personalities of the city’s architecture, as well as a bit about the history of each building.

Instruction will be step-by-step, beginning with the basic skills of seeing shapes and proportions, to drawing with pencil and pen, and then to coloring with markers and watercolor.
Bill will cover use of sketchbooks and drawing tools through demonstrations and personal instruction. Guidance will be provided for students at all levels, from how to hold and sharpen your pencil to the mysteries of linear perspective.

Demonstrations will be in ink and watercolor, but all mediums are welcome. Participants must be able to walk with your gear the 1/2 mile from 3S Artspace to Market Square. A materials list will be provided upon registration. Class size is limited to ensure personal attention.
Please note: This workshop spans multiple days. You are not required to attend every session, but doing so is strongly encouraged to maximize learning.

About Bill Paarlberg:

Bill Paarlberg is a Seacoast New Hampshire native who has been drawing and painting downtown Portsmouth since the 1980s. His artwork, including the Famous Monsters of Portsmouth series, can be seen at The Kennedy Gallery on Market Street.

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3S Artspace is supported in part by grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and NHCF's Geoffrey E. Clark and Martha Fuller Clark Fund; and Little Bay Fund.

Thank you to our lead sponsors: AC Hotel Portsmouth, The Brook, The Kane Company/Tidemark, Katzman Contemporary Projects, Raka, Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel and Stirling Brandworks.