Top five creative workshops and classes to try this summer

I always feel creatively invigorated in the summer. 

This year, my city was engulfed in a long, dark and very cold winter, so the warmer temperatures and sunshine have really helped me get back into a creative groove. And it seems this is the case for many creatives, as I noticed that there are amazing workshops popping up this summer to encourage creatives alike to gather and learn some new skills.

Here are a few amazing workshops and classes that I am excited to try this summer:

Design in Tension: The hidden complexity of banknote design

Instructor: Martine Warren & Boyd Laanstra | Date: July 30, 2026 | Time: 2:00 pm ET (Virtual)

This webinar is hosted by the RGD and is free for Members and $35 for Non-Members. Hosted by Martine Warren and Boyd Laanstra, who have both been instrumental in the design of Canada's currency, specifically moving from paper to polymer and creating the first vertical bill featuring Viola Desmond. They bring their expertise to discuss the challenges of designing, focusing on both visual storytelling and the technical performance of your design. The RGD hosts many virtual and in-person workshops throughout the year and brings in design leaders to discuss important topics facing designers today.

Sketch What You Read/Think (Even If You Can't Draw)

Instructor: Rachna Ghiya | Date: July 9, 2026 | Time: 10:00–11:00 am ET

This free online workshop is hosted by Rachna Ghiya, who runs a bootcamp called 'Book to Visuals' that teaches people how to take the core ideas of a book and translate them into a visual language to help us better retain knowledge. This workshop offers a glimpse into that longer course and helps you create a new visual language that you can use while reading. It is a hands-on practice, where you are taught Rachna's visual cues and then create your own and share them with the other participants. This workshop is part of the Creative Mornings FieldTrip virtual series. I have attended a few of these workshops in the past, and I always leave feeling connected and having learned a new skill. 

Paper Weaving

Instructor: I-Chun Jenkins | Online Workshop with the National Gallery of Canada

This is a free online workshop hosted by I-Chun Jenkins, a fibre artist who specializes in weaving using recycled books and magazine pages. She graduated in Textile Design from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and went on to work in fibre arts, weaving scarves and shawls and eventually opening her own home studio where she creates beautiful woven artwork with recycled materials in hopes of making her artwork more environmentally sustainable. In this workshop, you learn the different weaving techniques that I-Chun uses in her artwork, as well as some art history on weaving provided by the National Gallery of Canada staff. It is a well-rounded workshop and allows you to work alongside the artist while you create your own masterpiece. The National Gallery of Canada offers live workshops each year, and once the workshop is completed, they post all the videos for free on their YouTube channel so you are able to access them whenever is convenient for you.

Discover the Joy of Intuitive Abstract Painting

Instructor: Farida Zaman | Online Class with Avenue Road Arts School

This is a free online class hosted by Farida Zaman, an experienced, freelance illustrator. A graduate of the Chelsea School of Art, she employs her lively, colourful, whimsical style using watercolours, gouache and digital mediums on a range of projects from book covers to packaging. In this class, you are given a step-by-step video guide to the many techniques that Farida uses to create an abstract painting. The class gives you the space to learn and creatively express yourself to create your own masterpiece on your own schedule. This class is available through the Avenue Road Arts School, which is a leader in arts education. They offer courses in person or virtually to students of all ages and experience.

Islamic Architecture: Past to Present

Instructor: Dr. Marika Sardar | Online Class with Aga Khan Museum

This is a free online class on Islamic Architecture hosted by Dr. Marika Sardar, a curator at the Aga Khan Museum. Marika is an expert in her field and has worked at the Museum of Islamic Art, the San Diego Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In this class, she examines several buildings in Islamic Architecture, including the mosque, palace, tomb and bazaar and breaks down their architectural type and importance using examples from the early Islamic period right up to the modern day. It is a self-paced course with videos and readings to allow you to learn about this incredibly interesting field on your own schedule. The Aga Khan Museum offers many online and in-person workshops and events, including several that are free.