# Gayle Kabaker
*Illustrator, Writer, Visual storyteller*

Gayle Kabaker is an award-winning illustrator, writer, and visual storyteller. She graduated from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and began her career as a freelance fashion illustrator.After moving to Western Massachusetts, she expanded from fashion illustration and this led to projects for a variety of major clients in advertising, editorial, and animation. She had her first New Yorker magazine cover ‘June Brides’ celebrating gay marriage in 2012 and has had a total of six covers since then.Gayle does many private commissions and painted over 100 portraits of women for the book Vital Voices: 100 women Using their Power to Empower. Her work tends to be very feminine, exploring beauty in all forms.Traveling to paint and draw is a big part of Gayle's life, and she uses her sketchbook to document her life. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband, artist Peter Kitchell, and their dog Charlie. “For many years I took a sketchbook on vacations and never used it. It felt too much like ‘work’. But about seven years ago, on my first yoga retreat in Costa Rica, I had a major breakthrough with my sketchbook. I shifted from ‘I should be drawing in my sketchbook’ to ‘I GET to draw in my sketchbook!’ One of the main keys to this was letting go of caring what my drawings or paintings looked like. I was simply trying to document what I saw in a loose, fun way,” Gayle said.Visit Gayle's website and follow her on Instagram.

## Retreats led by Gayle Kabaker

### Vibrant Sketchbook Retreat with Artists Jennifer Orkin Lewis and Gayle Kabaker in Morocco
February 6 - 13, 2027 · Agadir, Morocco · $4,550
Instructors: Jennifer Orkin Lewis, Gayle Kabaker
[Details](https://uptrek.com/ai/content/retreat/vibrant-sketchbook-retreat-artists-jennifer-orkin-lewis-gayle-kabaker-morocco) · [Book on uptrek.com →](https://uptrek.com/retreat/vibrant-sketchbook-retreat-artists-jennifer-orkin-lewis-gayle-kabaker-morocco#book)

### Transformative Sketchbook Retreat II with Artists Jennifer Orkin Lewis and Gayle Kabaker in Morocco
September 25 - October 2, 2026 · Agadir, Morocco · $4,450
Instructors: Jennifer Orkin Lewis, Gayle Kabaker
[Details](https://uptrek.com/ai/content/retreat/transformative-sketchbook-retreat-ii-artists-jennifer-orkin-lewis-gayle-kabaker-morocco) · [Book on uptrek.com →](https://uptrek.com/retreat/transformative-sketchbook-retreat-ii-artists-jennifer-orkin-lewis-gayle-kabaker-morocco#book)

### Transformative Sketchbook Retreat with Artists Gayle Kabaker and Jennifer Orkin Lewis in Morocco
September 16 - 23, 2026 · Agadir, Morocco · $4,450
Instructors: Jennifer Orkin Lewis, Gayle Kabaker
[Details](https://uptrek.com/ai/content/retreat/transformative-sketchbook-retreat-artists-gayle-kabaker-jennifer-orkin-lewis-morocco) · [Book on uptrek.com →](https://uptrek.com/retreat/transformative-sketchbook-retreat-artists-gayle-kabaker-jennifer-orkin-lewis-morocco#book)

### Transformative Sketchbook Retreat with Artists Jennifer Orkin Lewis and Gayle Kabaker in Portugal
May 28 - June 4, 2026 · Casével, Ribatejo, Portugal · $5,250
Instructors: Jennifer Orkin Lewis, Gayle Kabaker
[Details](https://uptrek.com/ai/content/retreat/transformative-sketchbook-retreat-artists-jennifer-orkin-lewis-gayle-kabaker-portugal) · [Book on uptrek.com →](https://uptrek.com/retreat/transformative-sketchbook-retreat-artists-jennifer-orkin-lewis-gayle-kabaker-portugal#book)

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**Last updated:** 2026-05-04