Celebrate USk Seattle's 11th Anniversary!

Hello, sketchers! We hope you are doing well and staying creative during these difficult times. Since it will still be a while before USk Seattle is able to organize sketch outings (we follow King County’s restrictions for “social and recreational gatherings”), we wanted to offer some ideas and resources to stay inspired, engaged and sketching:

To celebrate USk Seattle’s 11th anniversary, we’re having a party on Zoom on Sunday, July 19, 12:30 p.m.!

Share one urban sketch (following our Manifesto, please) that you’ve made during the pandemic, and tell a brief story about it. The invitation link will be sent out on the Google group mailing list and in the Facebook group. You do not need your own Zoom account to attend. To learn how to use this popular videoconferencing app, please see Zoom’s helpful tutorials.

Here are more ideas:

• The current Phase 2 restrictions allow five or fewer individuals to gather outdoors. Call a few friends and meet somewhere to sketch together (socially distanced, of course)! For those who feel safe in large public areas, this is the easiest way to get back into the social spirit of urban sketching. And please share your sketches online so that everyone can enjoy them! Our Facebook group continues to grow daily. On Instagram, use the hashtag #uskseattle.

• Keep sketching on your own and share online. See our location suggestions below.

• Get inspired by the many online resources for classes, tutorials, interviews, presentations and more on urban sketching and other types of art (see below). Some instructors who normally offer in-person workshops worldwide have taken their workshops online, which means that even non-locals can enjoy the same benefits as locals. Take advantage of these great opportunities to improve your skills while staying in the safety of your home.

Sketch Location Suggestions

See this list for dozens and dozens of exciting locations where we have sketched previously. If you’re unfamiliar with a place, use the blog’s search tool to see what others have sketched there. Here are some of our favorite large, outdoor spaces:

Alki Beach
Bellevue Botanical Garden
Fishermen’s Terminal
Gas Works Park
Jack Block Park
Kubota Gardens
Lake Union Park
Leschi Park and Marina
Magnuson Park
Olympic Sculpture Park
Volunteer Park

Online Resources

USk Talks are live on USk Instagram Saturdays at 9 p.m. PDT. Rob Sketcherman in Hong Kong interviews two urban sketchers (usually symposium instructors) from around the world. Each interview ends with an urban sketching challenge, and participants are invited to share their results on social media with the #USkTalksChallenge hashtag. The programs are available for later viewing on the USk YouTube Channel.

Sketching Play Lab with USk instructors Suhita Shirodkar and Paul Wang: 90-minute Zoom sessions focus on exploring elements of design.

USk Portland 10x10: Rita Sabler offers workshops with a choice of in-person attendance (maintaining physical distancing) or on Zoom. (Kate participated in a Zoom workshop and found it well done.)

Studio 56: Free offerings and interviews on Zoom with urban sketchers who teach for Studio 56. Some online workshops are available for a fee.

Sketchbook Skool: Many online classes offered, some of which are related to urban sketching.

Several urban sketching instructors are now offering workshops online, including Michele Cooper and Shari Blaukopf.

"The Mind of Watercolor" by Steve Mitchell is Kate’s favorite watercolor YouTube channel. Many free tutorials available.

Urban sketcher Teoh Yi Chie, better known as Parka, offers hundreds of product reviews and demos on YouTube. Some online courses are also offered for a small fee.

Daniel Smith owner John Cogley offers frequent presentations and artist interviews on YouTube. (The Seattle Daniel Smith store is closed but plans to reopen Sept. 8. All in-person events remain cancelled through the end of 2020.)