Upcoming Sketch Outings

1/17/21 USk Seattle hold-up!

Next Zoom Hold-up: Sunday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m.

(For security, Zoom link will be released the day before by email and in the Facebook group. To join the Google group email list, please see instructions on this page.)

Below are the prompts for February. Use the prompts or choose your own subject; in either case, please be sure that the sketch follows the USk Manifesto. (In particular, sketches should be done from life – the subject is in front of your own eyes as you draw it – not from photos or imagination.)

1. Sketch what you see through a window (house, car or any window) and include the window frame as part of the composition.
2. Look for Love: This has potential for very broad interpretation. It can be as simple as Valentine's Day decorations or heart-shaped leaves or as complex as two people walking hand in hand or children playing. Optional challenge: Do it in monochromatic reds and pinks. Love is everywhere! Look for it, see it, draw what you see! 

 

Here are some inspiring sketch ideas...

It’s been a very challenging year for all, but urban sketchers around the world have shown their resilience and ability to adapt to anything – come hell, high water or global pandemic. Now that cold, wet weather is upon us again, sketching on location is more challenging than ever, but we encourage you to take inspiration from these examples of urban sketches made. . .

. . . from their cars:
Michele Abbott
Tina Koyama

. . . through windows:
Roy deLeon
Tina Koyama

. . . indoors:
Gwen Dan
Jenny Zang

. . . and of course, from the chilly sidewalk, path or porch:
Ellie Doughty
Jane Wingfield
Alexander Hollmann
David Hingtgen
Elijah Pasco
Kate Buike

. . . even at night!
Roy deLeon
Swagatika Panda

A note on indoor sketching

Since one type of sketching we’re encouraging is indoor spaces, we thought this would be a good opportunity to respond to a question that comes up frequently in the USk Seattle Facebook group. Whenever someone asks, “Isn’t this sketch of my coffee cup an urban sketch? I did it on location from observation,” I respond by asking, What is the story that your sketch tells about your surroundings or where you live (part 2 of the manifesto)? By itself, your cup could be any cup. But what if your sketch also showed the messy kitchen table around the cup, a family member on the other side of the table, the kitchen sink and refrigerator behind her, and the funky clock on the wall? Things around the cup tell a story about your specific coffee cup that exists in a specific place and time. That’s an urban sketch.

Your friendly admin team!