Upcoming Sketch Outings

2/21/21 Hold-up on Zoom!

Next Zoom Hold-up: Sunday, April 18, 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.)

Here are the prompts for April. 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.)

• Make the ordinary extraordinary: Draw through a window without a view, or draw a “nothing” or “blah” view.
•  Sketch from your car and include the windshield, steering wheel, mirror or other parts that show you were drawing from your car. (Carol gave us this idea with her awesome sketch!) 

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!