Richard Merz Reports on Sketcher Fest

 USk Seattle member Richard Merz offers his impressions of Sketcher Fest on his website. Shown here are some of his sketches made during and before the July 11-12 event in Edmonds. 

Edmonds Summer Market 

Alex Hollmann gives a workshop demo

Elizabeth and Mary Beth Person greet visitors at their Sketchbook Fair table

Elizabeth and Kumi enjoy sketching on the Ice Cream Cruise

Sketcher Fest, Day 2: Waterfront, Artist Talk, Sketchbook Fair

 

7/12/26 Olympic Beach sketch walk

For the fourth year, Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Band gave sketchers great
music to sketch by outside the Edmonds Waterfront Center.

As artist liaison, my primary responsibility on Day 2 was to support Kumi during the Sketchbook Fair and her artist talk and document both with photos and videos. In between, I snuck in a few sketches during USk Seattle’s waterfront sketch walk and during Kumi’s lunch break when I staffed her table. I also remembered to make a sketch on the reverse side of my badge – a Sketcher Fest tradition!

While staffing Kumi's table, I sketched the crowds surrounding artists at tables across from me. The people drawn in white are the artists.

Making a quick spin around the Sketchbook Fair, I was dazzled by the stellar lineup of urban sketcher artists who generously shared their sketchbooks. I wish I’d had a week in there to look through each sketchbook closely. Alas, it was only quick hellos and glances through a few pages. (Shown at end of post are just a few of the artists I managed to snap before their tables were surrounded by admiring fans.)

Kumi's presentation focused on how her connections with people gave her many opportunities along her art career path.

Finally, I also took a bit of time to view USk Seattle’s very own exhibit of sketchbooks. I was honored and thrilled for my book to be alongside those of all my admired artist friends (below).

My sketchbook was part of an exhibit by USk Seattle members.

I sketched Olympic Beach on the reverse side
of my volunteer badge -- a Sketcher Fest tradition.

Kumi wore a traditional Japanese "festival" jacket
for her presentation and at the Sketchbook Fair.

Eleanor Doughty

Nishant Jain

Paul Madonna and Amy Stewart

Swasky

Andika Murandi

Kumi Matsukawa

Sketcher Fest, Day 1: Market Sketch Walk and Kumi’s Workshop

 

7/11/26 Edmonds Summer Market

After a year of planning and anticipation, Sketcher Fest 2026 was finally on! As an event partner, USk Seattle led three free Sketch Walks throughout the weekend. First up was Saturday morning at the Edmonds Summer Market. I was so busy chatting with other sketchers I bumped into that I didn’t have much time to sketch, but I didn’t mind – meeting friends I hadn’t seen in a year or more is one of the most important parts of participating in an event like Sketcher Fest.

I had to miss the throwdown to get on with my main responsibility of the day: Serving as volunteer liaison for guest artist Kumi Matsukawa. As I had mentioned previously, I’ve been a fan and friend of Kumi for years, and when I heard she would be a guest artist this year, I immediately volunteered to be her liaison. Using markers and other materials in varying colors Kumi showed her hard-working students how to “wink and squint” (her term for using one eye to measure proportions and squinting to block out details) their way to stronger, more confident sketches. 

Kumi Matsukawa's workshop

Registering Kumi's workshop participants (photo by Kumi)

My job as liaison was to register participants, take lots of photos for promotional use by Sketcher Fest and the instructor, and generally assist Kumi and her students during the workshop as needed. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but it was inspiring to watch Kumi teach and rewarding to help a sketcher I have long admired.

Kumi describing her unique process to students

Sketcher Fest 2025

Coming down from the high of Sketcher Fest, I am filled with gratitude for the many months of hard work and volunteer time that made this stellar event possible. Thank you, Gabi Campanario, and the rest of the Sketcher Fest team! I’m already looking forward to next year!

(My apologies to the guest artists I missed in the photos below. Some were either missing from their tables when I came by or they were so surrounded by adoring fans that I couldn't see them!)

Edmonds Summer Market sketchwalk

Olympic Beach sketchwalk

Bill Russell

Christina Wald

Cyrille Briand

Daniel Winterbottom

Dominika Wroblewska

Gail Wong

Jenny Jing Zhang

James Richards

Joey Mason (and his sketch of Gas Works Park)

Lapin

Marielle Durand

Mario Linhares

Nina Khashchina

Rita Sabler