 |
| My sketch of the Edmonds waterfront made during Virginia Hein's workshop. |
After more than seven months of eager anticipation (and much hard work from volunteers), SketcherFest finally came to fruition on the Edmonds waterfront last weekend. The brainchild of Gabi Campanario, SketcherFest included urban sketching workshops, sketchwalks, vendor market, book fair, presentations and an art exhibit. It looked a lot like a mini USk symposium! Modeled after the carnet de voyage events popular in Europe, it’s the first of its kind in the US. As if all of that weren’t enough, it occurred on one of the most beautiful weekends of the year.
Last year when Virginia Hein was in town, I missed out on her workshop, so I was especially happy to grab a ticket for her SketcherFest workshop, “Up Close and Far Away” (it filled within minutes when registration opened several months ago). Her Saturday morning workshop focused on seeing and capturing depth and distance in compositions.
Last year when Virginia Hein was in town, I missed out on her workshop, so I was especially happy to grab a ticket for her SketcherFest workshop, “Up Close and Far Away” (it filled within minutes when registration opened several months ago). Her Saturday morning workshop focused on seeing and capturing depth and distance in compositions.
 |
| Virginia explains concepts and gives demos |
 |
| Workshop attendees received a goodie bag filled with sponsor donations! Did I mention that SketcherFest was like a mini symposium? |
The next day, I began by taking in the Sketchbook Fest and Art Market and all the artists exhibiting there. It was also a wonderful treat to reunite with several guest artists and attendees that I usually only get to see at international Urban Sketchers symposiums.
 |
| Jane Wingfield |
 |
| Frank Ching |
 |
| Gail Wong |
 |
| Sunil Shinde |
 |
| David Chamness |
 |
| Andika Murandi |
 |
| Stephanie Bower |
 |
| Singapore urban sketcher Paul Wang was at Daniel Smith's booth as the paint manufacturer's brand ambassador. |
 |
| Alvin Wong of Hong Kong surprised friends with his impromptu visit by way of L.A. |
 |
| Michelle and Olivia Campanario sell books at Sketcher Press's booth. |
 |
| Liz Nordlund, one of many USk volunteers, greets visitors at the Art Market. |
I spent the rest of the day at sketchwalks (led by Seattle USk members) and socializing. I don’t know if we have a total tally of all the sketchers who participated, but I heard that upwards of 400 had registered for the free sketchwalks. “Mini” symposium? That’s nothing short of a full-fledged symposium!
 |
| During the Sunday morning sketchwalk, I was thinking about the concepts I learned from Virginia as I captured a few thumbnails of the Edmonds waterfront while chatting with friends. |
 |
| Ferry on its way to Edmonds. |
 |
| This scene was one of my warm and fuzzy moments . . . so many sketchers together doing what we all love most! It was my most symposium moment. |
 |
| Tina, Momoko (who visited from Vancouver, B.C.) and Sunny |
 |
| Group photo of sketchwalk led by Susan Cornelis |
Many thanks to Gabi, Mario Linhares, Jane Wingfield, Gail Wong and all the other hard-working volunteers and sponsors who made SketcherFest possible. And don’t miss the fantastic press coverage of the event by Lynnwood Today.
Edited 7/19/23 See Alvin Wong's video coverage of the event on YouTube.
 |
| SketcherFest promotional poster at Top Pot Doughnuts near the Waterfront Center. |
