Blakely Hall, sketched by Victoria Jendretzke
Urban Sketchers is an international non-profit group for all who love to draw the places where they live, work or visit. Urban sketches are always done on location. They can be done while looking out a window at home, from a café, standing by a street corner, or other convenient location. They just can’t be drawn from a photo or from memory.
Urban Sketchers was founded in 2007 by Gabi Campanario, the “Seattle Sketcher” and artist for The Seattle Times. Since then, chapters have started around the world. The “Urban Sketcher Manifesto” is as follows:
- We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
- Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
- Our drawings are a record of time and place.
- We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
- We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
- We support each other and draw together.
- We share our drawings online.
Anyone may join. We recently formed an Urban Sketchers Issaquah/Sammamish group. We are excited to welcome the Issaquah Highlands community to join us for sketching.
Here is how a sketching meetup works:
- We begin with introductions, announcements, and decide on an end time.
- We sketch for 2-2.5 hours.
- At the end, we gather to share sketches, chat, catch up with old friends, and enjoy our community.
- We post our sketches online, on the Urban Sketchers Issaquah/Sammamish Facebook group, Urban Sketchers Seattle Facebook group, and on Instagram using the hashtags #uskseattle or #uskissaquah/sammamish.
You can find sketching events on the Urban Sketchers Issaquah/Sammamish Facebook group. On March 18, we will sketch at the Sammamish Library. Join us on April 4 at Blakely Hall for the “Rootedness” gallery exhibition and open house, where you can meet urban sketchers, view sketches, and try your hand at urban sketching. Get more details here.
Don’t be apprehensive. All levels of artistic ability are welcome and celebrated. Urban sketching is about getting out and recording what you find interesting or lovely in your surroundings, and then sketching that with your own unique flair. Come join one of our sketching events. You will make new friends, discover things about your community that you never noticed before, build your artistic skills and have fun doing it!
Read more about the “Rootedness” gallery exhibition at Blakely Hall in March 2020 Connections >>
