{"id":541,"date":"2020-06-09T14:45:36","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T14:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/?p=541"},"modified":"2024-02-26T14:32:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T14:32:53","slug":"urban-sketching-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/urban-sketching-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Start Urban Sketching: A Practical Beginners Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Urban Sketching?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The act of urban sketching certainly existed long before the actual term or label of \u2018urban sketching\u2019 came about.  Urban sketching essentially means sketching on location.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than drawing from reference material, such as photos, inside a studio or house, for example, urban sketching is the activity of sketching from life on location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban sketches tend to focus on architecture or street scenes but also include drawing people in cafes, or on their daily commute and anything in between!  As long as the sketch is done from life and outside of a studio setting, then that can be considered urban sketching. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the subtle element that differentiates urban sketching from the act of sketching on location, that artists have partaken in for decades (or centuries), is telling a story with the sketch.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation, ‘Urban Sketchers<\/strong>‘, is a global community of artists who sketch on location. They sketch what they see and are dedicated to raising the profile of on-location sketching as a visual form of storytelling and reporting.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origins of the Urban Sketchers Movement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Urban Sketchers is a non-profit organisation with a clear mission and manifesto. The movement was started by Gabriel Camapanario in 2007.  Gabriel is based in Seattle and is a journalist and illustrator. He started an online forum and invited other sketchers who enjoy sketching on location in their local area to share the sketches with each other. The emphasis of the group was to share sketches drawn from life and on location, not from memory and not from photos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This later evolved into a blog (urbansketchers.org<\/a>) where Gabriel invited artists to share their sketches and \u2018reports\u2019 from around the world to allow others to \u201csee the world, one drawing at a time\u201d – the Urban Sketchers motto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, the group formalised things in 2009 and registered as a non-profit organisation to better serve members. I think I became aware of the urban sketching movement somewhere around 2012. I distinctly remember taking a sketchbook to Hong Kong in 2013, excited to sketch a whole new world than I\u2019m used to (I\u2019m from the UK). I also remember being terrified to get my sketchbook out in public for fear of judgement!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019re just getting started, or get scared every time you try to sketch in public, I know how it feels! It\u2019s entirely surmountable and I hope by reading some of my own experiences throughout this website and my ideas and exercises you will become more confident so you can enjoy this magical way of sketching.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban Sketchers Mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our mission is to raise the artistic, storytelling and educational value of on-location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: http:\/\/www.urbansketchers.org\/p\/our-mission.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban Sketchers Manifesto<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. We support each other and draw together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. We share our drawings online.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Urban Sketching Chapters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    There are urban sketching groups all over the world, they are referred to as \u2018chapters\u2019.  Official chapters have a formalised group with administrators and are registered with the Urban Sketchers organisation.  You can find a list of all of the official chapters here<\/a> and see if there\u2019s one near you that you can go along and check out. A lot of urban sketching chapters have Facebook group pages, so you can always have a look there too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are no obligations to do anything (other than sketch) and no joining fees or anything like that.  Groups usually meet once a month with a schedule of places they will be sketching at and where they will be stopping for lunch etc.  It\u2019s just a great day out with like-minded people sketching around your local area. It\u2019s a great step to take if you are nervous about sketching in public by yourself and you get to meet local people who like sketching too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What are Sketchcrawls?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Sketchcrawl is a term to describe a day of sketching, moving from place to place, with a sketching group. It\u2019s like a pubcrawl but instead of moving from pub to pub, you move from sketching location to sketching location, although I suspect pubs are still involved in some sketchcrawls (I\u2019m looking at you UK groups), whether it\u2019s sketching them, sketching in<\/em> them or having a lunchtime pitstop for a pint or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Usually, Urban Sketchers Chapters will organise a monthly sketchcrawl for members to spend the day sketching in a specified area, moving from one point of interest to another.  Chapters may arrange events in and around and these monthly sketchcrawls but they are usually the main recurring activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    International Urban Sketchers Symposium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Once a year the Urban Sketchers organisation hosts an international conference, the International Urban Sketchers Symposium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Symposium brings urban sketchers from around the globe to one city.  A programme of workshops and talks is organised with top artists who consider themselves urban sketchers who teach on a variety of subjects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The event takes place in different cities around the world each year. The very first symposium was in 2010 and was hosted in Portland, Oregon, USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The symposium in 2020 should have been in Hong Kong but unfortunately due to protests and fears for the safety of holding such an event, it had to be cancelled.  Little did we know the Covid-19 pandemic was around the corner and so it sadly would have been cancelled anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cities that have hosted the symposium in past years include Porto (Portugal), Manchester (UK), Amsterdam, (Netherlands) and Paraty (Brazil) amongst many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In 2023, the first symposium since the Covid-19 outbreak put the world on pause was held in Auckland. It was the 11th international event. I was super fortunate to go along and check it out. If you would like to know more about attending an Urban Sketching Symposium for the very first time, check out this post<\/a><\/strong>! Or you can watch my Youtube video below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    https:\/\/youtu.be\/eTkz1DX6EZM<\/a>