Urban sketching is reportage: drawings or paintings created on-site, as a spontaneous response to people, places or incidents. It is the act of placing oneself in a space, attempting to capture and interpret a particular moment in time.
Urban Sketchers:
Urban Sketchers is a non-profit organisation, a global community of artists who draw on location, capturing the life that flows around them, wherever they happen to be. Since humble beginnings in 2007, it has grown into a massively popular movement, connecting sketchers from all over the globe, who share their work, to support and inspire one another and sketchers everywhere.
The Urban Sketchers Manifesto:
1: We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2: Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3: Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4: We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5: We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6: We support each other and draw together.
7: We share our drawings online.
8: We show the world, one drawing at a time.
More information can be found on the Urban Sketchers website.
What is a SketchCrawl?
A SketchCrawl turns the solitary activity of drawing into a group event. People get together with sketchbooks, moving from place to place around a chosen venue, sometimes for a day, sometimes for just a couple of hours. You can read more about this on my blog.
SketchCrawling was founded by Enrico Casarosa in San Francisco, when he attempted a drawing marathon, sketching everything around him, non-stop for a day. It is now a global phenomenon. On WorldWide SketchCrawl Days, people from around the world go SketchCrawling on the same day and share the results online. For more information, see the official SketchCrawl website.
Urban Sketchers Yorkshire:
Urban Sketchers Yorkshire is a regional chapter of Urban Sketchers. We are a mixed ability group, who SketchCrawl together for one day each month, visiting various locations around the north of England. Membership extends way beyond Yorkshire, covering an area from Hull down to Nottinghamshire and across Derbyshire and Manchester. Our SketchCrawls are free and open to everyone. There is no tuition involved: the aim is to inspire and support one another, sharing the act of urban sketching.
To find out more or join the Urban Sketchers Yorkshire, visit their Facebook page.
