ABOUT URBAN SKETCHERS SARASOTA
Is an open and welcoming group of people who gather together at least once a month to sketch what we see in our communities.
We move to new locations each time and keep an eye for the interesting, the unusual and the beautiful scenes that surround us in Sarasota County.
When weather permits, we sketch outdoors. When it doesn't, we take cover in a public space where we can capture fun and energetic scenes from within.
We welcome all. So, if you are a student, a part time seasonal resident, a traveler just passing through, or a resident of the area we would love to sketch with you.
Whether you are a professional artist or someone who simply dabbles, you are welcome.
There is no competition here.
Watch this site or our Facebook page to RSVP for upcoming events or just show up. The more the merrier.
WHAT IS URBAN SKETCHING?
Everyone is encouraged to post and share your urban sketches. Please keep in mind these guidelines as you do. As a group dedicated to urban sketching we want to demonstrate that craft with our work.
Urban sketching is a record of time and space, an event, something happening at a given moment, somewhere in our world. For some that can be a quick sketch of a scene, with a short caption of what’s going on and for others it’s a piece that can take a long period of time.
An urban sketch can take as long as it takes. It may be a quick capture of a moment or a completed piece of artwork - but as long as the sketch was created on location to share with the world a moment of time and place, it is an urban sketch.
In terms of record purposes, is it absolutely essential to write down the date, location, and other such information on the drawing itself?
According to the USk manifesto, the only essential condition is that the sketch be done on location from direct observation. One doesn’t have to put in all the above details ON THE DRAWING per se, though it will certainly help to give a sense of who, what, when, where, why (context) to the piece of work, which is what urban sketching is about. But those details can also be shared in the post when one shares their works online, not necessarily inside the sketch.
Urban Sketchers Sarasota is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the artistic storytelling and education value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world, one drawing at a time.
Visit USk main site at www.urban sketchers.org for more information.
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. We use any kind of media and charisma our individual styles.
4. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
5. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.
When you post, your drawings must be from a location not from photos, memory or your imagination.
We welcome sketchers from Sarasota and throughout Southwest Florida as well as visiting Urban Sketchers from around the world.
Sarasotausk@gmail.com