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Friday, November 15, 2013

Planning a “Sketch Vacation?”


Did you know that there are people who plan their whole year's worth of vacations in early January? Maybe you are one of them? If you are good for you. That is awesome. I have trouble with that because I now have more than just me to account for in my plans and coordination is not our strong suit.

So let's think about this. If you are able to plan your vacations and getaways months in advance, have you ever thought about planning a "sketch vacation?" I heard about these recently and it sounds like something I could really get into. This would be combining two of my favorite things in one trip: art and travel. I will typically journal my vacations as a way to gain a better experience on the vacation and it enhances my family's vacation as well. I actually much prefer sketching on my vacations now than building sand sculptures like I used to do when my son was younger.

As I write this, the holiday shopping season is upon us when people young and old are formulating their "wish lists." Retailers, accordingly, are not shy about making suggestions for interesting items that one might want to add to their list by punishing us with promotions and commercials that attack all of our senses.

I wonder if, in there somewhere for those organized types, if there may also be a "wish list" for vacation destinations. Presuming that this could actually happen, allow me to make a suggestion for a weekend getaway for you and your art bag.



Urban Sketchers Chicago will be hosting their very own sketching Seminar weekend in the great city of Chicago on June 7th and 8th, 2014.  The event will attract local and visiting urban sketchers from near and far.  While sketching at various locations through out downtown Chicago, some of the most respected and qualified instructors will be teaching workshops surrounding on location sketching, color theory, and choosing what to sketch just to name a few.  Registration is recommended.

Urban Sketchers (USK) are a local community of artists who come together with a common interest of sketching in urban settings, socializing with like-minded artists and learning some new tips along the way. They practice sketching various scenes that often include interesting architecture, landscaping, people, animals and sketching anything else in their cities, towns and villages in which they live, work or have traveled. It is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to raising the awareness of artistic storytelling and educational value of drawing on location, promoting its practice and connecting people from around the globe.

If this sounds like fun and you would like to check out the Urban Sketchers' activity, simply go to the following pages and look at some of the examples.

Urban Sketchers Chicago Blog: http://urbansketchers-chicago.blogspot.com
Urban Sketchers Chicago Facebook: Urban Sketchers Chicago
Urban Sketchers Chicago Instagram: #uskchicago
Urban Sketchers Chicago Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/USkChicago
Follow up in Twitter: @USk_Chicago