USk Chicago Sketches in "The Loop"

By: Andrew Banks

Photo by Andrew Banks

On October 29th 2016, USk Chicago sketched in "The Loop". Blick Art Materials, one of our group's sponsors generously hosted us at their Loop store location, and provided us with space to share our sketches, to enjoy refreshments, and to participate in a gift card raffle. The group gathered inside the store for a brief introduction to the Urban Sketchers group. We were happy to see many new sketchers join us and to be able to introduce them to our group. Sketchers then spread out throughout the Loop and sketched at sights from Millenium Park, to the Riverwalk to all different architectural landmarks on surrounding streets and plazas. We gathered back up at Blick Art to share our work, and were impressed with such a great turnout. Thank-you to all who came out, to Blick Art Materials for hosting us and to Fernanda Vaz for joining us all the way from Brazil for preparations for the 8th annual 2017 International Urban Sketchers Symposium, which comes to Chicago in summer 2017!

See more pictures from the event on our Facebook Page.  Make sure to "like" the page to stay up to date with the group and for announcements regarding the 2017 International Symposium #uskchicago2017.

Photo by Fernanda Vaz

Photo by Fernanda Vaz

Photo by Andrew Banks

Photo by Fernanda Vaz

August 2015 Sketch Meet: Blick Art Materials, Evanston

August 15th Sketch Meet - Group Photo © Kordt Larsen

Each month, Urban Sketchers Chicago meets at a different location to sketch as a group.   On Saturday August 15th, we had the unique opportunity to partner with Blick Art Materials in Evanston for this months event. 

Veterans to the group and many new comers alike gathered inside Blick for a brief introduction to Urban Sketching by Wes Douglas.  We were thrilled to see so many new faces.  Thank-you to Blick Art Materials for promoting the event and our group in their Evanston store location!

Wes Douglas introduces Urban Sketching to new participants © Alex Zonis

© Alex Zonis

Per usual, we dispersed throughout the local neighborhood to sketch for a few hours.
After sketching, everyone re-grouped at Blick to share their work with one another.  Blick was kind enough to let us take over one of their long glass display cases where everyone
laid out their sketchbooks.  

© Kordt Larsen

© Andrew Banks

© Andrew Banks

© Andrew Banks

I have been participating with USk Chicago since 2013 and have never seen so many sketchbooks laid out together at a monthly event like this before.  Since I began participating with USk Chicago and the Urban Sketchers movement, it has been fun to see our Chicago community grow to the 400+ member group we are today.  Each month's event seems to attract a larger and larger group each time.

At the end of the day, Blick hosted a raffle drawing where three lucky winners recieved gift cards, each valuing $25, $50 and $100.  Thank-you to Blick for thier generosity and congratulations to the raffle winners!

Evanston Blick Art Materials Manager and raffle winners

After sharing our sketches, many of us walked over to World of Beer for food, drinks and conversation.

If you are interested in joining us at our next event in September, keep an eye out for an announcement which will be made on September 1st.

If you have any questions about Urban Sketching or our Chicago chapter, feel free to email us at urbansketcherschicago@gmail.com.  If you live in the Chicago area and are interested in joining our group, find us on Facebook and request to join.

Lastly, you can also find USk Chicago on

Twitter: @USk_Chicago
Instagram: @USkChicago

Look forward to seeing everyone at September's event!

-Andrew Banks