Please, Have A Seat

One of the many benefits of attending an Urban Sketchers Sketch Crawl is discovering the many different ideas and workarounds that other members have developed for their particular way of sketching. Case in point: where does one sit when sketching “on location?”

The obvious answer is often “find someplace to sit and sketch what is in front of you.” This simple solution may present you with such options as a park bench, café tables, the half walls of a landscaping terrace, sidewalk curbs, a sturdy fence, a tree stump, a fire hydrant (good luck with that one), a pier or boat dock, a plastic 5 gallon bucket and the back seat of your convertible car (weather permitting, of course). It makes the most sense since most urban sketchers operate by the motto “travel light” and would prefer not to carry any extra weight.

When presented with an unknown setting, however, an experienced urban sketcher likes to come prepared. This can mean providing seating arrangements of their own to insure there is a place to sit. Therefore, I have assembled a collection of seating options which I have gathered from other savvy sketchers and perhaps you will find one that meets “The Four C’s of Sketch Chairs: Comfort, Convenience, Compartments and Cost.”

Comfort: Sketching can often take an hour or two so you want a seat that will support you without having to sit too low or cut off your circulation during that time.

Convenience: Ideally you will want a seat that will fold up to fit inside of your backpack, art bag, or large purse if you are able. Sometimes there is a trade-off for a seat that is both comfortable and convenient, so you try to find the best of both.

Compartments: Having a chair that provides some kind of storage to hold the art supplies you will be using is especially handy if the ground around you is either wet or gooey-dirty. Who wants to set their supplies in the mud and then pick it up again to use on their sketch? Pockets, zipper pouches, and cup holders are all welcome additions to a comfortable chair.

Cost: Assuming that you do not have an endless cash flow and do not possess the crafting skills to make your own perfect chair, then cost may be important for you to consider as one of the determining factors.

Many of the following chairs can be found in an assortment of outdoor, sporting goods and garden shops in addition to art supplies stores. Here then are some of the more popular personal, portable, sketch chair options and where you can find them. Find one that you like and please join us at one of our next Urban Sketchers' Chicago Sketch Crawls. Happy shopping.

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: "The All-Important First Mark"

Posting and sharing your latest sketches is fun and exciting. You feel good when other people "like" and make positive comments about your efforts. But what if someone, whose name you do not recognize through your regular groups, shares or reposts your work? You can only hope that their intentions are good but you really have very little control over it...or do you?

Do yourself a favor. Somewhere on your sketch write this simple text line: "© [current date or year] by [your name]." According to the Copyright Basics circular from the U. S. Copyright Office <<http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf>>, adding this copyright signature is really not necessary because you are granted copyright protection from the moment you create your original sketch, painting, sculpture, etc. Social media, however, has a way of separating and detaching artwork from its original creator. People tend to post verbatim what they find that is interesting and pay little attention to whom should get credit (if any). Also, the person posting or reposting an image is not necessarily the original artist on the piece and that can be misleading.

In my examples, I make it a habit to always write “© 2014 Wesley E. Douglas” along the edge of my sketches. The reason I am suggesting this is because it is not the responsibility of anyone who views, shares, repins, retweets, or reposts your image to make sure you are properly credited. That responsibility falls on your shoulders. And by writing this simple line directly on your artwork it will be less likely to get separated from the sketch than adding it to the comments box.

This simple line of text will actually solve a few common issues with posting images online:
1. Your sketch will always remind people that you are its rightful owner. Regardless of how strongly you feel about whether your sketch deserves to have your signature attached to it, 
this is not the time to be shy.

2. When a media outlet wants to use your image for an article they are working on, having some kind of identification on your artwork will make it easier for them to contact you for permission to use your image.  

3. When you are staring at a blank page in your sketchbook, adding this simple signature makes the perfect first mark on your page.

A Note From the Correspondent

The USk Chicago Sketch Seminar is just around the corner!  In just 5 days, sketchers, artists, doodlers, architects, designers, creative types, both beginners and experts will gather in and around Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Lincoln Park.  The Seminar weekend will comprise of 8 workshops and 4 sketching activities focused on teaching the art of urban sketching and related skill sets.   As the Seminar Correspondent I will document the Sketch Seminar through sketches, photographs and blog posts.  For those of you who are getting ready to attend the seminar and those who will be following the activities from around the world, here is a preview of what you can expect to see from me during the weekend:

Each workshop will take place within blocks of each other.  To help capture and document the activities and instruction at each workshop, I will ride my bike to and from each workshop;

sketching, photographing and posting what I see in real time to our Twitter, Instagram and Seminar Blog accounts.  USk Chicago’s accounts are: Twitter: @USk_Chicago, Instagram: @USkChicago and Pinterest: Urban Sketchers Chicago.
Make sure to follow these accounts to stay updated with the weekend's events.  If you want share your own photos or sketches, tag your posts with #USkChicago2014.  At the end of each day, check back with the Seminar Blog for a blog post re-cap of the day.

This is an exciting weekend for USk Chicago and the USk global community.  We are excited to see how we will grow as a chapter and to be able to show the city of Chicago one drawing at a time.  I look forward to documenting the Seminar and sharing my sketches, photographs and experiences with you all.  I hope you will check out our Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and blog accounts and follow the events of the weekend.  Don’t be a stranger. Feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with the USk Chicago group.  Talk to everyone soon!  

Sincerely,
Andrew Banks