Seminar 2022

 Meet the 2022 Seminar Instructors!

                                               https://chicagosketchseminar.wordpress.com

Seminar 2022

 All the Seminar 2022 descriptions have been announced on the Seminar Blog. Check it out!

T&T Thursday

What Will you Choose?

The Workshops Are Set!

What four will you choose?

1. Anna Rappaport           Surprising Stories, Fleeting  Energy:

    & Joann Harling             Bringing Life into Sketches

2. Barbara Weeks               How to be a People Person: 

                                             Sketching Lively Figures

3. Brian Wright                   Practical Perspective for

                                            Urban Sketching

4. David Roberts                Sketching from the Dark Side

5. Donald Colley                Drawing the Pulse:

                                           The Ebb and Flow of Urban Dwellers

6. Jing Zhang                     Less is More

7. Ken Czech                      Marker Mashup

8. Tomoko Tanaka             Tips for Sketching a Mixed Scene

                                            of Old and New Buildings

Today's Tip

The content details for the workshops are being posted this week on the Seminar 2022 Blog. 

Check it out!

T&T Thursday

USk Chicago is thrilled to announce that we'll be having a seminar in July! All the details will be posted on the Seminar Blog and the highlights will be posted on this blog.

This is a a recap of an article I wrote several years ago but the information is still on the mark as we begin to think about taking classes again.

Are You Ready?!

How about you? Are you ready for a workshop? Whether it’s an online class, a local workshop, one that involves travel or even if you’re working you way through a self-study book there are certain things that will help you get the most out the experience. Over the years I’ve given workshops and taken many classes both on-site and online.  I’ve found my mindset is the most important factor in what I take away from the class.

• SET A GOAL – Why am I taking this class? What do I hope to learn?

• KEEP AN OPEN MIND – Pay attention and follow directions. It’s easy to fall into the attitudes of “that isn’t the way I do it” or “that isn’t the way so-and-so does it” but leave those notions behind at least for the duration of the workshop.

• THINK PROCESS NOT PRODUCT  (I know, I say that all the time) –  It takes practice to learn new techniques and methods.

• ASK QUESTIONS – Your instructor wants you get the most out of your time in the class.

Remember, whether your a novice or a working pro, there is another thing you need for a successful workshop experience, that’s a positive and open workshop-state-of-mind.

What's your "must have" for a successful workshop experience?

The opening image is an assignment from a class I took from Lewis Rossignol.

Links

David Becker 

Veronica Lawlor

Sketchbook Skool

Lewis Rossignol

Sketch & Post!

                        

    Let's Sketch Chicago

LIBRARIES!

Sunday, March 20

12 PM –  3 PM

Hosted by Evelyn Brody and Urban Sketchers Chicago

This month we will once again sketch asynchronously, with the hope that we will resume in-person meetups before too long! 

Details:

Our March theme is libraries—from your home bookcase to those mini-birdhouse exchanges (a favorite subject of our members!) to civic institutions modest or grand. With the weather warming up, an exterior scene might appeal to you. If it’s raining or nighttime when you’re moved to sketch, let’s see a cozy scene of your housemate lost in a good book.
We follow USk Global’s guidelines of sketching live on location and not from reference photos. When outside your home, adhere to any government and private guidelines on social distancing and masking to help everyone stay safe. All skill levels welcome – happy sketching!

We gather for our virtual throwdown on our group Facebook page on Sunday, March 20, between noon and 3pm, but we always welcome late entries. 

And do tag your posts with #uskchicago so we may share your work on our group Instagram account.

In the meantime, Happy Daylight Savings Time!

 Thank you, Namrita Malik, for the banner image sketch of the Hinsdale Library!

Want to keep up to date by email? Fill in your email address in the place provided in the upper right corner under the banner. We look forward to hearing from you.

T&T Thursday!

 Back to the Future

We're almost there! 

Slowly but surely things are heading back to normal – whatever that is or was! Usk Chicago is resuming in person sketch meets in April. We've also begun planning for a mini seminar in July! Keeping our fingers crossed!

Sketching Habits During Covid

I've been hearing from sketchers how their sketching habits changed during the pandemic. 

• Some have used daily sketching as a relief. 

• Still others have kept sketching with the weekly USk Chicago prompts on Facebook.

• There are those who have used the time to experiment adding new mediums to their repertoire. 

• Others have almost stopped sketching entirely.

Ready, Set, Sketch!

Where ever you on the sketching grid it's good to review the benefits of a regular/daily sketching habit. Get ready to get together and sketch.

If you have fallen out of the sketching habit pick the same time each day to sketch (ex: before breakfast, while watching TV, during your coffee break, etc.)

Doing even a quick or small sketch each day can reap great benefits.

• Your work improves.
• Like an athlete it gets easier with practice as muscle memory improves.
• Your personal style will develop.

Looking forward to sketching together in the near future!

Want to keep up to date by email? Fill in your email address in the place provided in the upper right corner under the banner. We look forward to hearing from you.

T&T Thursday!

 Do You See What I See?

Warning: I’m back on my noticing kick. This time it’s a slightly different take than last September's post.

So many times when I start an urban sketch it seems like I go on autopilot. People tend to be my go to focus. For others it’s the architecture, others it’s the straight on view. All are good, but sometimes it’s good to change it up a little.

Following Rob Walker’s lead in The Art of Noticing, I started taking photos of things that catch my attention as I walk along the street and on vacation. Going through some images that I’ve taken over the the last year or two I was surprised by how different they are compared to what I see when I sketch.

Here’s the Trick

What I see on site with my photographer’s eye can I sketch it with my hand? 

That’s my challenge!

• What catches my eye?
• What jumps out at me?
• Sketch that with just enough context to make it an urban sketch

Even if the bee would stay long enough to be sketched, this needs more context to be an urban sketch!

Join me! 

When you go out to sketch, what catches your eye? Sketch that!

Want to keep up to date by email? Fill in your email address in the place provided in the upper right corner under the banner. We look forward to hearing from you.