June Theme: Urban Sketching

Carol Sloan here with the theme for June 2012:

Urban Sketching

The Sketchbook Challenge has changed a couple of things for me.
One of the most exciting (to me anyway) is the practice of Urban Sketching.
A couple of my sketching buddies and I are becoming more involved in the Urban Sketchers group online. We're waiting for our "official" ranking as a group in the upstate SC area.

I have spent countless hours in my own area, sketching on the corner, sitting in the park or stopping while riding my bike and I am constantly blown away at how much it has changed my view or my perception of what I am viewing.

I no longer see a dirty, grungy alleyway...
I see it drawn with unsteady lines in my sketchbook...
I see a smattering of watercolor across the page...
Or just pen and ink lines...

It has really made me look at the world around me in a different manner and I love this!
You truly see your surroundings in a different manner.
They suddenly become more colorful, more interesting and more share worthy.

If you go over to the "Urban Sketchers" website, you can see their definition, or manifesto, for urban sketchers:

USK 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. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online. 8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

It doesn't seem to matter what I see drawn on their site, it is always beautiful.
It takes the ordinary and elevates it into something extraordinary.
It creates an artists rendering that you can't help but smile at.

So, this month - let's step out of our comfort zone. Let's step out of our homes, hit the streets and become an Urban Sketcher!

Whether you draw a market stall, a child's playground, people at the mall, your own back yard or a local building - draw your world.

Urban Sketching is just like regular drawing - the more you practice, the better you get.
Just remember to draw what you actually SEE, not what you THINK you see, as these two things are very different things.  Take your time and really LOOK at things.

Here's a few samples from my sketchbook of my beautiful town - Greenville SC.

This is a rock bridge in the beautiful Fall's Park.

While volunteering in the local library, I drew this plant and chair one day.

Across the street from my house, there sits a beautiful old warehouse.
I draw it frequently as I love the lines and the rust roof.

Here's another sketch of the warehouse.

The theme for June 2012 is:

Urban Sketching

Special Prize Giveaway Announcements for June:

Prize package giveaway from Gelli Arts! 

One lucky winner will receive an 8"x10" Gelli Art plate!

Prize package giveaway from Joggles!

 Two lucky winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com!

And 3 lucky winners will receive a piece of mail art from one of the sketchbook challenge artists!

How to be eligible for prize drawings: 
In order to be eligible for one of the June 2012 prize packages you must post at least one photo of a sketchbook page related to the June 2012 theme to the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr group and you MUST tag one of your photos with the code "june692".  

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING TAGGING YOUR PHOTOS WITH THE PRIZE CODES:  PLEASE DO NOT TAG MORE THAN ONE PHOTO WITH THE PRIZE TAG - IT DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING AND IT MAKES IT HARDER AND MORE TEDIOUS TO GENERATE THE WINNING LIST EACH MONTH - THANK YOU!
 

  Post as many photos as you like but only put the special tag on one of them.

Information on how to upload photos to flickr can be found here.

Winners will be chosen by random draw on the last day of June and announced here on the Sketchbook Challenge blog.