Attention DRAWING

The official zine of Urban Sketchers MARCH 2023

Drawing Attention Mandate

Drawing Attention, the official zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching.

Thanks to this month’s Drawing Attention contributors:

Content P ubliC ation team: Anne Taylor, Jane Wingfield mailChim P layout: Jane Wingfield i ssuu layout: Anne Taylor

Writers: Concha Côrte-Real, Cathy

Gutterman, Mark Leibowitz, Donald

Saluling, Christina Wald, Jane Wingfield

Proofreaders: Margaret Pettis, Maria Skrzypiec

Contributors: Leslie Akchurin, Eric Ngan, Parka, Rita Sabler

Cover image: Rita Sabler

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Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Click here to make your tax-deductible contribution via Paypal. © 2023 Urban Sketchers.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication, including accompanying artwork, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Urban Sketchers organization.

One of our hopes for Drawing Attention is that you’ll be inspired by something you read here – to try out a new technique, pick up different materials or perhaps connect with a friend and draw something you haven’t attempted before.

We are so often inspired by the stories from our sketching community, arriving from many corners of the globe. We’ve found that sketching on location has this knack of sparking conversations and shaking up otherwise ordinary days – in a good way.

It happened to me just this week. I was inspired by NYC’s Mel Barrancco, who just coined a new word for us: “sketchwaiting”. You read it here first, sketchers! While most of the population seems desperate to avoid any hint of boredom by burying their heads in their iPhones, Mel positively welcomes the chance to sketch while commuting or standing in a queue.

I put this into practice while standing in line for ferry tickets, then later waiting for a coffee. A shaggy golden retriever was relaxing on the café floor at the next table. Soon I was talking to its minder who explained that it was a therapy dog who could hug on command. We ended up having a fascinating conversation, uncovering lots of shared interests. He was a painter and art teacher; now urban sketching is on his radar! Maybe none of this would have happened if I hadn’t decided to “sketch while waiting”.

In a similar way, Rita Sabler welcomed peaceful, unstructured time when she set off on Spain’s famous Camino walk. USk Sevilla’s project to draw a rehearsal at the city opera also took much care and planning, but the results were fantastic. Combined chapters in Indonesia sketched with an environmental purpose and a community focus for their Ciliwung River project , and Christina Wald’s adventures – and sketching friendships – in Romania unfolded over years.

This time you’ll find a useful calendar of events from around the world, spanning the next three months or so. If you can’t make the New Zealand Symposium, maybe there is something for you closer to home.

Our longstanding proofreader Leslie Akchurin found inspiration close at hand on her kitchen table; her beautiful Sketcher Demo makes it look so easy. We thank our two new volunteer proofreaders Margaret Pettis (Utah) and Maria Skrzypiec (Dordogne, France) for their hard work, and indeed all who contibuted. We even had a “bot” join us this time!

Wishing you inspiration, Anne Taylor (NZ), with Jane Wingfield (USA) Content Publication Team drawingattention@urbansketchers.org