DA March 2025 by Drawing Attention

SKETCHING IN SOUTH KOREA ARMENIA, BRASILIA CASTELLÓ, GDAŃSK, LEIPZIG, MAESTRAT PAPHOS, NEW PLYMOUTH

Attention DRAWING

The official zine of Urban Sketchers MAR 2025

Drawing Attention Mandate

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

Thanks to this month’s contributors:

Content PubliCation team: Anne Taylor, Suhita Shirodkar, Chiara Gomiselli

mailChimP layout: Chiara Gomiselli

i ssuu layout: Anne Taylor

Writers & Contributors: Mark

Leibowitz, Parka, Scott Wilson

Proofreaders: Leigh Ferst, Maria Skrzypiec

Cover image: Park Jooyoun (@jjoo_i_travel_draw)

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CirCulation: 14k+ readershiP: 16k+ Web: urbansketchers.org

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.

Kia ora, hello, everyone!

Welcome to another packed issue full of news from USk and around the world . We’re farewelling our dynamic Past President Genine, and welcoming Ronaldo Kurita as the new President, who will be ably assisted by Mike Daikubara. You can get the latest on the Poznan Symposium, and read about two exciting USk initiatives to get invoved in: the inaugural USk International Census, and our second International Urban Sketchers Week .

Our USk online Global Sketchbook is one not to miss. Recently I came across this quote from one of the featured artists, Lopa Shigaki, who shares sketches of commuters in Japan: “Stay positive. If you’re sketching for the first time, don’t get discouraged by the initial results. Instead, compare your first few sketches to your 50th or 100th one to see your progress.” A great thing to remember!

Scott Wilson, from New Zealand, is another artist working on a longrunning series, having recently sketched

over 100 cafés in New Plymouth. And Natasha Marits steps us through how to combine collage with urban sketching.

New York-based Mark Leibowitz brings us another fascinating Cool Gear column, this time about some imaginative gifts he received from his daughter, and our resident reviewer Parka talks about a new watercolour sketchbook.

Each issue we welcome more new chapters, and this time there are 10 groups joing our urban sketching family.

Read more about our fast-growing organisation in the latest Annual Report, which is available online.

A lot of hard work by volunteers goes into each issue of Drawing Attention and I’d like to thank Chiara Gomiselli and Maria Regina Tuazon, along with our wonderful proofreaders Leigh and Maria, and those who have contributed stories and features. Please let us know about anything interesting happening in your area, on the email below. Happy sketching!

Anne Taylor (NZ), Managing Editor E: drawingattention@urbansketchers.org

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT WELCOME, MIKE

Dear Urban Sketchers,

It is an honor to step into the role of President of Urban Sketchers, a community that has been such a meaningful part of my life for over a decade. My journey with USk began in 2014 as a volunteer at the International Symposium in Paraty, an experience that opened my eyes to the power of sketching in bringing people together. For 10 years, I have served as a Regional Coordinator on the Membership Team, working closely with local chapters around the world to help our community grow.

I am a landscape architect based in São Paulo, Brazil and member of USk Brasil and USk São Paulo, of which I have been one of the administrators for the past eight years. I have also been volunteering with the USk Organization as a membership team member since the 2014 Symposium in Paraty, and on the social media team since 2022.

Now, as I take on this new role, I do so with deep respect for the legacy of the leaders who came before me. Their dedication, vision, and passion have shaped USk into the thriving global movement it is today. My goal is to continue building on this foundation — expanding our reach, making our community more inclusive, and ensuring that Urban Sketchers remains a welcoming space for everyone, no matter where they are or what language they speak. Together, let’s keep sketching, sharing, and supporting one another. I look forward to this new chapter and to working with all of you to make Urban Sketchers even stronger.

Happy sketching!

RONALDO KURITA

We welcome Mike Daikubara as the new USk Vice President, and wish him all the best in his new role. Mike is an artist, author, designer and educator based in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Sketching daily since 2000, he’s passionate about sharing his love for sketching. He has authored 10 urban sketching books, including Sketch NOW Think Later, and taught hundreds of students locally and internationally.

RONALDO KURITA

USk INSTAGRAM USk YOUTUBE

THANK YOU, GENINE!

Dear Genine,

As you step down from your role as President of Urban Sketchers, I want to express my deepest gratitude for everything you have done for our community. You joined the Executive Board as Membership Director and Vice President during the COVID-19 pandemic and your leadership has been nothing short of inspiring. You led with kindness, wisdom, and an unwavering commitment to inclusivity, always ensuring that Urban Sketchers remained a welcoming space for artists around the world.

Under your guidance, we saw incredible milestones—our new multilingual website, making the community even more accessible, and the launch of impactful programs like the Regional Event Grant and the Reportage Grant, which have empowered so many sketchers to share their stories. These achievements reflect your vision and dedication, and they will continue to shape the organization for years to come.

But beyond the accomplishments, I am grateful for the friend, mentor, and leader you have been. Your generosity, patience, and ability to bring people together are qualities I deeply admire. While your chapter as President may be closing, I know your passion for Urban Sketchers will never fade, and I look forward to seeing where your creativity and leadership take you next. Thank you, Genine, for everything. You have left an incredible mark on Urban Sketchers, and on all of us who have had the privilege of working with you. With appreciation and gratitude, RONALDO KURITA

Think of it as a bulletin board for all Urban Sketchers activities across the globe! Make sure to put yours in the calendar and take advantage of our platform’s global visibility! CHECK OUT OUR GLOBAL EVENTS CALENDAR!

A special feature of our USk website is the Events Calendar. Using Clubexpress account credentials, official chapters can easily put their meetups or happenings on the calendar for everyone to see.

TAKE PART IN THE INTERNATIONAL US k CENSUS

Dear Urban Sketchers, As we look ahead, the Executive Board is committed to strengthening our global network, expanding our reach, and deepening our understanding of the artists who make USk so special.

To achieve this, we want to hear from you. This year, we are launching the International USk Census, a vital initiative that will help us learn more about our global community. The survey will be open from March 1 to 31, and your participation will guide our efforts in making Urban Sketchers even more inclusive and responsive to the needs of our members. Just use the links here to fill in your survey. As a thank you, all participants will receive a 10% discount coupon for the USk Shop.

Urban Sketchers has always been about connection— between people, places, and stories captured in our sketchbooks. We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone, regardless of location or language, feels welcome and supported in their creative journey.

Together, let’s continue sketching, sharing, and growing as a global community. I look forward to collaborating with all of you to shape the future of Urban Sketchers.

Warmly,

RONALDO KURITA

Important Dates:

• 8 March Release of Online Programming & Schedule

• 15 March 12.00/noon CET Registration Opens

Check the time at your location via the World Clock Converter

USk POZNAN2025

QUESTIONS w

POZNAN SCHEDULE w

SYMPOSIUM HUB f

USk SYMPOSIUM

Lopa Shigaki has been sketching people on her commute to work in Japan since 2018. Despite having years of painting experience, she says sketching on the train was a completely different challenge.

See more of her work, and sketches from around the world in the USk online Global Sketchbook.

LOPA SHIGAKI f

INTERNATIONAL URBAN SKETCHERS WEEK: A GLOBAL

CELEBRATION OF ON-LOCATION DRAWING

From May 1–7 every year, we celebrate International Urban Sketchers Week.

Get ready for the second annual Urban Sketchers Week, where anyone anywhere can join in to showcase how urban sketching brings people together and changes lives around the world. Celebrate by collaborating with other chapters, organizing youth workshops, or exploring ideas from our 100 Ideas for Participating in #uskweek2025 guide.

Not

sure how to get started?

See our Top Tips for Hosting an Event, and don’t forget to add your project or event to the official event map to share

it with the global community. As part of the celebration, we’re excited to launch limited-edition #USkWeek2025 Merch!

Stay tuned for the release and visit the USk Shop to grab your exclusive items.

Make your mark by downloading the official USk Week logo to create

posters, badges, or even a custom stamp for your drawings. Throughout the week, share your sketches, experiences, and local sketching stories using #USkWeek2025. Let’s show the world what urban sketching means to us! Visit the Urban Sketchers website for all the details and resources.

Nov 30 & December 1, 2024

Gdańsk Christmas Sketching USk Gdańsk | Over 70 sketchers

The event, with sketchers from throughout Poland, took place in the foyer of the Wybrzeże Theatre. This gave a stunning view of the most beautiful Christmas market in Europe (according to the Best Christmas Markets in Europe 2025 competition). We also sketched at the exhibition of the Faculty of Biology at the University of Gdańsk, which features a large hanging skeleton of a fin whale. Jula Majewska, Kasia J. Siuda, and Tetiana Ocheredko led workshops.

Paulina Hoppe, Asia Blicharska, and Jula Majewska won best works awards by popular vote. Special thanks to the companies Paletaart, Renesans, and Roman Szmal, who provided gifts for the workshop participants. See you at the USk Symposium in Poznań!

JULA MAJEWSKA

WYBRZEŻE THEATRE

PAULINA HOPPE

December 3, 2024

Capturing the Seoul Protests On the evening of December 3rd, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, mobilizing the military to seize control of government institutions.

ANDY OH

TRIX WILLEMS

HYOSEON

That night, thousands of Koreans rushed to the National Assembly and helped lawmakers make their way past military forces into the lawmaking chamber, where they halted the motion. Following the coup attempt, millions of Koreans protested for Yoon’s swift impeachment, with hundreds of thousands demonstrating outside the National Assembly. Urban sketchers were on the scene.

CHOI JUNGEUN

December 2024

Paphos and Around Exhibition: A Celebration of Local Vision

Third Space art centre, Paphos, Cyprus | USk Paphos

This exhibition, organized by the Urban Sketchers Paphos community became a truly unique event for the city. It told the story of the local community through art, offering residents and visitors a fresh perspective on the island through the eyes of its participants. Featuring around 100 works, the exhibition captured the charm of Paphos, its surrounding villages, and stunning natural landscapes.

Many of the artists were exhibiting their work for the first time. They were praised by both the public and renowned local artists. The exhibition’s success meant it was extended twice beyond its original schedule, from two weeks to nearly a month and a half, solidifying its success and impact on the local cultural scene.

USk PAPHOS

December 8, 2024

Drawing cave art in Maestrat, Spain

USk Maestrat

The group enjoyed the privilege of drawing cave paintings in Tírig (Alt Maestrat) which date to between 4000 and 8000 years old. The Maestrat region has manyimportant examples of Levantine rock art, a narrative form of rock art that can be found throughout the Spanish Mediterranean. Drawing the cave sketches of thousands of years ago we saw hunters, children, shamans, deers, wild boars, horses, oxen and goats – all in a landscape still very similar to what the ancient people would have experienced. The drawings transported us to another time and helped us to connect with them. We also visited Balma del Civil and its Museum. We plan to return to draw other caves and cave paintings in the area next year.

PILAR ITURRALDE

MARIA JOSÃ

ELOI PONS MARZAL

Viatjar en el temps a través del dibuix

El diumenge 8 de desembre de 2024 alguns membres del grup Usk Maestrat vam gaudir del privilegi de poder dibuixar unes pintures rupestres de Tírig (a l’Alt Maestrat) fetes fa entre 4000 i 8000 anys. Vam visitar també el Museu de la Valltorta, qui gestiona les visites a diferents enclavaments prehistòrics de la zona. L’interior de la comarca del Maestrat té abundants i importants exemples d’art rupestre llevantí, un art rupestre molt narratiu que podem trobar en tot l’arc mediterrani espanyol. Ens va resultar molt interessant connectar en el temps, i a través del dibuix, amb dibuixants de fa milers d’anys. A partir del que véiem a les parets de la balma (petita cova) vam poder dibuixar caçadors, xiquets, xamans, cérvols, senglars, cavalls, bous, cabres… i tot això envoltats d’un paisatge encara molt similar al que veien ells llavors. Els dibuixos ens van transportar a un altre temps i van ajudar a connectar amb eixa gent. Realment, un viatge en el temps! Aquesta vegada vam visitar la Balma del Civil i l’interior del Museu, però més endavant tornarem per dibuixar altres coves i pintures rupestres de la zona.

MARIA JOSÃ

USk MAESTRAT

MÃRIAM RUÃ Z

MARIBEL REDÃ

November 22-24, 2024

USk Castelló’s Fifth Anniversary 90 sketchers

By Xavier Traver, Noemí Casas & Miriam Rubio

On Saturday, we had workshops run by Ángel Germán Simarro, Hugo Barros, Lluïsot, and Marta Tembl, followed by drawing around the city. Famous sights included Casa dels Caragols (the House of the Snails) and La Farola’, the historic central square. On the sunny Sunday, we sketched around the maritime area known as El Grau. The main feature was La Panderola, an historic steam train that ran from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. Many locals have very fond memories of this train, which even has a popular song devoted to it.

AT LA HIERBA

HUGO’S WORKSHOP

ELENA DOMINGO

LA PANDEROLA

MARTA DOMENECH

‘Budapestnutye’

visits Armenia | October 2024 | 8 sketchers

By Kristina Matveeva

Our Budapestnutye group – made up of sketchers who live in different parts of the world and belonging to various USk chapters – gathered for a creative journey through Armenia. The visit featured sketching all around Yerevan’s vibrant streets, at Sevan Lake, the Monastery of Geghard, the Haghartsin Monastery complex, Dilijan, the Garni Temple, Zvartnots Cathedral, and the Arch of Charents, offering breathtaking views of Mount Ararat, Armenia’s iconic landmark. The people we met, on visits to the Martiros Sarian Home-Museum and the Sergei Parajanov museum, and the road trips through Armenia’s diverse landscapes, helped us to capture the richness of textures, colors, and warmth of the country in our sketches. We wholeheartedly recommend other urban sketches to follow our footsteps and visit Armenia to experience its beauty firsthand.

USk Brasília Celebrates 10 Years & 100 Sketch Meetings

By USk Brasília

We are thrilled to share the celebration of the 10th anniversary and 100th meeting of Urban Sketchers Brasília, the chapter from Brazil’s capital. Our milestone event featured an exhibition, a digital book, and a two-day sketching gathering at the city’s iconic spots. The exhibition, showcasing 56 sketches, opened on January 31, 2025, at the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District. Over the weekend of February 1–2, participants sketched at four key locations: the Cathedral, Praça dos Três Poderes, Alameda dos Estados and the National Complex on the second. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us, making this a joyful celebration filled with art, connection, and creativity. Long live USk Brasília!

USk chapter news

sketcher spotlight

MAKE IT LOCAL

SCOTT WILSON USES SKETCHING TO APPRECIATE HIS SURROUNDINGS, AND HE’S GONE BEHIND THE SCENES IN DOZENS OF LOCAL TARANAKI CAFÉS AND BUSINESSES, THANKS TO HIS AMBITIOUS SELF-GENERATED PROJECT.

Igrew up in a small rural village at the bottom of New Zealand, my mum an artist and my dad an engineer. My home was full of large oil paintings, screen printing drying on the fence, dyed wool being stomped on in the shower and stainless steel sculpture prototypes hanging from the eaves. Always a project going on. I became a chemical engineer to pay the bills and used my art for the fun. As a boy I became a wood carver, later a carver of stone and bone. It was only after I’d left home I got into sketching. I said to mum: “I have a day to spare, can you teach me to draw”. Much eye rolling.

My wife worked for Air New Zealand and my work took me to most continents, so travel sketching became my obsession. I call it the ‘Esperanto of travel’ because no matter the language, kids come up to chat and peer at your work. In fact, I can remember the moment in Samoa I overcame being self-conscious about drawing in public. I was thronged but no one was critical, only curious. Reaching that point reflected in the confidence of my work.

sketcher spotlight

Today I’m an illustrator for an international newspaper, aiming to enhance human interest stories. I still use oldschool sketching for illustrating, which is a point of difference. I also write feature stories for Drawing Attention.

I carry a kit of 50 Tombow pens in an old camera case. They are bright and wash well with a waterbrush. The swag

AMBITIOUS PROJECT

My current project is drawing Taranaki workplaces and cafes. I have drawn 50 businesses and, recently, just over 100 cafés. Lots of coffee drunk in the interests of art. I always give a digital copy to the hosts which they seem to like for their social media. It is an excellent way of getting urban sketching out there. The plant tours and behind the scenes are intriguing.

I’ve learned there are so many interesting and inventive people doing surprising things on our doorstep. It has greatly improved my people drawing skills. Businesses I’ve drawn include: inventors and fabricators of North Sea Oil subsea devices, the ‘sshhmute’ (used for silencing brass instruments), and track grips for permafrost caterpillars; butchers; bakers; a gin distillery; an underwater remote-operated vehicle; tattoo studio; goldsmiths and jewellers; dairy farms and farriers.

of colours get the ‘ooh aah’ effect from bystanders. I use my Lamy Safari and archival ink for outlines first. I told Tombow they were missing a marketing opportunity, so they commissioned me to write some blogs, the proceeds of which went towards the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal. This led to a small online book called A Pen Full of Light, with tips on using Tombows.

at the chopping block would make a good sketch and obtained permission for me. She then became my ‘agent’ scouring the news for unusual businesses. I certainly got better at people.

What is challenging about drawing on location at people’s workplaces? Where possible, get workers to pause long enough for you to capture a likeness. This requires gaining their trust and showing them progress so far or your past work. Add new people or customers in suitable gaps as they arrive on the scene. I’ve found that often they are disappointed if they aren’t in the sketch.

Has there been anything surprising or unusual that’s arisen as part of these projects? As I sketched at the butchers a new worker arrived.

How did you get started with the cafe and workplace project? It was my wife’s idea. She thought her favourite butcher

The boss indicated me standing in the corner, sketchbook in hand and explained I was a time and motion study expert who would make sure they were all performing.

SCOTT’S TIPS FOR A SIMILAR PROJECT

• APPROACH THE MOST SENIOR PERSON YOU CAN AND EXPLAIN YOU ARE A HOBBY SKETCHER

• SHOW EXAMPLES OF YOUR WORK, IDEALLY OF BUSINESSES LIKE THEIRS

• EXPLAIN YOU WILL ABIDE BY HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS, MAKE SURE TO STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF WORKERS, AND PROVIDE THE BUSINESS WITH A DIGITAL COPY OF THE WORK AS A THANK YOU.

In 2009 I was approached by a friend of a friend to practice travel sketching. From there we started our Taranaki Sketching group by word of mouth which has morphed into the enthusiastic Urban Sketchers Taranaki. We’ve sketched weekly for 15 years around the province. The conical-shaped dormant volcano,

Taranaki Maunga (Mt Taranaki) was granted legal personhood in a decision early this year. The mountain dominates our province and features in our logo (left).

We have some fun stamps for our chapter, one of which depicts a ‘paepae’ as a flavour of our province’s Māori heritage. This is a horizontal board at the threshold of a traditional Māori building. It is also associated with the orators on a marae (meeting ground). Sketching is a form of communication

too. This conceptual paepae features both male and female figures and conveys local traditional styles of pointed heads, interlinked arms and legs, puwerewere (crescent spiderweb notching), a diamond shaped pakati (dog’s backbone), along with spirals. A number of paepae have been found preserved in swamps within our region.

CHALLENGES TO TRY

USk Taranaki sketchers have tried sketching on ladders, bike sketching, binocular sketching and even traffic island sketching – with ribald comments from passing motorists. A Melbourne sketcher encouraged me to

sketch my niece’s wedding, drawing all the features surrounding it. More successful than I imagined. There are so many things our sketching skills can be applied to: cards for our friends, enhancing guest books, table mats,

record covers, illustrating journals as well as filling our pile of sketchbooks. All we need to be satisfied is something to draw on and a drawing tool.

TIPS FROM USK TARANAKI

• OWE NO LOYALTY TO A MARK, JUST BECAUSE IT IS ON THE PAGE. DRAW A BETTER ONE; COLOURS WILL DISGUISE IT

• DRAW TO APPRECIATE YOUR SURROUNDINGS

• IT IS FINISHED WHEN YOU DECIDE IT IS – OR WHEN THERE’S NO MORE ENJOYMENT

• PUT SOME ‘CARE FREE’ TOUCHES INTO YOUR SKETCHES

• WE LIKE TO “TRAP LIGHT”.

SCOTT WILSON

USk TARANAKI f

Scott Wilson

SKETCHER DEMO

NATASHA’S MATERIALS

• PAPERS & FOUND ITEMS

• WATERCOLOUR (INCLUDING CHINESE WHITE)

• FINELINER PENS

• ACRYLIC MARKERS

• HB PENCILS

• COLOURED PENCILS (INCLUDING WHITE)

• WHITE GEL PEN

• GLUESTICK

Inspirational collage sketching

NATASHA MAURITS TAKES A PLAYFUL APPROACH, COMBINING COLLAGE WITH URBAN SKETCHING, AND ENJOYING THE SYNERGIES THAT EMERGE.

Ibrought a handmade A5 sketchbook with different types of papers with me when I joined the Urban Sketchers Deutschland Treffen in September 2024 in Leipzig. I planned to collage in it like I used to do as a kid when we went on holidays, using images from local tourist brochures, items from restaurants, postcards, receipts and tickets. And this time, there would be sketches, too!

On the train to Leipzig, I glued in the first receipt. As it was quite large, I decided to partially sketch over it, and I really liked the result. During the week, that first positive result got me playing with the size of the papers I glued in, even covering entire pages with packaging material and local maps, to sketch on top of. I often use fineliner pens and watercolour paint to sketch, but this didn’t always work well on top of the collage papers, so I experimented with my sketching materials to get the results I’m sharing with you here.

MY PROCESS

On a very hot August day we went to sketch at the Baumwollspinnerei complex in Leipzig. There are now galleries, a cinema and an artstore in the former cotton factory buildings. The intricate interlocking of these buildings made for an interesting perspective, and I just happened to have glued a map of Leipzig in my sketchbook to sketch on that day. Here’s the final result (opposite). I will show you the steps overleaf, using a map of Athens.

STEP 1: Getting a nice sketch of the complicated factory building perspective on the busy map looked challenging, so I just started by sketching the structures in black fineliner, not worrying yet about how to continue after that.

STEP 2: I added some shadows with black fineliner, which helps to clarify the shapes of the buildings.

STEP 3: To further define the buildings, I added a layer of watercolour in warm red mixed with some Chinese white to make it more opaque. I blocked in the shadow sides of the buildings. I used Chinese white in the ‘sky’ to send the surrounding details into the background, making the map details less dominant.

LEIPZIG COLLAGE SKETCH

Here is an example of my collage sketches done in Leipzig. I sketched Johann Sebastian Bach’s statue, close to the Nikolaikirche, with a black fineliner

pen on the packaging material of our breakfast rolls. I aligned the statue with the blue lines. To make the statue ‘pop out’, I added a darker background with HB pencil on its sunny side, and used a

white pencil for the background on its shadow side. The shadow of the entire statue, as well as the block of text added to the composition.

NATASHA’S TIPS

• COLLECT AS MUCH COLLAGE MATERIAL AS YOU CAN WHEN YOU ARE ON LOCATION: ANY PAPER CAN BE INTERESTING, YOU JUST HAVE TO ADAPT TO THE PAPER WITH YOUR SKETCHING MATERIALS.

• GLUE THE COLLAGE MATERIAL TO RANDOM PAGES IN YOUR SKETCHBOOK AND LET YOURSELF BE SURPRISED BY THE MATERIAL THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SKETCH ON THAT DAY: YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK!

• MAKE SURE TO PUT GLUE ON THE ENTIRE PAPER. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WORKING WITH WET MEDIA. BE AWARE THAT MANY PAPERS WILL NOT ALLOW WET MATERIALS, THOUGH.

• TRY OUT YOUR SKETCHING MATERIALS ON A REMAINDER OF THE COLLAGE PAPER.

Natasha Maurits

This second sketch was done at Feinkost, another former factory building which has been turned into a culture centre. There was art everywhere, including a composition of old vinyl records on one of the old walls.

It immediately spoke to me, as I’d turned to the page in my sketchbook where I had glued part of a bag I’d got from a local craft store, which coincidentally was full of colourful circles. This paper was not so easy to sketch on, as it was very smooth, so I mostly used acrylic markers to sketch the records, plus a fineliner pen, gel pen and coloured pencils.

Happy collage sketching!

NATASHA MAURITS

THE

USK ANNUAL REPORT IS NOW ONLINE…

ASIA

WELCOME NEW CHAPTERS!

We are excited to announce these 10 new chapters. Welcome to the global family of urban sketchers! JAVIER MAS PINTURAS

USk Goyang, South Korea

EUROPE

USk Le Havre, France

USk Marbella, Spain

USk Saint-Etienne, France

NORTH AMERICA

USk Mérida, Mexico

SOUTH AMERICA

USk Garibaldi, Brazil

USk Rafaela, Argentina

OCEANIA

USk Gympie, Australia

USk Hughenden, Australia

USk Lower Hutt, New Zealand

USk GOYANG

USk GARIBALDI

USk GYMPIE

USk LE HAVRE

USk LOWER HUTT

USk MARBELLA

USk RAFAELA

COOL GEAR : UNCOMMONLY GOOD GIFTS

BY MARK LEIBOWITZ

My daughter has an unusual talent: she’s brilliant at giving gifts. She always finds the perfect thing. But gifting art supplies to an artist? That’s a whole different challenge. Why? Because artists are always exploring. We are constantly alert to new things, new ways to accomplish familiar tasks. We talk about art supplies with other artists. Anything new that might have potential captures our imagination. I don’t hold back when it comes to art supplies, and why not – art is my passion.

Take Posca markers, for example. One artist in our group tried them—thick acrylic markers that lay down rich, even color. Someone else bought a set and her results were completely different but equally amazing. Soon, everyone was using them, pushing their creativity in all sorts of directions. What are the odds that a non-artist would’ve known to buy those markers?

That’s why, for years, my daughter avoided giving me art supplies as a gift. But she never gave up on the idea. And then she found something totally unexpected. A gift that was absolutely artrelated, yet something I had never even considered. Here’s some context: when AI art tools first became available, I was curious. I quickly realized I had no interest in letting a program make art for me—that’s the fun part, after all! But I did enjoy asking ChatGPT art-related questions. One of my first was: “Could we ever discover a brand-new color, never seen by human eyes?”

The answer? “No.” There are no new colors. The human eye can only perceive what it’s wired to see. But ChatGPT did say we could create a new pigment.

In 1960, the artist Yves Klein developed International Klein Blue (IKB), a deep, flat, ultra-matte blue – and legally restricted its use to himself. Klein died in 1962. Recently, someone recreated a similar pigment, Easy Klein, without the toxicity or clumping issues of the original. It’s a gorgeous, absorbing blue.

At one point, I was obsessed with trying every new color I could find. Maybe you went through something similar? These days, I stick to a limited palette and introduce new colors cautiously. Easy Klein is stunning, but do I need it? Probably not. But the idea of a “new” pigment? That’s exciting.

Then came my daughter’s second gift: BLK 3.0, the world’s blackest matte paint. Normal black pigments have a slight sheen, but this one absorbs up to 99% of visible light. It’s seriously dark. (And then the same company came out with an even blacker version: BLK4.0). But, the story doesn’t end there. The ultimate black – Vantablack Black – is in a league of its own. Made from carbon nanotubes, it absorbs nearly all light, creating an eerie void. One description put it perfectly: “Vantablack isn’t a color, it’s more like an absence of it.” Unfortunately, it’s extraordinarily expensive and it’s

exclusively licensed to artist Anish Kapoor. So the rest of us can only play with the idea of an ultimate black.

As intriguing as these ultra-blacks are, they’re not suited to urban sketching. They don’t blend or interact with other colors. They just create an unrelated hole on the page, like staring into infinity. Still, my daughter did what I thought was impossible: she found art supplies I didn’t already know about. And that’s a gift in itself. Happy Sketching!

PARKA REVIEWS

BY TEOH YI CHIE

Teoh Yi Chie is an infographics journalist who joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2009. He’s probably better known as Parka from Parkablogs.com, a website that reviews art books and art products.

This month Parka reviews the Baohong Academy watercolour sketchbook. Check it out!

SEE MORE REVIEWS

o ur manifesto

• We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation

• Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel

• Our drawings are a record of time and place

• We are truthful to the scenes we witness

• We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles

• We support each other and draw together

• We share our drawings online

• We show the world, one drawing at a time.