Worldwide Sketchcrawl: Sat, 13 April

The Worldwide Sketchcrawl # 39 will be held on Saturday 13th April . What is a sketchcrawl? It is like a drawing/painting marathon, where you set aside a day (or some of it) and just move around your city or town, recording what goes on around you in your sketchbook. The idea was started by Enrico Casarosa in San Francisco in 2006, who has turned it into a worldwide event, which sketching groups all over the world join in.  

RSVP if you are coming along, so we can swap mobile numbers. You can still come along without rsvping, and I am sure we will be only ones in the area sketching, and will be easy to find. We'll stop for lunch at a nearby cafe. If it is raining on the day, we will sketch in Wellington Library, and meet inside the Library's Civic Square entrance (the one up the steps which leads to the library cafe).  

Sketching news

Did you know that The Learning Connexion runs free Creativity Workshops at their campus and around the country? They are running one next week on Tuesday 26^th March 2013 at the Taita Campus, 182 Eastern Hutt Road, Lower Hutt, at 7pm. Click here for a map. 

The free workshops gently guide you through some valuable creativity techniques. All materials are supplied along with tea, coffee and nibbles. If you are interested, but can't make that time, you can request a DVD or a link to their online Creativity Workshop.

Phone 0800 278 769 or contact admissions to RSVP for the workshop, or to request a DVD copy or online link for the workshop. 

Postscript: I went to this evening, and I have to say it was absolutely marvellous. Whether you are new to art or not, you will get something out of it, and come away enthused. If you are thinking of doing the next one, don't hesitate! Check this page for future workshops. (Kerrie)

Sketching News

Since most sketchers are painters too, I thought I would let you know about this great upcoming event run by the Pumpkin Cottage Revival Artists. The goal is simply to get people out to enjoy being creative, and learn a bit about New Zealand's local art history too. Bring whatever medium and supplies you want to work with, even if it isn't paint. I hope to be there (children permitting) and will probably work in pen & ink or watercolour. For a bit of background about the Pumpkin Cottage Impressionists, click here and here. 

Sketching news

Sketching and Drawing Workshops
There are some terrific one-day sketching and drawing workshops on offer at Wellington Community Education College this year. Go to the webpages for a full description, but these workshops look perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about sketching and particularly sketching on location.
Sat 9 March, Drawing and Sketching with Kay Paget
Sat 11 May, Visual Diary for Travellers with Margaret Elliott
Sat 19 October, Visual Diary for Travellers with Margaret Elliott
Sat 30 November, Wellington: Energy, Enthusiam and Empathy with Kay Paget

Drawing magazines
International magazines have usually been pretty expensive to buy here in New Zealand. However, now you can download current and backissue copies of most magazines from Zinio, including the magazines Artists & Illustrators, Watercolor, and Drawing. If you are interested in past issues of the Drawing and Watercolor magazines, you can download backissues even cheaper directly from the publisher's website, where you can buy each year's four issues as one digital download package for US$19.

Email Wellington.Sketchers at gmail.com if you know of any courses or sketching news that we can let people know about!

Sketching Meetup: Sun, 10 Feb 2013

British Car Day will be on at Trentham Memorial Park, Upper Hutt. Apparently they are expecting hundreds of British cars, motorbikes, and even buses and fire engines to be on display. I hadn't planned to run a sketching meetup this weekend, but I love cars and couldn't resist this one. It is an annual event, however, I haven't been to it before.
The event itself goes from 10 - 3pm. Entry is via Barton Road, and costs a gold coin donation to Wellington and Wairarapa Free Ambulance. Food and drinks will be on sale, BYO picnic.
I can only make it from about 2pm, so if you are keen for a sketching meetup at this event, then email WellingtonSketchers at gmail.com and we can arrange a meeting place.

Sketching news

In sketching news, Strathmore are running another set of free online workshops. They run three free workshops twice a year on varying topics. Past workshops have included watercolour sketching, sketching people, drawing techniques, and more. To do a workshop, you need to first register on their site, which is a free and painless process. People can sign up for the workshops during February. The workshops start in March 2013, and you get sent links to each lesson, which you can do at your own pace. This round of workshops will include one on Sketching and Drawing with Toned Paper.

An example of the great sketches that can be done on toned paper. This sketch was done by urban sketcher Natalia Li, in Kiev, Ukraine. Natalia started a flickr urban sketching group in Kiev, and says that they will start sketching outdoors again in earnest once the cold winter is over. (Sketch posted here with permission of the artist. Thanks Natalia!)

In other news, if you are looking for a lightweight, foldable stool for sketching outdoors, Kathmandu currently have their brand, the Roamer Tri Stool, for around 50% off ($10 down from $19.95). I am not sure when their sale ends though.

Finally, a reminder about our next sketching meetup: SAT, 16 FEB 2013, Medieval Jousting Tournament, at Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt. Time: 9.45 - midday. Meeting place: Hill overlooking the jousting. Click here for more details

Worldwide Sketchcrawl # 38

In sketching news, the Worldwide Sketchcrawl # 38 happened on the weekend. 

What is a sketchcrawl? It is like a drawing marathon, where you set aside a day (or some of it) and just move around your city or town, recording what goes on around you in your sketchbook. The idea was started by Enrico Casarosa in San Francisco in 2006, who has turned it into a worldwide event, which sketching groups all over the world join in.  

The sketches, using all sorts of mediums and done all around the world during Sketchcrawl # 38, are displayed on the Sketchcrawl website. I think you may have to join the forum to view the pictures, but joining in free and painless. You can also view most of the sketches from previous sketchcrawls there too.

As it was Wellington Anniversary, I was away all the weekend, so I didn't organise a sketching meetup for this event. But we are all set to join in the next Worldwide Sketchcrawl, which will be number 39, on Saturday, 13 April 2013. Further details about this April meetup will be posted on our blog closer to the time. Any thoughts or suggestions? Email Wellington.Sketchers at gmail.com.    

Wellington Harbour