Do you like to sketch on your own? Do you want to join a group to meet-up with and share your sketchbooks over coffee or drinks? Join us during a week long celebration of International Urban Sketchers Week World Wide taking place between May 1 – 7, 2024.
You are invited! Come as you are and participate as you wish. Sketch and use the hashtag #UKSWeek2024. Here are our resources, tips, and suggestions for sketching in Edmonton, Alberta during this week:
Join a local group like Urban Sketchers Edmonton.
What is an Urban Sketch?
An urban sketch is a drawing created on location, indoors or outside, capturing what the sketcher sees from direct observation. It is an urban sketch as long as a sketcher has captured the essence of the moment and place on location.
- Urban sketching’s primary goal is storytelling, witnessing, and recording using any medium.
- A portrait, still life, or landscape is not an urban sketch unless included within a specific place on location.
- An urban sketch is not sketched from a photograph or your imagination but rather directly from observation.
Exhibition by Urban Sketchers Edmonton (USKE)
May 1 – 31, 2024 at The Paint Spot 10032 81 Avenue. Take a look through the sketchbooks on display by the Urban Sketchers Edmonton and get inspired to start urban sketching yourself. See more about the informal group and their local meet-up times and locations by joining Urban Sketchers Edmonton on Facebook.
Gearing Up and Classes for Urban Sketching
FREE ZOOM PRESENTATION Wednesday May 1, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Join Kim Fjordbotten for a talk and demonstration about materials and tips presented by The Paint Spot and other artists. We will share cool tools and quick sketch techniques to show how easy and fun it is to get started, and Zoom is great because everyone has front row seats to the demo. FREE but RSVP is required.
Instagram Contest: Chance to Win a $100 Gift Card to The Paint Spot
May 1 – 7, 2024. Be sure to post photos of you and your friends while out in Old Strathcona drawing together; looking at sketchbooks during your meet-up; or sharing a sketch in progress. Please post on Instagram and use the hashtags #USKWeek2024 and tag @thepaintspot. Then you’ll be entered into a random draw for a $100 gift card to use at The Paint Spot for art supplies or art classes.
Per Instagram’s rules, this giveaway is not associated with Instagram, Inc. in any way and is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Instagram, Inc. By entering, you confirm that you are 13+ years of age, you agree with Instagram’s terms of use, and you release Instagram of any responsibility. Contest closes May 7 at midnight and the winner will be announced on May 8 by noon. The winner will notified by direct message and the gift card will be picked up at The Paint Spot
Sketch in Old Strathcona #USkWeek2024
MAY 1 – Theme: Heritage Buildings
Start International Urban Sketcher Week off by drawing one of the many heritage buildings in Old Strathcona. There is no shortage to choose from in this area! Visit this link for ideas if you’re stuck.
MAY 2 – Theme: Café & Restaurants
Choosing from the many unique cafes and restaurants in Old Strathcona is part of the fun of visiting the area. Be sure to pop in for a meal, drink, sweet treat, and even make a sketch while you are there.
Bonus: Drop into Block 1912 Cafe (10361 82 Ave) between 7-9 pm and join their weekly drawing night.
MAY 3 – Theatre & Music Venues
Old Strathcona has a vibrant theatre and music scene. Sketch the building or take in a show and make a drawing while you’re at it. Don’t forget about all the other venues with live music on Whyte Ave! Below is a short list. Click here for links and addresses to plan your urban sketching adventure.
- Workshop West
- Grindstone Theatre
- Fringe Theatre
- Rapid Fire Theatre
- Varscona Theatre
- Northern Light Theatre
- Walterdale Theatre
- The Yardbird Suite
- Cosmopolitan Music Society
- Blues on Whyte
MAY 4 – Sketch Meet Up
- 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Meet at The Paint Spot (10032 81 Ave NW) and look through the sketchbooks by members of USKE.
- 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Go together and sketch outdoors in and around Old Strathcona. There are many places to pop into if the weather turns poor, but participants should ask permission to sketch before occupying space in a café or restaurant.
- 1:00 PM Meet at Maki Maki Lounge (8109 101 St NW) for lunch and sharing sketches.
MAY 5 – Sketch Crawl
- 12:30 – 1:00 PM – Meet at The Paint Spot (10032 81 Ave NW) and look through the sketchbooks by members of USKE.
- 1:00 PM– The sketch crawl begins! Sketch in the area (approximately between Gateway Blvd and 99 St, and between 82 Ave and 79 Ave).
- 3:00 PM – Meet at Remedy Café to share sketches and get a treat. Sketch Around YEG Club isn’t complete without coffee and treats post-sketching!
- See more about Urban Sketching Edmonton including their local meet-up times and locations by joining Sketch Around YEG Club on Facebook or follow them on instragram @sketcharoundyeg.
MAY 5 – Theme: Green Spaces
Spend Sunday sketching at one of Old Strathcona’s urban parks. Visit this link for a listing of some of the parks in the area.
MAY 6 – Urban Sketching with Markers Workshop
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Art Class with Oksana Zhelisko Urban sketching is an affective way to document what you see around you and to create your own treasured memories. In this class you will learn how to create lively, simplified urban sketches by using markers and pencils. Registration Fee $50
MAY 6 – Theme: Places of Worship
Architecture enthusiasts rejoice! Seek out one of the many places of worship in the Old Strathcona area for today’s drawing theme.
MAY 7 – Theme: Buildings with Murals
Go big for the final day! Sketch a building with a mural. Use the Old Strathcona Mural Map to locate one close to you.
Share Your Art in the Online Gallery
Please share your images of Old Strathcona created during #USKWeek2024. This is an online gallery curated by you. Use this form to quickly upload your images and it will update live immediately. We will share this link via social media and e-newsletters for you see what everyone else is drawing too!
