Drawing your surroundings is such an amazing exercise to incorporate into your daily art practices.
Our neighbourhoods are filled with the most amazing sights, architecture and natural beauty. Urban Sketchers regularly explore their creative side and wander off into their surrounding neighbourhoods. Sometimes, being stuck indoor's isn't what you had in mind when you where told to stay home during isolation & this is why I want to bring Urban Sketching to your attention.
So, you may want to know what Urban Sketching is all about?
We can turn to our previous pass-times & look at travelling. Some people keep a drawing record of their travels. The stories of our lives are a huge part of our human nature. Our predecessor cave men started to draw thee animal encounters & special events on rock with clay, ash & spit or what they had available to them.
When I talk about Urban Sketching, I don’t want you to think that it is only for city-scapes and church towers. Instead, let's place our focus on our suburban, native areas. As creatives and creative explorers, we can easily find a spot under a tree in our own gardens overlooking the streets we live in to see that those scenes are Urban Sketching ready. Another wonderful way to be an excellent Urban Sketcher is to sit in your car and draw the people walking around any busy area like malls and parks. It is quit exciting to draw a jogger as you have a limited time to capture the fast moving objects as they disappear behind trees and other things in the way. Capture the people, the places and the everyday things around us in our Sketchbooks is exactly what brings me to this post today. While we are not allowed to travel or visit our museums the way we used to be able to, we can still find an abundant amount of inspiration in the pages of travel magazines and publications of exotic destinations. They too can become a diary tip in of your Artistic journey.
I recently undertook a similar journey to Vincent van Goghs' Studio in the South through the pages of a library book. Urban Sketching shouldn't just be a way to get out, it is a great way to connect with your inner muse and take on a subject of interest. Study your beloved Artist or Mentor yourself through the next large commission.
In the current internet climate we find ourselves & social media groups eagerly come together on various platforms, with Urban Sketchers from around the world sharing & connecting in a way we never before embraced quite like the present.
Consider the amount of creativity & information you can cover when you become an Urban Sketcher.
The subject matters are truly endless and what's more is that there are very few creative practices where you can explore every aspect of Art as widely as in your Sketchbooks. The feeling of even more presence & connection with your subject in an intimate moment captured in a Sketch is the ultimate stress free indulgence of an Artist.
While you explore the essence of Urban Sketching from life of reference, you get to tell a story in the pages of a memoir, forever recording your unique artistic impression of the world and your experiences.
Whatever you choose to do after today's short blog post, know this for sure, your Sketchbook is the portal to another world beyond the reach of anyone else.
#UrbanArt #Community # sketch #Sketchbook