Saturday, February 24, 2018

USK Meetup at Starbucks


Nine sketchers met at Starbucks (Hilldale Target). 

 With the large windows overlooking University Ave there was a variety of scenes to sketch.


If you are interested in drawing musicians you might want to check out Bach Around the Clock. The event runs from 10 am to 10 pm on March 10th at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Regent St. Thank you Gretchen for letting us know about this event. More information can be found in the following link: Bach Around the Clock

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

USK February Meetup at Olbrich Gardens

It was certainly cold outside on Sunday, but warm inside Olbrich Gardens on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin. Seven sketchers happily took advantage and produced some interesting sketches.

Dave, Becky and Jeanie joined us for the first time - please come back!

We all remarked about the variety of what we saw....



Everyone but me smartly went into the observatory, I stayed out in the common area. I had decided to contrast my frozen deck that morning with the plant I found by the bench I was sitting on.



Next up, Starbucks in Target on the Westside at Hilldale. The advantage is, you can pick up your groceries after you're done sketching!
Stay tuned for more events as we begin to think of warmer weather...outside again.
Stay creative,
Ruth

Friday, February 2, 2018

Urban Sketchers News for February: Drawing Attention

Here's the link for the monthly news for Urban Sketchers.  The format was changed a couple months ago and can be read online as a magazine.  Very cool.  And there is a segment from NBC Nightly News featuring a USK group in Syracuse, NY.    www.urbansketchers.org/2018/01/drawing-attention-february-2018.html

Monday, January 29, 2018

Sketchers Abound at the Memorial Union

Such a great way to start a weekend, a good sized group of sketchers doing what they do best; sharing tools, enthusiasm, and sketching.

I decided to stay at our meet-up spot in Peets Coffee with Mercedes and Mary, but many went off in different directions. The weather was lovely (it's hard to keep track of that in WI this winter). We reconvened as usual for photos and examining our sketchbooks together.

we had to have two photos of sketchbooks, we had such a good showing!


great place to sketch at Peet's Coffee...not to mention good coffee



Stillman and Birns sketchbook, micron  pen and watercolor

Continue to check both our blog and our Facebook page for updates....and if you ever have any great new ideas for sketch meet-ups let us know, we'd love to hear from you.

Happy Sketching
Ruth

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Next Sketching Date: Saturday January 27th - Memorial Union

We will meet this Saturday from 10 am to noon at the Memorial Union for sketching.  Meet just inside the main entrance (outside Peets Coffee).  We usually spread out a bit but if you come late just look around and you are sure to find a sketcher at work.

As always we draw what we are seeing around us with the art supplies of our choice.  Below is an old ink and watercolor sketch of mine of a student studying and a frozen Lake Mendota.
Lake Mendota from Memorial Union winter 2012

Sunday, January 21, 2018

A Few More Photos from the Chocolaterian on Jan. 14th

Front row left to right: Ben, Ruth, Mike, Mercedes
Back row left to right:  Joel, Gretchen, Louise, Pam

Sarah shooting her cocoa

Left to right: Carolyn, Tsela, Deborah, Linda

Deborah, Linda and Cindy

Waiting for my tune up at Smart Motors

Saturday, January 20, 2018

A small sketch to start the weekend. With the warmer weather maybe I'll venture outside to sketch.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Article by Madison Sketcher

Madison sketcher, Vivien Ahrens, had an excellent article about Urban Sketchers published in December on the website Emergent Art Space.  http://emergentartspace.org/forum/50746/  We met Vivien in November when she came to our Sun Prairie Sketchcrawl.  She is from Germany and has sketched with USK groups in Europe and the US.  We are happy to have her in our Madison group!! 
Vivien and Carol at the Sketchcrawl lunch

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Sunday January 14, 2018 - Chocolaterian Cafe - Middleton

We had a record number of sketchers today (19) including 3 new sketchers who were most welcome.  The food was great and the staff welcoming and kind enough to take this picture of the group. 

And we now have a Facebook page where we can post photos of people, places and sketches.  Our upcoming events will be posted on Facebook under the Event tab as well as on our Event Calendar on this blog.  The link to our Facebook page is:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/946377982180736/
This link can also be found on our blog under "How to Participate").

Thanks to everyone who came out today to share their sketches and got 2018 off to a great start for USK Madison!!  We will add a another sketch date for January soon and will meet at Olbrich Gardens on Feb. 11th.  Keep warm and keep sketching!!
Great turnout on a cold winter's day!

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Cabin Fever

I didn't do near the sketching I had hoped to do this holiday, but one day after the New Year while my daughter was visiting me we declared a state of Cabin Fever and planned an outing. One important part of the trip was a stop at The Shoe Box. I think I should go back there when its warmer to draw it, it's quite the place.
But of course first we had to have lunch.

La Mexicana on Water St. in Saulk City WI

This is the view from the inside as we happily ate burritos. Ignore the shoe if you are a rigid urban sketcher. I drew it from life, but later in the house.

Mostly I wanted to show you our coffee stop in Cross Plains, on the way back from the shoe store. Another nice area to revisit when it's time to draw outside. This was a perfect stop during single digit weather.

Crossroads Cafe, Cross Plains, WI
Both sketches done with micron pens, my little watercolor kit , a few colored pencils , and all on my Stillman and Birns sketchbook.

Stay Creative!
Ruth

Saturday, January 6, 2018

My 1st Urban Sketch of 2018

After lunch with friends at the Concourse Hotel (the best salad bar in town!!) I had a latte and sketched  one of the patrons.  I like the Tombow brushpens.  Watersoluble so no odor and they come in lots of colors.  Artist and Craftsman downtown has a big selection and good prices.  
Tombow brushpens & Stillman & Birn Beta softcover sketchbook


Thursday, January 4, 2018

Happy New Year to Urban Sketchers Madison!!

Hope you all had lovely holidays and a chance to do some sketching.  The meeting scheduled for Saturday January 6th has been cancelled due to the severe cold weather which is forecast well below zero Saturday morning.

 Our next meeting will be on January 14th at the Middleton Chocolaterian Cafe from 1 to 3pm.  We have been to the east side location many times but this is our first outing to the Middleton cafe.  It looks very nice and has the same goodies on offer.  Hope to see you then when it will be a bit warmer, too.  Please post any urban sketches you did over the holidays!

The new format for Drawing Attention, the monthly online newsletter from Urban Sketchers has a new format and is like an online book.  I love it!!  The link is here:  www.urbansketchers.org/2017/12/drawing-attention-january-2018.html

Also re: our email list.  It  has been getting longer and a bit more difficult to keep updated.  I want to make sure everyone who wants one is getting an email reminder about meetings, etc.  If you did not get the email reminder I sent Thursday morning and would like to be added to the list please email me at: pwafer@charter.net    Also if you would like to be removed from the list at any time just let me know.  Thanks!!!    Pat

Saturday, December 2, 2017

WI State Historical Society

Three sketchers started their Saturday at the reading room of the Historical Society in downtown Madison near the Student Union. There's more than one entrance and of course I went in a different one than Cindy and Dave, but we met up on the second floor and had a wonderfully quiet time admiring the details in that space.

from the left, Cindy, Ruth, and Dave

Cindy even coerced a nice UW student for an official portrait.


This was our final meet up for 2017, but don't stop sketching now...there will be plenty to document during the upcoming holidays.
Enjoy them and look for more plans to sketch together in 2018 on the events calendar.

Ruth

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Sun Prairie Sketching - my entry

Our group had such a great time on our field trip - thanks again Pat for this idea - and I came home to a sketch that needed a bit of color. The Beans & Cream Cafe in Sun Prairie had a wonderful display of children's work - autumn trees - rich autumn colors to inspire anyone...


my friends Elsie, Mercedes, Vivian and Deb...watercolor and micron pen

My daughter and her boyfriend joined in the sketchcrawl from Spain, where they live. A visit to a town north of Madrid produced this sketch....




These connections all over the world, united in our interest in showing the world, one sketch at a time, where we live and what we do... how wonderful!


Join us in December when we meet once again in Madison at the Historical Society in downtown Madison - check out our Events tab for more great sketch meet ups in 2018.

And stay creative.


Saturday, November 11, 2017

WW Sketchcrawl - Sun Prairie, Wi. - November 11th, 2017

Sketching at the Bean and Cream Coffeehouse
Talking sketching at Market Street Diner
Carol did her crawl at the Holiday Bazaar in Madison on her way to Sun Prairie
We had a great bunch of sketchers come out to Sun Prairie today to sketch for the WW Sketchcrawl.  Our group photo was to have been posted on Instagram today with the others from Urban Sketchers all over the world.  We had a total of 14 sketchers come out and for 4 of them it was their first time so we hope they will come back soon!!  Sketchers came from as far away as Platteville and Prairie du Sac today as well as the Madison area and one recently moved here from Germany and had sketched with Urban Sketchers Munich!  So we really had a pretty international group today!  I think everyone enjoyed having the "party room" at the Market Street Diner so we could spread out our sketchbooks and talk sketching.  It is pretty amazing that our group was just one of many groups and individuals sketching all over the world today.  I was impressed with the level of skill and commitment to drawing our world shown by everyone there today.  Well done, USK Madison!!!

Our next outing will be on December 2nd at the State Historical Society on Library Mall from 10 am to Noon.  (See Events Calendar) The reading room there is a great place to sketch and thermoses are allowed so bring that morning coffee, tea or whatever!
Urban Sketchers Madison with their Sun Prairie Sketches from today's WW Sketchcrawl

Saturday, November 4, 2017

WW Sketchcrawl with Urban Sketchers - Saturday Nov. 11th - Sun Prairie, Wi

Saturday Nov. 11th is the date for the 57th World Wide Sketchcrawl and Urban Sketchers all over the world will be participating and posting their sketches and photos of their groups on Instagram.  If all goes according to plan ours will be featured between 2:15 and 2:30pm CST.  Elsie will be posting them for us.  http://www.urbansketchers.org/2017/11/drawing-attention-november-2017.html

We chose to go to Sun Prairie for sketching to avoid the Iowa vs Wisconsin football traffic.  We will meet at the Bean and Cream Coffeehouse at Cannery Square at 11am and have lunch at the Market Street Diner across the street.  There is a nice little park there also but may be too cold to sketch outdoors.  The diner has a nice party room that we reserved with lots of table room.  Hope to see you there!  Cannery Square is just off Main St. in Sun Prairie.


Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The Southwest

I have been in Durango, CO, and SE Utah.

Smiley Cafe is a Depression Era Middle and High School in Durango, now very popular as a cafe and office/studio space. Watercolor in Stillman & Birn sketchbook:

Sand Island campground is at the southern edge of Bears Ears National Monument.  Bluff, the nearest town, has about 320 population and was founded in 624.  These are cottonwoods as they are just turning to gold in early Oct:

This sketch is in watercolor in a Moleskin notebook.  The paper doesn't take watercolor easily, but it can be coaxed.

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Back at Olbrich Gardens

USK Madison met today, Sunday, at Olbrich Gardens and none too soon; several of us remarked on the much needed sense of peace and calm the garden gave us, both inside and out. What a wonderful day.



We had 10 people turn out, including new member Sally (gosh I hope I have that name right Sally) regardless, she had a good time and said she would be back. A few brave souls (Louise among them of course) braved the cold, most of us stayed inside with the canaries and orchids and soaked up the warmth.

Jean sketching the indoor tropics


Cindy shows a very cool bag she bought....I forgot the name - "Darcy", perhaps?


The Crew show off their sketches


My watercolor, Stillman & Birns, micron pen and paint

A great way to spend the day...see you in November for World Wide Sketchcrawl day!

Friday, October 13, 2017

UW Arboretum Saturday October 7th

I think there were at least 4 of us at the Arboretum on Saturday.  I came late but did sit outside under a tree in the wind long enough to sketch this with watercolor pencils.  There is an article about it in this week's Isthums.  The clouds parted for a few minutes for a glimpse of blue sky.  Hopefully next week we are due for more sunshine.
Arch created by Mike Burns for the Horticultural Gardens

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Liquor Store Signs

There are so many amazing liquor store signs in Madison (hey it's Wisconsin...) that I decided to do a sketchbook series of some of them. I have 5 picked out to do so far, my first I did a week or so ago near the corner of Regent and Park, aptly named Regent Liquor.


My always favorite Stillman and Birn spiral sketchbook and some watercolor paint.

Next up, University Ave.
Stay tuned