urban sketching – Raw Materials Art Supplies

Strathmore 2019 Online Workshop Series 2: Urban Sketching Basics

Posted on April 6, 2019January 21, 2019 by Celia

Strathmore’s next FREE Online Workshop will be starting up again next month and we are so excited for this virtual classroom! Next up, Urban Sketching Essentials with artist/instructor Alphonso Dunn, starting May 6, 2019!

We’re big fans of Urban Sketching, it’s one of the most fun, fulfilling, and adventurous artistic endeavors you can experience. There is no doubt drawing on location can be a bit intimidating. In this compact and beginner-friendly workshop you will learn the essentials you need to get going in this incredibly liberating art form. Topics include, starting supplies, drawing mechanics, watercolor basics, compositional elements, simplifying scenes, and tips and techniques for handling pen and ink. These and more will be covered. Join in to learn invaluable tips, tricks, and techniques that will inspire you to explore your world with confidence!

Here is basic information about Strathmore Online Workshops:

Workshops are self-paced. You participate when you want.
If you registered for the Online Workshops, you will receive an email at the start of each Workshop. Note that you will not be receiving an email each week a workshop lesson is published (only at the start of the workshop).
Each Workshop has 4 weekly lessons. Once a workshop begins, a lesson is published on the Workshop page each week for four weeks. Once the lessons are published, they will stay active on the site until December 31.
In addition to the lessons, students can participate in conversations on our discussion boards or share work in the classroom photo gallery.
Each weekly lesson includes a video lesson and downloadable instruction sheet. You will complete assignments on your own, at your own pace. Due to the size of the classes, there is no formal instructor review of your assignments.
Instructors will actively participate at the start of each workshop through the first 4 weeks. Instructors will post tips and comments during this time. However, due to the size of the classes, they may not be able to respond to all of students’ questions or comments. Strathmore will be helping out our instructors during this time. After the 4 weeks, Strathmore will continue to monitor classroom discussions and answer questions, with the help of the instructor as needed.

Who is up for a drawing challenge?

Posted on April 5, 2019March 25, 2019 by Celia

#OneWeek100People2019
April 8-12th, 2019

For the third year in a row, artists Marc Taro Holmes, Suhita Shirodkar and Liz Steel bring you #OneWeek100People2019.

The simple goal is: Draw 100 people in one week.

The real goal is PRACTICE. Not perfection. Every artist needs to sketch as much as possible, but we want to have fun and just stretch a little. To get 100 people in a 5-day week (we don’t like working weekends) you’ll need to draw about 20 people a day. But they don’t have to be more than a one-minute gesture drawing.

We just want everyone to see what it feels like to follow through on that advice ‘practice every day’. It’s a big commitment. But it’s possible to do without completely disrupting your life. Or at least you can choose how disruptive you want it to be.

Here’s how to participate:
– You can do it any way you want – just have fun with it!
– Sketch from life, or from any reference material. Use any media or size, as draw as fast or slow as you like. Whatever you’d like to practice most.
– Post your work during the week of April 8-12, to the dedicated facebook group.
– Please don’t post on other Urban Sketchers groups. We don’t want to flood the regularly scheduled activities. In previous years, there was a lot of art!
– You can also post on your personal social media of choice, (Instagram, Twitter) using the hashtag #OneWeek100People2019. That way everyone can find your work.

Some suggestions on reaching that goal:
– Aim to get to a 100 sketches. But don’t skip the challenge just because you feel you won’t get there- hey, 25 people sketches that week is better than zero
– Maybe plan to swap out any ‘free time’ for drawing. Tivo your shows, skip the gym or video gaming night – just for one week.
– Be prepared! Make a list of crowded places to draw people. Visit a park, the public library, go shopping, or to a sporting event. Maybe search out public performances. Live music at a pub, a lecture, or reading.
– Go drawing in groups! If it looks like you’re a club or a class, people give you the benefit of the doubt.
– If you don’t want to do it live-on-location, cue up a YouTube play list, sign up for Flickr, or download the iOS app SKTCHY.
– Give yourself permission to succeed. Don’t overthink the results – just draw! I promise you’ll see results at the end of the week. No matter how fast you sketch, over a whole week, at least ONE will be amazing

Please share the news with your friends!

Will you be joining?

QoR MINI Watercolor Set: Compact Color for artists on the move

Posted on March 16, 2019March 7, 2019 by Celia

MINI Watercolor Set by QoR fits 12 half pan watercolors in a tin smaller than an index card. It fits perfectly in pocket or purse for urban sketching and plein air painting and is on sale for 40% off!!!

The deep, rich, beautiful color of QoR Modern Watercolors with its exclusive Aquazol binder provides more pigment in every brushstroke, while retaining the best qualities of traditional watercolors. Strength, versatility, and now convenience and mobility are part of the Qor Story – and at 40% off list price! Get this set for $69.99 (list price $99.99) while supplies last!

Features include:

Stamped wells on tin lid offer convenient mixing space
Innovative non-staining silicone insert with embossed letters next to each pan
Standard size removable/refillable half pans; and
Watercolor paper insert to paint out a color reference key

Vibrant, clean mixing primary colors along with convenient secondary and earth colors includes: Cadmium Yellow Primrose, Nickel Azo Yellow, Transparent Pyrrole Orange, Pyrrole Red Medium, Quinacridone Magenta, Dioxazine Purple, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Sap Green, Payne’s Gray, Transparent Brown Oxide, and Burnt Umber

Every Artist Needs A Playground

Posted on February 24, 2019February 21, 2019 by Celia

Notebooks and sketch pads have been the place where artists let their ideas run free for years. Solid notebook/pad construction and quality papers are ideal for daily play and experimentation with dry media. A wide range of paper for different skill levels and a variety of formats means we have the right notebook and/or sketch pad for you. Here are a few of our favorites:

This Urban Sketch Book by Sennelier offers a highly functional design for the on-location artist. The 340g weighted paper and 6″ x 4″ dimensions provide a great surface for panoramic proportions, or enough space for several small sketches. On sale for $8.98 (list $17.95) while supplies last!!!

These 3feet Memo Pads by Maruman are designed to always be at hand — never more than three feet away. The cover is pre-creased so the top folds over easily, and a small cut-out in the back of the pads holds the cover in place. Pages are perforated for easy removal. These pads are one sale for 10% off every day.

These classic, soft-bound Leather Journals by Lamali are handmade in Nepal, tailored with a sturdy leather strap closure and filled with sheets of handmade, deckled Lokta paper. The espresso brown leather cover has a black stitched binding which enables the journal to lie flat when opened. These are perfect for recording your thoughts and memories. These Journals are 20% off, every day.

EcoQua Notebooks by Fabriano have wonderfully colorful covers and are ideal for writing and drafting in pen, pencil and marker. Made in Italy, they contain environmentally-friendly FSC certified 57 lb. (85gsm) paper that is chlorine-free, acid-free, and completely recyclable. Available with lined, blank or standard grid sheets, and on sale for 20% off, every day.

Small in size, big in scope, and on sale for 30% off every day. The ten panels in the accordion-fold Dream Catcher Journals by Pentalic allow you to create individual sketches or one long panoramic one. Expands from 4″ × 6″ to 6″ × 40″. The watercolor version has acid-free 140 lb. cold press surface for watercolor as well as pen and ink. The drawing version has acid-free 104 lb. paper that is perfect for all dry media as well as pen and ink.

Dot Grid Traveler Pocket Journals by Pentalic

Traveler Pocket Journals by Pentalic are on sale for 25% off, every day! Available in Blank Sketch, Midnight Sketch, Ruled, Grid, and Dot Grid formats. Wherever you go, capture life as it happens with this art journal designed to fit anywhere. We dig the Dot Grid Traveler Journal – 160 pages of acid-free, slightly toothy, recycled 74 lb. (120 gsm) bright white sketch paper with a 5mm dot interval pattern – perfect for sketching, bullet journaling, notes, and field work. Includes an elastic closure, ribbon marker, back page pocket and flexible, water-resistant Italian made cover.

All Vision Pads by Strathmore, including these Vision Mixed Media Pads are on sale for 40% off through Feb. 28th!!! These pads are our favorite bc they feature a versatile, medium weight, all-purpose paper in a sketching format – a good choice for dry and light wet media sketching. All sizes feature 70 sheets per pad, sturdy chipboard backing, and tear-off top sheets with customizable, steel blue mixed media covers below.