Celebrate Lei Day for International Urban Sketchers Week

Posted: April 26, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | Leave a comment

May 1 – 7 is International Urban Sketchers Week!

To celebrate, we will be sketching the 96th Annual Lei Day celebration at Kapiolani Park. Read more about the festivities.

We will not be gathering as a group as this is a Wednesday and the event is all day. Instead, go to Kapiolani Park anytime between 9am and 5pm and sketch the leis, hula dancers, or any activity that represents Lei Day in Hawaii.

If you have Instagram, post your sketch using #uskweek2024 and tag us at @urbansketchersoahu. Also email your sketch to uskoahu@gmail.com and I will post it on our website.

Let’s show the world our Aloha spirit and get sketching!

Keep It Simple With Earth Day Sketches

Posted: April 20, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | Tags: art, sketching, urban sketchers, urban-sketching, watercolor | 1 Comment

Every time I’m in Kaimuki, I think why don’t I visit here more often. The community is bustling with quaint coffee shops, vintage stores, and trendy eateries. Today, we got to sketch one of those unique little boutiques on busy Waialae Ave.

Keep It Simple is a local retail and refill store. You refill your own containers with common household products therefore reducing the waste of thousands of one-time use plastic bottles in our landfill.

Today, they celebrated Earth Day with an Earth Day Festival. This was our chance as Urban Sketchers to sketch their storefront.

It was just the three of us sketchers but it gave us time to talk and enjoy each other’s company.

It’s fun to share our love of our community through our sketches. That’s the heart of urban sketching.

It was an honor to meet Keep It Simple store owners Hunter (left) and Jill (right). Next time you’re in Kaimuki, be sure to check out this unique shop.

Earth Day is Monday, April 22. As artists, how do you celebrate Earth Day?

SAVE THE DATE: May 1, 2024

On May 1, we are participating in International Urban Sketchers Week. More details to come.

How Do You Sketch Earth Day? (updated)

Posted: April 8, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | Tags: art, drawing, sketch, sketching, urban-sketching | Leave a comment

Earth Day is actually on Monday, April 22. But since we usually meet on Saturday, we will be sketching on April 20 in Kaimuki.

UPDATED: Let’s meet across the street of Keep It Simple on Waialae Ave. If you’ve never been there, Keep It Simple is a cute boutique shop with a mission to provide “Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Non-Toxic, Reef Safe products,” according to their website. Address is 3466 Waialae Ave.

On April 20, the store is doing a little Earth Day Festival with sustainable vendors, crafts, music, food, drinks and fun. Bring your empty containers to refill with daily household products!

As Urban Sketchers, I thought it would be an interesting twist to sketch their cute storefront in historic Kaimuki. You can also choose to sketch the busy Waialae Ave or neighboring shops. Kaimuki is full of historical charm so there is a lot to focus on. We will meet at 10am and share our sketches as a group at 11:30.

Parking is available on the street. If attending, RSVP by Friday, April 19 at uskoahu@gmail.com. I hope you can join us.

Happy sketching,

Terri

How Do You Sketch 20,000 People

Posted: March 30, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | Tags: art, drawing, hawaiiconventioncenter, kawaiikon, sketch, sketching, urban-sketching, urbansketchers | 4 Comments

When I planned Urban Sketching at Kawaii Kon, I thought it would be pretty casual. We walk in. Get a comfortable seat on the upper level where there is plenty of seating and sketch away. I was wrong.

Security has been upgraded to TSA screening. And with metal detectors at the front door, the line, or should I say the mob of young people formed endless lines in every direction. It was impossible for us, Urban Sketchers to enter the convention center.

Thank you sketchers who braved the traffic, weather, and crowds to sketch what we could. As Urban Sketchers, we tell a story, a snapshot of today. And that we did proudly!

The questions of the day to ponder was: Why is art important to me? What’s an early event that first interested you in art? We love hearing how art influenced you at such an early age. And how art is critical thinking or stress-relieving. How would you answer those questions?

Save the Date

Pencil April 20 for our next Urban Sketchers event. I don’t have an event or location yet, so email me with suggestions.

Ready to Sketch People Wearing the Most Amazing Costumes

Posted: March 17, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | Tags: anime, asia, cute, japan, kawaii | Leave a comment

Aloha Oah’u Urban Sketchers! It’s been a long time since we’ve sketched together but I hope you are still sketching on your own. Maybe even daily!

As promised, our next meet up is the last Saturday of March at the Hawai’i Convention Center.

That’s right! We’ll be sketching at this year’s Kawaii Kon.

What is Kawaii Kon?

Kawaii Kon is a 3-day convention that celebrates Japanese anime (cartoons), manga (comics) and the culture. This event attracts hundreds of anime and manga fans, including the most amazing costumes, commercial and homemade. Visit the official Kawaii Kon website for more info.

We will not be attending the convention itself, as the admission is quite pricy: $50-$60 per day. But, believe me, there is plenty of opportunity to sketch just by hanging around the convention center itself.

We’ll meet at the statue right outside the Hawai’i Convention Center on March 30 at 10am. Parking at the convention center is expensive and limited so I suggest you find alternate parking elsewhere.

As usual, please RSVP your attendance by Friday, March 29 at uskoahu@gmail.com. I hope you can all make it!

Happy sketching,
Terri

Welcoming the Year of the Dragon with Pencil and Paint

Posted: February 10, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | 1 Comment

Despite the large crowds, loud drums, and colorful lion dances, we did manage to sketch at the Lunar New Year celebration at SALT our Kaka’ako.

It was just a few of us Urban Sketchers this time but we did have fun.

We lost Sumi in the crowd for the group picture but I did snap this photo before we separated.

Today’s art question was: What art tip would you give to your earlier self? Great responses included “Keep going,” “Start early,” “Art is fun. Art is therapy,” “It’s not the subject. It’s the composition.”

While most of us completed one sketch, Noah completed SIX!

Save the date! Our next meetup will be March 30th at the Hawaii Convention Center. Hope to see all of your faces there. It will be a blast!

How Do You Sketch the Lunar New Year

Posted: February 4, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | 1 Comment

Apologies to the late post. I think I got my dates mixed up. Our next sketching event is THIS Saturday.

We will meet Saturday, February 10th 11am to 1pm at SALT Our Kakaako. Please check their website for details. There will be martial arts demonstrations and a lion dance from 11am to noon.

I suggest arriving early for parking in the structure. There is street parking available also.

As usual, please RSVP your attendance by this Friday at uskoahu@gmail.com. I hope you can all make it!

Happy sketching,
Terri

Why Urban Sketchers is a True Community

Posted: January 20, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | 3 Comments

When we come together to sketch our diverse community, we not only connect with other local artists, we also open our doors to artists across the globe to join us.

Today, we were very honored to have Suma, visiting Hawai’i from Urban Sketchers San Francisco area. Suma also sits on the advisory board of Urban Sketchers.

If you don’t already know, Urban Sketchers is a global community of sketchers with more than 300 chapters worldwide.

Sketching can be a very isolated hobby, but when we sketch together, we inspire and learn from one another. That’s what makes Urban Sketchers a true community.

I was also honored to meet John, a long time sketcher this morning. He left early because he has already finished his sketch when I arrived but I wanted to share his sketch. Hopefully, more of you can talk story with him the next time.

The Hawaii State Public Library was a great place to kick off 2024. This historical building will turn 111 on February 1.

Thank you for everyone who joined us to sketch outside and inside the library. It’s always inspiring to see everyone’s art, whether it’s pen and ink, watercolor, or digital.

As a group, we shared our individual goals as artists for 2024. Good luck with your all your goals. While they are all different, we all strive to improve and become better artists in 2024. Love that.

Keep sketching Urban Sketchers! See you next month.

Terri

First Meet Up in 2024

Posted: January 7, 2024 | Author: Terri Dux | Filed under: USkO | 2 Comments

Happy New Year Urban Sketchers! I hope you enjoyed the holidays celebrating, eating and of course sketching.

Let’s get together in January!

Originally, we were going to meet at the State Capitol, but since it’s still being renovated, let’s meet at the Hawaii State Public Library instead.

About the Hawaii State Public Library

According to their website, the Hawaii State Public Library is Hawaii’s first public library and officially opened to the public on February 1, 1913. The front columns identify the building as a Carnegie library. In 1978, the building was designated a historic site and added to the National Register of Historic Places. Read more about this historical landmark.

The library will be open and you can choose to sketch inside or outside the library. We are also close to other historic buildings such as Kawaiahaʻo Church and Honolulu Hale. But let’s meet at 10am in front of the library to get started.

If attending, please RSVP to uskoahu@gmail.com by January 19th. Hope to see you on the 20th!