Tugged and Tied
Posted: July 23, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: Honolulu Harbor Leave a comment
Honolulu Harbor was active this morning. Tugboats waltzed barges around, speakers blared on a recently docked cruise ship, and numerous small vessels zipped by. From our vantage point, we could see it all… including curtains of rain missing us by just a couple of city blocks.
Show-and-tell exposed us to the usual variety of styles, techniques, and sketch sizes (this week’s extreme being a smartphone!). Special themes touched upon today: speed sketching (those barges move fast… or do we sketch slowly?) and details versus sweeping strokes. Other than that, we were grateful to Darby for holding off for the duration of our event.
As always, feedback is very welcome: if you have suggestions for future locations, or ideas regarding the format of our events, please let us know!
Also, do not forget to check out the day’s sketches on Flickr – and upload yours!
Mo‘olelo o Moanalua
Posted: July 17, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: hula, Prince Lot Hula Festival Leave a comment
The Prince Lot Hula Festival is one of our favorite events in the islands. Having missed it for several years in a row, we were excited to return this weekend to see Hālau Hula from the islands in the idyllic setting of Moanalua Gardens. The atmosphere was as wonderful as we remembered it (and so were the poi mochi). Both ancient and modern hula (hula kahiko and hula ‘auana) were performed beautifully, complemented by a concert of the Royal Hawaiian Band at noon. To us, this event embodies much of what we love about Hawai‘i: the history, mele and hula, people who care. Oh, and we managed to do a little sketching too!
Next Event!
Posted: July 11, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement Leave a comment-
- 07/23/2016
Botanical Bonanza and a Klamoring Kitty
Posted: July 9, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: botanical garden, garden, Koko Crater Botanical Garden Leave a comment
This morning we ventured into Koko Crater Botanical Garden, a place most of us had not visited in a decade, if at all. Beyond the beautiful plumeria grove that many of us remembered, the garden offers views of American Southwest, Hawaiian, and African flora. It was not all rosy though: the expanse of the grounds all but swallowed some of our sketchers in search of the ideal scene.
Appreciating the shade provided by the many stately trees on a hot day, sketchers used gouache and other color media to capture the garden’s rich hues and wildlife (birds, stray cats, and chickens), as well as pencil and pen to exhibit the stark contrasts created by the late-morning sun. Digital media did not make an appearance this time, but Ivan pointed us to magazine cover art by Jorge Colombo that nicely demonstrates digital finger painting.
Stay tuned for our next event – to be announced soon!
(For those interested, next weekend brings us the Prince Lot Hula Festival in Moanalua Valley. Let us know if you will be there too and would like to connect.)
And, as always, do not forget to check out the day’s sketches on Flickr – and upload yours!
Next Event!
Posted: July 1, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement Leave a comment-
- 07/09/2016
A Wholesome Get-together
Posted: June 30, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: Kailua, Whole Foods 2 Comments
Yesterday evening we descended upon Kailua’s Whole Foods Market. The purpose of our visit was in danger of taking a backseat to admiring and sampling the tasty and beautifully arranged food – but, once fed, we managed to focus on the task at hand. As usual there was no shortage of worthy sketch subjects. Time passed quickly, and the setting sun added challenges to those of us sketching outside.
At show-and-tell we lined a bench with our sketches and chatted about what drew us to the scenes and media we had chosen. Ivan treated us to a digital sketch of the bar area that combined computer emulations of pen and watercolor, and newcomer Eric brought a new (real life) medium into the mix: acrylic paint pens.
Since this was another, rare midweek event (evening too), we would appreciate feedback on how these work for everyone. Feel free to leave a comment or send us email. And, as always, don’t forget to check out the day’s sketches on Flickr – and upload yours!
Our next event will be on July 9 at Koko Head Botanical Garden. Stay tuned for details!
A Royal Afternoon
Posted: June 11, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: Nu‘uanu, Palace, Queen Emma, Queen Emma Summer Palace Leave a comment
Today’s sketch event at Queen Emma Summer Palace was preceded by a logistical roller coaster of sorts: Although we learned at the last minute that the palace itself would be closed, it actually was not (to the surprise of even the employees), allowing some of us to take the guided tour we had been looking forward to. Our knowledgeable guide Leilani provided a fascinating overview of Queen Emma’s life and times from the days of Kamehameha the Great to the waning years of the Hawaiian kingdom.
Our subsequent sketching session was less heartbreaking – and well attended. Covering views of the palace, the giant trees, and the palace grounds, our sketches sampled the scenes and employed an even wider range of media and techniques than usual (computer-based sketching made its second appearance at one of our gatherings). Diversity was indeed the theme of the day, with designers, writers, jewelers, and animators joining the fun. The weather was pleasant too, with only the lightest of drizzles felt on occasion.
Finally, and most importantly, we introduced a new, exciting prop for show and tell – can you spot it in our pictures? Hint: it is a #2…
As always, don’t forget to check out the day’s sketches on Flickr!
Our next event will be on June 29 at Whole Foods Kailua. Stay tuned for details!
Next Event!
Posted: May 23, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement Leave a commentAlthough the museum is closed for the holiday, the grounds and, of course, all of Nu‘uanu Valley are at the mercy of ours pens! :)
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- 06/11/2016
Honolulu Fire Museum
Posted: May 22, 2016 Filed under: USkO | Tags: fire station, firefighter, Honolulu Fire Museum 2 Comments
Our visit to the Honolulu Fire Museum on Saturday combined education and sketching, thanks to the support of the Honolulu Fire Department. Fire Inspector Kendall Ching set the scene with a brief overview of the grounds and an insightful and touching account of the history of firefighting in Honolulu, with emphasis on its origins under the Hawaiian monarchy and the determined response to the Pearl Harbor attack. In the 1 1/2 hours that followed, we found ourselves almost overwhelmed by the choice and richness of detail of firefighting paraphernalia from a bygone era.
In our traditional show-and-tell session we shared notes and thoughts on materials and techniques, and contemplated why it is so much harder to sketch scenes on location rather than from photos. Tentative conclusion: It is our brains that get in the way – in particular when it comes to proper perspective in close-up views like the ones we encountered frequently here!
We hope to be back at the Honolulu Fire Museum to hear more about historical events and developments – and to again tackle sketching all the chrome and brass, bells and nozzles, ladders and pumps.
Until then, we hope that you will check out our sketches on Flickr and join us at our next event!
AJ Tauber
Harald Ebeling
Terri Dux
noah kutaka
Susan Li
Sebastian
uskoadmin
Urban Sketchers O‘ahu 