Halloween
Posted: November 2, 2015 Filed under: USkO 2 CommentsAlthough I no longer dress up in costume for Halloween, I still enjoy going out to see other people run around with their trick-or-treat bags. Mānoa Valley is a popular Halloween destination – candy is handed out generously and people of all ages get into the spirit.
Before entering the fray myself, I couldn’t help but sketch the sunset from an elevated vantage point in upper Mānoa.
Then, I made a beeline down to faculty housing which is a hub of activity in the valley.
Two residents made an enormous effort to transform their housing unit for Halloween. Not only had they made a stunning ship, which they manned as pirates, but they incorporated a history lesson. The ship was flying a USA-pirate flag, and a flickering image of Queen Lili‘uokalani behind bars was projected onto the balcony. A recorded voice from within the bow told trick-or-treaters about the USS Boston’s involvement in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. All in all, it was an impressive installation complete with a fog machine creating a spooky scene!
These stationary subjects were easier to sketch than the kids racing around!
November Event Announcement
Posted: November 1, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement Leave a commentWe’re going to the beach!
Board Game Night at the Mall
Posted: October 29, 2015 Filed under: USkO 2 CommentsOn Wednesday evening, we held an event at Kahala Mall’s Center Court which was bustling with activity. Shoppers were passing by, chess and Scrabble players were hunched over their boards, the Apple Store was filled with technology lovers, and people were eating dinner by the mall’s fountain.
We were sad to have one of our smallest showings this year, but tickled to welcome our first UH-affiliated participants (not counting the USk O‘ahu organizers). Dan and Justin, from UH Mānoa’s ACM Animation Program, demonstrated animation-style sketching that was complemented nicely by Ruth Ann’s equally dynamic figure drawings. We are determined to boost attendance at future events. Perhaps we can lean on Dan to establish Urban Sketchers’ events as an extra-credit activity for animation students. ;)
For those who could not attend our most recent weekday gatherings, make sure to come to our next event on the weekend of Nov 7!
Upcoming Sketch Event at Kahala Mall
Posted: October 23, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement Leave a commentBusy on weekends? Join us this coming Wednesday!
Sketching on Safeway’s Patio
Posted: October 17, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: evening, supermarket 2 CommentsWe held our first midweek event last Thursday – and it was a smashing success! Safeway’s manager, Preston, kindly gave us permission to use the store’s outdoor patio which turned out to be the perfect venue for our sizeable group of sketchers. The elevated vantage point gave us sweeping views of the Waikiki skyline as the sun set and a wide choice of indoor and outdoor sketching targets.
As always we had a show-and-tell at the end. We had a range of city scenes in various stages of dusk, details from the store, the impressive vaulted ceilings and suspended lights of the patio, and quite a few sketches of USkOahu members. Jenny and Carol shared tips on materials… make sure to store your Micron pens upside down from now on. Different and very inventive new formats of sketch pads caught our attention: Ikumi made an accordion-style sketchbook, and Caroline and Joseph sketched on postcards.
Unfortunately, our traditional group photo did not turn out too well this time, but we have at least snapshots of some of us. For the full experience, you will just have to join us next time. :) We hope to see everyone’s sketches on Flickr!
Rock and Mineral Treasure Trove on Campus
Posted: October 11, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: campus, crayons, geology, minerals, pen, rocks, UH Mānoa 3 CommentsI am currently taking a geology lab course at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Last Wednesday, our class walked around campus to identify different rocks using the knowledge that we had accumulated so far… and the occasional guidance of our instructor. :) I really enjoyed the tour, so at the end of the week I decided to spend more time on campus to sketch several of the rocks we looked at. I became so engrossed in the scenes that I ended up sketching for 3 hours.
I first sketched the Pacific Ocean Sciences and Technology Building where I have my class.
Then I went to the Hawaii Peace Memorial near Kennedy Theatre, which seems to be made of Granodiorite, an intrusive igneous rock (solidifies from magma).
My last stop was the Campus Center. At the Campus Drive entrance, there is a sculpture called Hina-O Na Lani (Mother of the Universe). The figure and its base are both made of popular rocks used for kitchen countertops: Granite and Anorthosite. The courtyard of the Campus Center is tiled with fairly smooth and flat rocks which, unlike the others I mentioned, are metamorphic (unmelted rock transformed by high temperature and pressure) – possibly Phyllite. Anyway, I’m getting carried away talking about rocks and what I’ve been learning!
I am unexpectedly pleased with the close-up sketches of the minerals in the rock… and would even say that they look better than the rest of the sketch. Crayon turned out to be an excellent choice of medium because of its waxy and gritty look. The colors of the minerals were great to see, and definitely something new to sketch.
I hope to sketch more of campus in the future, whether that is on my own or during an Urban Sketchers O‘ahu event!
Thursday Evening Event!
Posted: October 5, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement Leave a commentWe are launching our first midweek USkO event, part of our efforts to increase opportunities to sketch as a group each month!
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- 10/15/2015
Art on and near the Zoo Fence
Posted: October 3, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: Art on the Zoo Fence, event, Kapi‘olani Park 4 CommentsUpon arrival at our meeting point, we found our view of the exhibiting artists setting up for “Art on the Zoo Fence” mostly obscured by three large fire trucks in front of the zoo. Unfortunately they managed to negotiate the sharp turn onto the zoo grounds before we could sketch them.
Some 15 sketchers came out this morning, both new and returning. It was impressive to hear what distances some of them had covered to attend the event. Noyita traveled by bus for almost three hours to join us. Now that is commitment to the cause!
As usual, we gathered for a show-and-tell at the end of the event to share our artwork, techniques, and thoughts on materials. Pen, pencil, watercolor, color pencil, and ink all made an appearance in the artwork on display. Our lively discussion covered a variety of topics ranging from where to buy supplies, through layering of media, to the mesmerizing effect of the zoo cacophony and the contemporaneous zumba performance at the Kapi‘olani Bandstand. Below are a few photos.
We hope to see everyone at our next event, which will be announced at the start of next week.
October Event Announcement
Posted: September 15, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: Art on the Zoo Fence, event announcement Leave a commentMake space on your calendars for the next event – less than 3 weeks away!
Windward, finally!
Posted: September 13, 2015 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event, WCC, Windward 1 CommentAlthough weather forecasts predicted heavy rain for the weekend, our event at Windward Community College only received a sprinkle. Nevertheless, it seems that the weather did deter some people, as we were a small group – small, but enthusiastic!
Apart from a team of students promoting higher education (they wore great t-shirts with the slogan, “Keep Calm and Go to College”!), the campus was largely empty. The vibrant colors of WCC (undergoing renovations and construction after receiving a federal grant) and the clouds sinking into the Ko‘olau Mountains created a great atmosphere for sketching.
We got together for our traditional show-and-tell toward the end of the event to share sketches ranging from a hen and her eleven chicks to views of the lush grounds and buildings. Below are a few photos of us.
We hope to see everyone at our next event! We will be alternating between windward and Honolulu locations, as well as others, in an attempt to be in everybody’s neighborhood at some point.
AJ Tauber
Harald Ebeling
Terri Dux
noah kutaka
Susan Li
Sebastian
uskoadmin
Urban Sketchers O‘ahu 