Urban Sketching from Magic Island

A great mix of sketchers at today’s meetup. Some of us are regulars, some new, and someone special visiting from Urban Sketchers Seoul! We love all sketchers! Thank you to everyone who joined us for a nice, breezy day at Ala Moana Park.

My apologies for not getting closeup photos of everyone’s sketch. Everyone did such a great job to sketch Diamond Head, people, boats, and all the busy activities of a Saturday morning at the park. Pat yourselves on the back. Great job!

Our next meetup is December 9, Saturday at Honolulu Hale. Hope to see you all there!

Sketching the Magic of Magic Island

Sharpen those pencils for our November sketching. We’re gathering on the Magic Island side of Ala Moana Beach Park for a Saturday morning of urban sketching.

We’ll be meeting at 10am to sketch the harbor, Diamond Head view, Waikiki, beach goers, and other Saturday activity at Magic Island. There are a lot of trees for shade. Free parking. Option to bring a beach chair to be comfortable. Also be sure to bring water to keep hydrated. We’ll share our sketches at 11:30.

If you want to join us to sketch, please RSVP at uskoahu@gmail.com by November 3, so we know to expect you. Feel free to invite your friends and artist friends. Our events are free to attend. Hope to see you there!

Terri

Sketching the Gold Coast

What a great day it was to be sketching at Kapiolani Park. Truth be told, I didn’t know this area was referred to as the Gold Coast. I just thought it was called Kaimana Beach. But Gold Coast does sound glamorous. Thank you, AIA Hawai’i for sharing your event with us.

A big mahalo to everyone who sketched with us today. It was fun to see everyone’s sketches and meet new artists in our community.

Our next gathering is planned for November 4th at Magic Island. More details will follow. Please plan to join us for another fun Saturday morning. In the meantime, happy sketching!

Terri

October is Architecture Month!

Every year, we do a collaboration with AIA Hawai’i to celebrate Architecture Month in Hawai’i. This a fun opportunity to sketch while they host their walking tours.

We are gathering at Kapiolani Park near the fountain. Let’s meet at 9am. There is metered parking on Diamond Head Blvd at 50¢ an hour.

For more information on the tour itself visit the AIA website.

If you want to sketch with us, please RSVP at uskoahu@gmail.com by October 13th so we know to expect you. Hope to see you there!

Terri

Urban Sketchers Marches On

Despite everything going on in the world, art is the greatest sign of hope. It unites people, brings awareness, elevates beauty, and promotes storytelling. That’s who we are at Urban Sketchers.

Thank you Albert and Ivan for coming out today to sketch along the parade route.

Yep. Just the three of us but it was a beautiful day for a parade!

Our next event is in two weeks so sharpen your pencils. More info will be posted on Monday.

Happy sketching!

Terri

Sketching ALOHA

I hope you are ready to sketch with us!

Let’s meet at the entrance to Ala Moana Park, at the intersection of Ala Moana Blvd and Atkinson.

Note: The parade starts at Ala Moana Park at 9. So we’re sketching an hour early. There is normally public parking at Magic Island. But the parade is making parking not available. Please use public transportation.

It will be pretty crowded so sketch anywhere along the parade route. But let’s meet at 10:30 at the intersection to share our sketches. The parade will most likely be well on its way to Waikiki by 10:30.

If attending, please RSVP at uskoahu@gmail.com by Friday, Sept 29th. Hope to see you there!

To read more about the Aloha Festival Parade, visit the official website.

Halawa Rail Station Event Cancelled

Sorry for the last minute cancellation. We’ve decided to cancel tomorrow’s sketching event at the Halawa Rail Station due to lack of participation.

Hopefully, you can join us for the next one:

September 30th

Aloha Festival Parade in Waikiki

Save the date. Hoping for more sketchers sharing Aloha at the parade!

Hope to see you in September!

Terri

The Seduction of Iolani Palace

If you’ve been to Iolani Palace, you know how majestic and historic this grand treasure of Hawai’i is.

Built in 1882, Iolani Palace was the home of Hawai’i’s last reigning monarchs and served as the official royal residence and the residence of the Kingdom’s political and social life until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, according to the website. It is also the only official royal residence in the United States and one of the most recognizable buildings in the state.

Being there is a return to a dream-like past. Sketching the palace, however is a task that cannot be taken likely.

Urban Sketcher Sergio looked at my unfinished sketch and said it best. “You’ll fallen into the seduction of Iolani Palace, trying to capture every detail.” So true.

When you are surrounded by something this grand and every fixture and architecture detail is so spectacular, you want to capture it all on paper. But when you have less than an hour to do it, it’s difficult to give it justice.

That’s the power of sketching and the best part of Urban Sketching. You learn from others without negativity or judgement. Art is a powerful tool. It not only is beautiful but it feeds your soul.

Thank you fellow sketchers. I learn so much from you.

Terri

Sketching History

Join us this Kama’aina Sunday as we tour ‘Iolani Palace and then sketch what we see.

Free tours are available to the first 500 guests this Sunday, July 9th starting at 9am. Come early as street parking is free and will go fast. There is also free parking at the Civic Center Municipal Parking Garage (entrance on Beretania St). Instead of meeting at the start of sketching, we’ll meet at 11:30 near the front gate on King Street. It shouldn’t be as crowded there.

If you can’t get inside the Palace for the tour, feel free to sketch outside. There will be entertainment, booths, and other family-friendly activities.

Visit the official website for more info.

If attending, please RSVP at uskoahu@gmail.com by Saturday, July 8th. Hope to see you there!

terri

Honoring Those Who Serve

What an honor it was to tour the Honolulu Fire Museum.

Thank you to the Honolulu firemen for serving Hawaii with their bravery on the front lines every day. We are in awe of courage and valor to serve our community.

Thank you Urban Sketchers for coming out today. I love seeing your sketches. It always amazes me that we can see the same things and our sketches look completely different.

See everyone again on July 9th. Save the date! We’ll be at Iolani Palace for Kamaaina Sunday! Stay posted for details.