Climate Strike

Posted: September 24, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: Climate Strike, state capitol | 1 Comment

I attended the Climate Strike at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol in Honolulu last Friday. Although I whooped along with everyone else, I was mainly sketching the crowd and people’s signs as we walked from Washington Place to the capitol, and then to Honolulu Hale and the Kalanimoku building. Sketching so many moving subjects was exhausting. I’m still figuring out how to sketch dynamic action scenes!

Birthday Bash!

Posted: September 21, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: anniversary, birthday, Magic Island | Leave a comment

This morning we celebrated USkO’s 5th anniversary at Magic Island, the location of our inaugural event in 2014. Although we lacked the obligatory bouncy castle, we made up for it with enthusiasm and personal flair when sketching the beach, the ever-developing Kakaʻako skyline, and a group of daring practitioners of SUP yoga (an irresistible sketch target).

We ended the day with a giveaway of art supplies generously provided by Hawaiian Graphics and an announcement of our new t-shirt – information will be available online soon! The festive mood was further enhanced by treats from Nancy, Susan, and Terri & Bill (mahalo to all!) that fueled an extended post-sketch lunchtime social on this special day.

It’s been a great (first) five years – thanks to all of you for being such #awesome #sketchers and #fabulous #company (still practicing, Terri)!

As always, don’t forget to check out our sketches on Flickr and upload your own!

Make sure to stay tuned for our next event!

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Throwback Thursday

Posted: September 19, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: farmers' market, throwback thursday | Leave a comment

Here is a sketch from back in 2016 that never made it onto the website. I cycled to the Mānoa farmers’ market one morning and drew the produce stands. My perch on the second-floor walkway offered a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the marketplace. It was good practice with perspective, as I had not done many sketches with multiple vanishing points.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Anniversary Sketch Event!

Posted: September 11, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement | Leave a comment

: 09/21/2019

Street Corner Sketching

Posted: August 25, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: Honolulu | Leave a comment

So many places are waiting to be sketched, and it is not just the scenic vistas or ukulele festivals that need our attention. Even seemingly ordinary street corners are full of sketch-worthy details and character. The corner of South Kukui Street and Pali Highway slowly showed itself when we discovered a school mural, an extremely popular sherbet shop (thank you for the sample, Miles!), two White Terns, and an old barber’s pole – not all of which made it into our sketches. Show-and-tell revealed even more views and scenes from the neighborhood.

As always, don’t forget to check out our sketches on Flickr and upload your own!

Next month, USkO is celebrating its 5th anniversary – make sure to mark the morning of September 21st on your calendars now!

Also, stay tuned for a fun t-shirt that we are creating to mark the occasion!

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Next Event – Back to Basics!

Posted: August 15, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement | 2 Comments

With our fifth anniversary just around the corner, we thought it fitting to go back to basics! After all, urban sketching is meant to take place at any place or time! This month’s event location was not chosen for its particularly alluring features; it has no sweeping views of a beach and is not associated with a festival. It is simply a street corner in Honolulu. Let’s try our hand at urban sketching in its purest form!

: 08/25/2019

42nd Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival

Posted: July 21, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: hula, Prince Lot Hula Festival | Leave a comment

Gripping performances of hula kāhiko took centerstage today at the morning session of the 42nd Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival, held again this year at ‘Iolani Palace. Hālau hula featuring accomplished dancers of all ages were celebrated by a receptive audience, which included a dozen sketchers who often felt overwhelmed by the fast-moving and large ensembles (at one point close to 40 performers were on stage). We strived nonetheless to capture the spirit of the day, from the elegant and expressive flow of dance movements to architecture, flora, and fauna of the surroundings. Even a disruptive helicopter that forced the program to pause twice, as it noisily moved material at a nearby highrise construction site, could not distract from a fantastic morning of Hawaiian culture.

As always, don’t forget to check out our sketches on Flickr and upload your own!

Make sure to stay tuned for our next event!

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Next Event!

Posted: July 14, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement | Leave a comment

: 07/21/2019

By the Tracks

Posted: June 22, 2019 | Author: Sebastian | Filed under: USkO | Tags: HART, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, rail, railcar, train | 5 Comments

The futuristic, driverless light-rail car we toured today stood in stark contrast to the narrow-gauge trains we visited and sketched in our event of April 2018 at the Hawaiian Railway Society! Instead of sugar cane and cattle, it is now commuters (up to 800 per train) that will travel along the Ewa plains. Introducing us to this totally novel mode of transportation (for the islands), the friendly and knowledgeable staff from HART (Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation) and Hitachi (the train manufacturer) went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome and left no questions unanswered at this morning’s “community train day”. The HART facilities next to Leeward Community College were open to the public, who could learn about the project’s status and experience firsthand one of the rainbow-adorned railcars. We sketched all aspects of it, including the wheel mechanism, interior (sporting bicycle and surfboard racks!), and sleek exterior. Sheltered in a tent kindly set up for us by HART, show-and-tell featured challenging perspectives, a certain sketch-worthy, mustachioed participant, and – for once – no chickens, cats, or birds.

Thank you, Lena Kamae, for hosting us!

As always, don’t forget to check out our sketches on Flickr and upload your own!

Make sure to stay tuned for our next event!

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