Happy Holidays from Urban Sketchers O’ahu
Posted: December 13, 2025 Filed under: USkO | Tags: oahu urban sketchers, urban sketchers, usk, USkO 2 Comments
Thank you to everyone who took time from their busy holiday schedules to sketch at Honolulu Hale this morning. What a beautiful day it turned out to be!
It’s always fun to be an Urban Sketcher!
SAVE THE DATE:
Our next sketching event will be January 24, 2026!
Until then, have a wonderful, safe Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Keep on sketching,
Terri, Ivan and Noah
Get Ready for a Holly Jolly Time at Honolulu Hale
Posted: December 1, 2025 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement, oahu urban sketchers, urban sketchers, usk, USkO 3 Comments
It’s that time again when we gather at Honolulu Hale to sketch the holiday festivities. Whether you choose Shaka Santa and Tutu Mele or inside City Hall, you’ll find a merriment of joyfulness to sketch. Let’s meet:
Dec. 13, 2025
Honolulu Hale
10 a.m. to Noon
If attending, RSVP at uskoahu@gmail.com by Dec. 12 so I know to expect you. It’s our last sketching event of 2025, so I hope you can join us!
Until then, happy sketching!
We See the World One Sketch at a Time
Posted: November 24, 2025 Filed under: USkO | Tags: urban sketchers, usk, USkO 2 CommentsSomeone asked me a great question the other day and I was so glad she did. “Are we a national organization?” she asked.
Who We Are
Urban Sketchers is a worldwide nonprofit organization of sketchers who love to draw from the cities where we live. We are global community of sketchers who sketch from direct observation what we see on location. Besides elevating the awareness of art to our community by sketching in public, our drawings tell the story, recording the time and place. We share our sketches with each other and then to the world, one drawing at a time.
Where We Are
As of this date, Urban Sketchers chapters are in more than 70 countries, in 514 cities.
I did a quick look at other Urban Sketchers chapters this weekend on Instagram. And this is what I found. Some groups sketched the same day as we did. Others sketched within the same week.
And here is our post to Instagram @urbansketchersoahu:
Spread the Word
Sketching with us is absolutely FREE. There is no membership or application process. Most importantly, KNOW that art is for everyone. So spread the word! Invite you friends, family and coworkers!
Until next time, happy sketching,
Terri
Where Art Meets Art (updated)
Posted: August 5, 2025 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement, oahu urban sketchers, urban sketchers, usk 1 CommentFour times a year, the Honolulu Museum of Art opens its doors free to kaima’ainas on Community Day. Perfect for us, Urban Sketchers to explore the galleries and beautiful spaces and create art of our own.
Join us
Sunday, August 17, 2025
10 a.m. to Noon
Honolulu Museum of Art
Let’s meet just inside the entrance at 10 a.m. and sketch until 11:30. As usual, please RSVP at uskoahu@gmail.com by Aug. 16, so I’ll know to expect you. Very excited to see your sketches while surrounded by a museum of art!
UPDATE FROM HoMA Wesite:
Photography
Photography in the galleries is permitted, however video recording is restricted to outdoor courtyards and grounds only. All photography should be for personal, non-commercial purposes only. The use of flash, tripods, and selfie sticks is prohibited. The museum may photograph or videotape visitors in public spaces for educational and promotional purposes.
Sketching
Sketching in pencil is permitted in galleries using sketchbooks no larger than 8 1/2 x 11 inches. Easels, erasers, and sitting on the floor to sketch are not permitted.
When There is A Lot to Sketch, What Do You Choose?
Posted: May 24, 2025 Filed under: USkO | Tags: art, Kaka'ako, Kakaako Farmers Market, oahu urban sketchers, urban sketchers, usk, USkO 1 CommentKaka’ako Farmers Market brings the crowd for good reason. Plenty of local vendors serving up tasty treats, drinks, original crafts and more.
But when you’re an Urban Sketcher, how to you choose what to sketch? The crowd, the vendors, the marina, the newly constructed pedestrian bridge? How about all of the above.
Thank you to all the sketchers who came out today in the hot sun to make art!
Love seeing all your sketches that captured everything going on around us.
Today’s question: How much time do you spend on your art? Answers varied from zero minutes to 2 hours a day. But loved Noah’s answer: “There’s never enough time to do art.” So true!
SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, June 22, 2025
Our next event will be a collaboration with the Hawai’i Botanical Garden on the campus of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Details to come later.
Until then, happy sketching,
Terri
How to Sketch a Fortress
Posted: November 30, 2024 Filed under: USkO | Tags: art, drawing, oahu urban sketchers, sketch, sketching, urban sketchers, urban-sketching, usk, USkO Leave a comment
The Prince Kūhiō Federal Building at 300 Ala Moana Blvd. is not a typical structure. This imposing building is fitting for its purpose, home to the U.S. District Court, U.S. Secret Service, Dept. of Homeland Security, U.S. Dept. of Justice, CIA, FBI, IRS, and other federal agencies.
Its massive design commands your attention. As an Urban Sketcher, it is a challenge with its sharp angles and curved features and formal, heavy scale. One Urban Sketcher noticed the lack of windows. It just echoes its serious, formal design. This is a place of authority.
Thank you to everyone who spent part of their Saturday morning sketching on or near the grounds of the Prince Kūhiō Federal Building. You could have been holiday shopping this weekend, but you chose to share your love for sketching and I am most grateful to you.
As Urban Sketchers, our mission is to raise the artistic, storytelling of our city by sketching on location, promoting visible art and connecting people. I think we do a pretty good job of capturing a glimpse of Honolulu to share with the world.
Today’s question to ponder: Do you have a trick to make drawing and painting easier? It’s always good to hear your ideas. It makes us be better artists and builds a supportive community.
SAVE THE DATE
Our next meet up will be Saturday, December 14, 10am to noon at Honolulu Hale. It’s our annual holiday, end-of-the-year place to sketch. Until next time, keep sketching!
Terri
Keep It Simple With Earth Day Sketches
Posted: April 20, 2024 Filed under: USkO | Tags: art, sketching, urban sketchers, urban-sketching, watercolor 1 CommentEvery 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.
Adorable kitties. Furry rabbits. High energy dogs.
Posted: May 28, 2022 Filed under: USkO | Tags: urban sketchers 1 CommentHow do you urban sketch with so many cute animals around? Of course the most common challenge was that animals are in constant motion especially the kittens.
Yet, we Urban Sketchers are always up to the challenge. Some of us sketch fast while others looked for more sleepy animals to sketch.
Thank you all for joining us at Hawaiian Humane Society today. A special shout out to Bruce and Nancy visiting from Urban Sketchers Houston! Always great to meet fellow traveling Urban Sketchers.
Until next time, happy sketching!
And we’re back!
Posted: March 14, 2022 Filed under: USkO | Tags: urban sketchers, usk, USkO 1 CommentYES! We’re back.
Sorry for the long delay and blog vacation. Sometimes, you have to take a break from emails and the laptop and take time off for yourself and your family. Hope everyone is doing well.
Well, it’s time to get back at it and Christine has selected a great urban place to sketch.
She suggested Pensacola because it has a little bit of everything: retro buildings on Pensacola and King, McKinley High School, and a Buddhist-looking temple. Personally, I love the quaint storefronts in the area.
Let’s meet on the Ewa side of the Walgreen’s parking lot at 10am. Please refrain from parking in the retail lot and save those spaces for their customers. There’s plenty of street parking nearby. We’ll sketch from 10 to 11:30am and share our sketches 11:30 to noon.
If attending, please email us at uskoahu@gmail.com by Friday, March 25th with your name and phone number. We will retain the list for contact tracing purposes. Please be considerate of others around you and stay home if you feel sick.
Looking forward to sketching again IN PERSON on March 26th!
A special shout out to Pam and Ruth for sending their sketches from our last virtual event. It’s always fun to sketch together!
Vote for our next meeting place
Posted: November 22, 2021 Filed under: USkO | Tags: event announcement, oahu urban sketchers, urban sketchers, usk, USkO 2 CommentsHello Urban Sketchers O’ahu! We want to know where you would like to meet in December. We’re looking at Saturday, December 18th for our next in-person sketching event but want to know where you think is the best place to sketch the holidays. Please vote only if you are planning to attend.
Remember our events are free to attend. So please spread the word and invite your friends and family to join us in sketching the world one drawing at a time.
Happy holidays and happy sketching,
Terri
AJ Tauber
Harald Ebeling
Terri Dux
noah kutaka
Susan Li
Sebastian
uskoadmin
Urban Sketchers O‘ahu 