Category Archives: Seminar 2019

Meet the Instructors!

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Say hi to Shari Blaukopf! Workshop 17: Bare Bones: Exploring Limited Palettes in Watercolour

Shari Blaukopf is a Montreal-based painter, graphic design teacher, illustrator and art blogger. She has a BFA from Concordia University with a specialization in graphic design, but her true love has always been watercolour painting. She began painting in her teens and is fortunate to have studied with some of the greats: Edgar A. Whitney, Frank Webb, Skip Laurence, Milford Zornes and Frederick Wong.  

Shari is a co-founder of Urban Sketchers Montreal and has given many watercolour workshops both on her own and through the Urban Sketchers Workshop Program in Montreal, Galway, New York, Portland, Barcelona, Singapore, Manchester, Chicago and Porto. Her book, “The Urban Sketching Handbook: Working with Color,” will be published by Quarry Books in spring 2019.  Shari grew up and still lives in Montreal, where she continues to discover neighbourhoods in her quest to find the best streets and back alleys to sketch.  

Shari is a signature member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and a member of the Lakeshore Association of Artists.  You can find her online courses, Sketching Landscapes and Sketching the City, on Craftsy.com. Her watercolours are in corporate, government and private collections in Canada, the United States and in other countries.

Meet the Instructors!

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Meet Wes Douglas!  Workshop 18: Urban Uglies: How to Make Beautiful Sketches Out of Those Areas Most People Overlook

Wes Douglas is an award-winning art director, illustrator and co-founder of the Elmhurst-based innovation agency Maddock Douglas, Inc. In addition to his creative role at Maddock Douglas, Wes also developed “Speaker Sketches” (his unique creative meeting notes which blend hand-written words and sketched pictures), concept visualizations, and package designs. He is also the primary book illustrator for the Amazon best-seller Free The Idea Monkey (to focus on what matters most) by Mike Maddock. Wes has been a co-admin for the Chicago chapter of Urban Sketchers since 2013.

Wes loves to share what he has learned about sketching and has a lot of fun in the process. In the summer of 2017, as part of his public relations duties, Wes appeared on WGN Morning News and WGN Radio AM 720 “Outside the Loop” programs to share his passion of urban sketching with Chicago listeners and to promote upcoming Sketch Seminars and the 8th International Urban Sketchers Symposium.

Wes has also lead demonstrations on urban sketching people for the DuPage Art League in Wheaton, a demonstration on marker illustration at the American Academy of Art, and will soon be leading a demonstration on urban sketching people at the Kishwaukee Valley Art League in Sycamore.

Meet the Instructors!

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Say hello to Aaron Elswick! Workshop 1: Fake It Till You Make It: Sketchin’ Like You Don’t Care

Aaron is a Chicago-based Urban Landscape Architectural Designer and Urban Sketcher. A Kentucky native, his passion and curiosity lies at the intersection of science, art and design. His favorite places to visit and draw are all full of life and color, and range from dense and urban to vast and natural environments. To better design such types of places in his professional career, he seeks them out in his free time to explore their beauty via his sketchbook. With his approach, the drawing process is utilized to gain understanding, insight, and at times, inspiration.

Drawing is the tool and the language Aaron uses in his career to communicate, explore ideas, and to design cities of the future. Urban Sketching is how he practices. He has added mediums to his urban sketching throughout the years, but his objective has remained the same – to capture what he sees as fast and legibly loose as possible.

Becoming a member of USk Chicago has had a tremendous impact on Aaron’s life, both personally and professionally. The art of urban sketching can only be described as beautiful, and he’s looking forward to sharing it with everyone who attends his workshop.

Meet the Instructors

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Say hello to MJ Ernst! Workshop 2 : Fountain Pen World

MJ Ernst lives in Chicago and is the owner of a custom made dress shop. She grew up in a small town in West Michigan and has been an artist her entire life.  MJ uses all types of medium for sketching and enjoys testing the creative limits of inks, especially water-solubles. Her quick sketch style is impressionistic and whimsical. MJ‘s urban sketches tend to include people, interiors and nature. She loves to challenge herself with interesting compositions and seeks out sketching opportunities that promote her growth as an artist. 

In May 2018 MJ participated at the Chicago Pen show as a demo artist and introduced her use of water soluble inks and fountain pens to the show’s attendees. This spring MJ will be teaching ink sketching classes for children and adults at the Nuveen Art Center in Whitehall Michigan.

MJ is an also Administrator with USK Chicago and has been a member for 3 years. She helps organize monthly sketch crawls and run the USk Chicago Instagram account. MJ is also the Sponsorship coordinator for Chicago Sketch Seminar and maintains Sponsorship relationships throughout the year.


Link to Registration Site

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Happy Friday urban sketchers.

Here is a direct link to our registration site: bookwhen.com/urbansketcherschicago
Registration opens at 10am CDT, 3/16. In the meantime, you may want to review the instructions as well as have a good idea on which workshops you’d like to register for. We have also updated our Registration page on this blog. Good luck tomorrow!

BookWhen site

Note: We recommend registering on a computer. A large screen will make the process easier.

If you’re registering from a mobile device, you will have to click the <- BACK button after selecting each workshop.

Here’s to a Successful Workshop Experience!

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Art workshops and seminars abound. We’re less than a day away from registration for USk Chicago Sketch Seminar 2019 which offers  a wide selection of eighteen classes! It’s hard to believe this is our FIFTH seminar!  We have some great things planned and we’re working on the details to help you get the most out of your workshop experience.

How about you? Are you getting ready to join us for a workshop?  But whether it’s with USk Chicago, an online class, or even if you’re working your way through a self-study book, there are certain things that will  help you get the most out of the experience. Over the years i’ve given workshops and taken many classes both on-site and online. Whether it’s a first choice at registration or third choice,  I’ve  found my mind set is the most important factor in what I take away from the class.

• SET A GOAL – Why am I taking this class? What do I hope to learn?

• KEEP AN OPEN MIND – Pay attention and follow directions. It’s easy to fall into the attitudes of “that isn’t the way I do it” and “that isn’t the way so-and-so does it”. Leave those notions behind at least for the duration of the workshop.

• THINK PROCESS NOT PRODUCT (I know I say that all the time) – It takes practice to learn new techniques and methods. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

 and last but not least

• ASK QUESTIONS – Your instructor wants you to get the most out of the class.

All the workshop descriptions list things to bring to class. Add one more important thing you need for a successful workshop experience, that’s a positive and open workshop-state-of-mind. Have fun!

Ready, Set…

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It’s almost time! Are you ready? Registration doors open Saturday, March 16 at 10:00 a.m. Chicago time (CDT).

All eighteen (!!!) workshop descriptions are listed here on the blog. With so many exciting choices it’s helpful to go to the list and make your choices now. You may want to make a few back-up picks in case you are closed out of some workshops. The schedule is here, too. You can scroll down and see previous posts or click on the tabs at the top of the blog for more registration information. 

We’re ready to get this party started. How about you?

Workshop 18

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INSTRUCTOR

Wes Douglas

DESCRIPTION

As sketchers, we are constantly looking for a picturesque scene to capture in a sketch. But have you ever thought of sketching a puddled alley, an overflowing dumpster, gas meters, or rusted, dented old, lackluster cars? Sometimes the scene might strike you as boring or unexciting until you learn to look at it differently.

In this workshop, we will go in search of those ugly areas that most cities try to ignore or hide and find out that we can make beautiful sketches and paintings. But don’t worry, Wes will also make sure you will be safe in the process as well. Wes will show you what tools to bring, how to look for the excitement in a gritty object or scene and how to turn that into sketches that make people go “How did you ever see that in a pile of trash?”

LEARNING GOALS

  • Observation Skills: What are the things most people ignore or look past that you can make more interesting?
  • Composition Tips: Keep your focus on one or two objects rather than a whole scene.
  • Texture and Color: You will learn how to make a dull, lifeless object into a beautiful subject.

SUPPLY LIST

  • Sketchbook of your choosing, your favorite pencil/eraser and pen
  • Bring other supplies that you are most comfortable with (but travel light). If you like watercolors, colored pencils or markers, bring a small set if possible.
  • Please bring a portable chair or stool to sit on in case seating is limited, a filled water bottle to stay hydrated and appropriate dress for the weather.

Please note: this workshop will require lots of walking between sketches. We do not expect it will be accessible to drive your car to the locations.