SATURDAY: Sketch at the Draw-a-Thon

 

This Saturday, December 3, 2022, NYC Urban Sketchers will be among the many NYC artists supporting the High School of Art and Design's annual fundraiser at their famous DRAW-A-THON.   This is an important NYC institution.  Many of our sketchers are graduates and we usually hold our Portrait Party there​.

They offer nine straight hours of sketching from live models.  It's not Urban Sketching but keeping our drawing skills sharp is important.  There are short poses as well as long poses.  You'll find models in costumes as well as nudes.  It's warm, bathrooms are nearby and there are numerous food choices nearby.

The fun starts at 10 AM and sketching continues until 7 PM.  I plan to be there  at 10 but seriously doubt I'll make it to 7 PM.   You can start and stop when you like.  

It is a fundraiser so there is a $25 entrance fee.  You can register at their Eventbrite page by clicking this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-and-design-draw-a-thon-fundraiser-16-tickets-448708959577

Weekday and Westchester Sketchers at Cast Hall 

Join us as we return to one of our favorite indoor sketching venues: Cast Hall 

The Institute for Classical Art and Architecture houses a large trove of casts of sculptures that once belonged to The Met, before they could afford to buy the real pieces.  Having fallen into disrepair, the ICAA has restored the pieces and placed them on view in the Mechanics and Tradesmen Building on the top floor in a beautiful sunlit room.  It is our luck that the hall is open by reservation and will welcome us this week. 

Bring your sketchbooks, paints and pencils to this sunny yellow room to draw the many classical statutes, artifacts and architectural elements on display.  We will have work tables and chairs, so no need for stools.  If time allows, move out into the building with its wrought iron railings, stained glass entry way and the large "arm and hammer" hanging in the lobby. Still have time?  Visit the unique Lock Museum housed on the first floor of the building 

For information about the ICAA, click here: https://www.classicist.org

For information about the Society of Mechanics and Tradesment, click here: https://generalsociety.org

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30 2022

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION: ICAA CAST HALL

                            20 WEST 44TH STREET 

                             Top Floor

TRANSPORTATION: B, D, F, M to Bryant Park Station or the 7 to the 5th Ave Station 

                                     From Westchester: take trains into Grand Central Terminal 

NOTES

• RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at rayliedunkel1@gmail.com 
• Westchester group RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at cathygutterman@verizon.net
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445 or Cathy at 914-625-0766
• No need to bring a stool, chairs and tables are available
• Bring lunch or purchase it along the way. We can eat and drink in the room
• Wet materials are allowed

 Weekday and New Jersey 

 Schedule for December and January

Rockefeller Center

In an effort to help you plan to attend the Weekday and New Jersey  Urban Sketchers events, here is the schedule for the remainder of the year and into the new one!  Please note that there are some dates on Thursdays as well as Wednesdays. And, please scroll down to see some announcements of special programs.

Looking forward to seining you here,  there and elsewhere!

Queer Maximalism

Wednesday November 30, 2022           Cast Hall (joint meeting with Westchester Group) 

THURSDAY  December 8, 2022         Museum of Art and Design 

                                                              Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle

Wednesday December 14, 2022            Essex Market

                                                               Gingerbread Lane

Wednesday December 21, 2022            Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Decorations

Week of December 26th No meeting

THURSDAY January 5, 2023                Met Museum Christmas Tree & 

                                                                Chroma Ancient Sculptures in Color

Wednesday  January 11, 2023                Brooklyn Museum: Thierry Mugler

Wednesday January 18, 2023                Central Synagogue & St. Barts

Wednesday January 26, 2023                2nd Ave Subway Sketch Crawl

Met Musem Chroma

New Jersey Group 

THURSDAY  December 15, 2022            American Dream Mall, Meadowlands, NJ

THUSRDAY      January 25, 2023           Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Madison, NJ

Museum of Early Trades and Crafts 

Special Events

Holiday in Ink Drawing Challenge:  Jamie Grossman of the Westchester Group has put together a special holiday challenge.  For information about taking on this challenge, click here:  https://hudsonvalleysketches.blogspot.com/2022/10/get-ready-for-holidays-in-ink-plus.html

SATURDAY DECEMBER 3, 2022,  Draw-A-Thon.   This is the  Annual fundraiser for the High School of Art and Design that is open to the public.  Anyone who likes to draw figures (nude, clothed or in character costumes), this is for you!  From 10 AM to 7 PM there will be models in the cafeteria and gym waiting for you to sketch them.  And if you last until the end....you get pizza!  It is a fun day and a worthy cause.  To register click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-and-design-draw-a-thon-fundraiser-16-tickets-448708959577

SATURDAY: Sketch the Met

 

For Saturday, November 19, 2022​

Sadly, the warm outdoor sketching weather is over.  The good news is we live in a city with fantastic resources that will sustain us in the cold months to come.

Our first indoor sketch event of the season will be at the Metropolitan Museum.  We will likely return to this wonderful museum many times.  We will be visiting with a sketch strategy, to focus on one area, or collection at a time.

The Petrie Court houses a magnificent collection of Western sculpture. The light is beautiful and the setting offers loads of perspective challenges for you to solve.  It's warm, bathrooms are nearby and the museum even has an attractive cafeteria.

The museum allows stools, but gets fussy about moving the chairs they provide.  The Met Sketching Policy:The use of ballpoint pens, ink, markers, fountain pens, or watercolors is not permitted at any time.  They like pencils. While sketching, please do not hinder visitor traffic flow in the galleries.  The policy is unevenly enforced - do not argue with the guards.

DETAILS

What:   We will be sketching at the ​Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave

Where:   We’re meeting ​and sketching ​at ​the Petrie Court - The Hall of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts ​ ​ (see map)

When:  Meet at 10 AM.  Sleeping late?  Come anyway - we’ll be there the whole day.  

How:

-   By Subway:  

East Side:

​86th St.​ ​- 4, ​5 or ​6 train

West Side:

​86th St. - B, C train

​Take the cross town bus - a free transfer to the east side of Central Park​

Lunch:  12:30 PM .  Bring your own or ​buy from the museum cafeteria

Afternoon:  1:30 PM  Back to the sketching

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM - We’ll find a likely spot (possibly where we had lunch) to share our work, tell stories and talk about what artists talk about.

NOTE:

-     Bring a stool, it gives you more options. ​Be careful where you place your stool so you're not blocking people.

​click to enlarge

Can't find us?  

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome

SATURDAY: Sketch the Plaza

 

My favorite forecast said that "Saturday morning might be soggy".   But that leaves us with what might be the very last day we can sketch outdoors this season.  

There is a beautiful area of Manhattan, the southeast corner of Central Park.  The area hasn't got a name, but feels like it should.  The Plaza Hotel is there and two small mini parks; one has the Pulitzer Fountain opposite the hotel and the other has a civil war statue of General Sherman.  The entrance to the park is across the street and leads directly to the zoo.  It's another wonderfully sketchable location for us.

We are having a shortened sketch  - so read the details below:

DETAILS

What:   We will be sketching the area by the Plaza Hotel and the southeast entrance to Central Park.  

Where:   We’re meeting at the Pulitzer Fountain, across the street from the Plaza Hotel.  (see map)  

When:  Meet at 12 PM - NOON.  November 12, 2022

How:-   By Subway:  5th Avenue / 59th St - N, R or W train

See map below.

Lunch:  We're not taking a lunch break, since we're starting at noon.  Feel free to bring food or rely on the many vendors in the area.

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM - We'll find a spot in Central Park to share our sketches from the day, and talk about the things artists talk about.

NOTE:

-     Bring a stool, it gives you more options.  There are some benches in the park but having your portable stool means you can sketch exactly where you like.

click to enlarge

Can't find us?  

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. 

All drawing skill levels are welcome

Weekday and NJ Sketchers at Hoboken Terminal

Join. us this week for a join meeting between two NYC Urban Sketchers Groups 

Hoboken Terminal

Hoboken Terminal is a bit of an anomaly:  a very busy modern transit hub and an iconic tribute to a time gone by, when travel was a phenomenon to be celebrated by constructing palaces to transportation.  This beautiful terminal on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River is rich in history for the entire metro area.  Built in a time before the bridges and tunnels conveyed people across the river, it was one of many terminals of the  transcontinental rail systems that ended at the Hudson River.  While somewhat in decline, it still offers a glimpse to a time gone by with its wrought iron facade, iconic clock tower and beautiful waiting room.  

Waiting Room

Join us to capture the beauty of the interior space with its Tiffany glass ceiling, tile work and wooden benches.  Or, weather permitting, sketch the exterior with its intricate iron work.  Or walk through the Pier A Park and waterfront walkways to sketch the NYC skyline across the river.

For information about the terminal, its history and architecture, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoboken_Terminal

Hoboken Terminal Entrance

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16,2022

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  HOBOKEN TRAIN TERMINAL

                            We will meet in the Waiting Room of the terminal 

TRANSPORTATION:  

         

        From NYC: take the PATH train to Hoboken.  Come up to the street level and follow signs to the Waiting Room

        From NJ: Use a map program to drive to Hoboken Terminal.  There is metered street parking available and parking garages in the area. 

Pier A Park

 NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at rayliedunkel1@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• There is seating in the terminal and the adjoining park but bringing a stool gives you more options.
• Water, bathrooms and food are available in the terminal and surrounding area.

SATURDAY: Sketch Plans Undecided

 

Saturday looks like another mild pre-winter day.  The only problem is that the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole is going to bring heavy rain​  At this point, that weather is expected to hit us Friday night extending into Saturday morning, but that could change.   The tricky thing is figuring out if the storm is going to come early, on time or late.  It will certainly do one of those things.

Rather than give up on what could be a great day of sketching, let's hold on until Friday.  I'll contact everyone in the afternoon or early evening.  Sorry - wish we had a crystal ball.

About the photo - it probably won't rain that much, ... but - poor guy!

Workshop - Good News - Better News!

 

Afternoon Session: 

See The Lines - Alán Ramiro Manning

Alán's morning workshop sold out very quickly.  He has agreed to run an afternoon session and we just made this available.

So why should you consider taking this workshop?

• Alán Ramiro Manning is extremely well known and admired with 50,000 Instagram followers.
• He works in the Urban Sketching style.
• He has taught this workshop all over the worldHe is in NYC for a limited amount of time.

For more details and to register for the afternoon session on November 19th - click this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afternoon-session-see-the-lines-alan-ramiro-manning-tickets-462573438607?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

THURSDAY: Westchester Sketchers at John Jay Homestead in Katonah, NY

 

Come explore the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site and experience American History at the home of founding Father John Jay and 5 successive generations of the Jay family.  There are 62 acres to explore and enjoy.  These popular attractions are sure to inspire your artwork:

•  The Carriage Barn - Education & Visitor's Center
• The Farm Lane - the only original entrance to the historic farm once owned by John Jay
• The Formal Gardens - located through the white gate, a fountain and sundial form the centers, beautifully maintained by the Bedford Garden Club and Friends of John Jay Homestead
• The "Ha-has" - a unique landscape feature consisting of rock walls built to keep grazing livestock from getting near the house, but remain invisible when looking down the lawn
• The Herb Garden - created in 1991 on the site of a historic cutting garden and greenhouse.
• The Ice Pond - created for producing ice in the winter to use year-round, now a picturesque spot.

DETAILS:

DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 2022

START TIME: 10:00 AM.   

LOCATION: John Jay Homestead State Historic Site  http://johnjayhomestead.org/

400 Jay Street, Katonah, NY 10536.  Phone: (914) 232-5651.  We'll meet by the parking lot entrance.

DIRECTIONS: http://johnjayhomestead.org/visit/directions-and-parking/

By TRAIN  Transportation from Grand Central Terminal, NYC: Take the Metro-North Harlem Line to the Katonah Station. The 8:44 AM peak train from Grand Central arrives in Katonah at 9:52 AM.  Please call Marianne to arrange for pick up and ride to the site.

LUNCH: 1:00 PM Bring your own.

SHOW and TELL: After lunch.  This is the social part of our day where we share our drawings, tips, and stories. It is a time not to be missed. 

NOTES:

• The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset.
• Restrooms are available.
• Parking is free.
• There are many picnic tables, but a stool will offer you more options.

Please RSVP to Cathy (cathygutterman@verizon.net). 

Looking for us?
Call/text: Cathy at (914) 625-0766 or Marianne at (914) 355-6507.

There are no fees. All drawing skill levels are welcome. 

Weekday Sketchers at Canstruction Exhibit

Every year Brookfield Place runs a competition for the best sculpture constructed out of cans of food...and it is called...CANstruction!  

In an effort to raise awareness about food insecurity, Brookfield Place holds an annual competition for the companies located in their properties.   All entries are made of  food cans with the labels giving the color to the creation.  No glue or superstructures are allowed.  The sculptures are displayed throughout the Brookfield Place hallways and are there for only about 10 days.  Then the sculptures are taken apart and the food is donated to City Harvest to provide holiday meals for people around the city.

Join us to see this creative effort, to support a good cause and pick you favorites to sketch.  

For more information about the event, click here: https://bfplny.com/canstruction/?mc_cid=861e93e771&mc_eid=fc8d56bd89

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2022

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  THE WINTERGARDEN at Brookfield Place 

                        We will meet in front of the large windows at the end of the hall past the palm trees

TRANSPORTATION:  Any train going into the World Trade Center.

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at Rayliedunkel1@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• Plenty of chairs in the area but a bringing a stool always gives you options
• Food, water and bathrooms available throughout the facility

Workshop: See The Lines - Shape and Sharpen the World Around You

 

With Alán Ramiro Manning

Saturday November 19th, 10am-1pm 

at the Brookfield Place in the Winter Garden

Alán will teach you how to let go of perfectionism and learn to capture the soul of the environment.  You will learn how to simplify your scene, so you can “dance” and play with your sketch.

Alán Ramiro Manning spent 15 years as an architect.  Using the fundamentals of perspective and proportion he has taught his three step process to sketchers all over the world. 

For information about this Indoor Workshop and to register - click here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/see-the-lines-shape-sharpen-the-world-around-you-alan-ramiro-manning-tickets-177595732617

SATURDAY: Sketch the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

This SATURDAY, November 5, 2022 

we are going to be exploring Autumn in Brooklyn’s Botanic Gardens.

The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden in Autumn is really something to see.  Spring’s cherry blossoms can’t compare to the stunning display of color.  Let’s check it out.  Any sketching trip to the gardens is a treat.

The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens outside Japan. It is a blend of the ancient hill-and-pond style and the more recent stroll-garden style, in which various landscape features are gradually revealed along winding paths.

The garden features artificial hills contoured around a pond, a waterfall, and an island, along with carefully placed rocks. Architectural elements include wooden bridges, stone lanterns, a viewing pavilion, a Shinto shrine, and a dramatic vermilion-colored wooden torii.

DETAILS

What:   We will be sketching in Brooklyn Botanic Gardens for the day.  

Where:   We will meet at the entrance at 150 Eastern Parkway and then walk to the Japanese Gardens for the first part of the day.   We'll be sketching in other areas later.

(Note:  If you use the Gardens parking lot you'll be entering from a different entrance.)   

Other entrances:

• 455 Flatbush Avenue 
• 990 Washington Avenue 

When:  Meet at 10 AM.   Sleeping late?  Come anyway - we’ll be there.  

How:

-   By Subway:  

• 2/3 train to Eastern Parkway—Brooklyn Museum for 150 Eastern Parkway and 990 Washington Avenue entrances or 
• B/Q/S trains Prospect Park for 455 Flatbush Avenue entrance (no B train on weekends)
• 4/5 trains to Franklin Avenue (no elevator) for 990 Washington Avenue and 150 Eastern Parkway entrance

-   By Car:

• Attended parking is available at 900 Washington Avenue - Maximum to closing = $20

Admission:

• Members - Free
• Adults - $18
• Seniors (65+) - $12
• Students 12+ with ID - $12

Lunch:  12:30  Bring your own.  The only open place in the Garden is the Coffee Bar.  There are stores and other options outside but it requires a bit of a walk.

Afternoon:  1:30 PM  Back to the sketching

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM - We’ll find a likely spot (probably where we had lunch) to share our work, tell stories and talk about what artists talk about.

NOTE:

-     Bring a hat and be prepared for sunshine  

-     Bring a stool, it gives you more options.  

(The garden is sometimes fussy about where you can use a stool. They are protective of the lawn. Be friendly and agreeable if asked to move.)

(click to enlarge)

​If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.