For centuries painting outdoors has been referred to as “en plein air” painting. It is a French term that literally translates as “in full air,” and is used to describe artwork created outdoors, through observation of the scene in front of the artist, rather than from a still life in a studio or from a photograph.

Many of the French Impressionists decided to redefine their creative time. They were no longer willing to settle for using their time outdoors making only simple sketches for future studio masterpieces. Instead, they packed up tubes of oil or watercolor paint (newly invented in the mid-1800s), brushes, and easel and set off with the intention of creating a fully executed plein air masterpiece, on site, often in one session, regardless of the weather.

This approach was unheard of in the mid-to-late 1800s, and was shocking to the art establishment who assumed that long grueling hours in a stuffy studio (overworking every detail until the canvas cried for mercy) was the hallmark of Real Art.

Fast forward from the French Impressionist era (approx. 1860 to 1900) to 2007 when Seattle-based Urban Sketchers™ founder Gabriel Campanario organized an image sharing site on Flickr. It evolved into an international movement whose aim was to “support and promote journalistic drawing depicting real life as it happens in front of the artist.” (Wikipedia quote.) Two years later it became a 501(c)3 non-profit, and now 15 years later, it is a global organization with over 300 chapters worldwide.

The entire back story of Urban Sketchers did not fit into the space restriction of my second book, but luckily it fits perfectly here. The link to the website of Urban Sketchers ™ offers far more detail. The basic guidelines are simple, as stated in their Vision and Values (which for years was called their Manifesto):

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

Note that nowhere does it say you have to be good at it. You don’t need to have mastered watercolor or drawing or perspective or charcoal to begin. You just need to be willing to go outside (hopefully!), look around, make some marks, and when you are ready, share your result with others, usually online.

That’s the background story. Here’s the journal entry (from “Double Take” pages 42-43) that inspired this blog post.

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June 28, 2014 – sketchbook notes

This afternoon we had the first meeting of the Drawing Attention Sketchers’ Group here in Concord. I’ve been planning this for a couple months, since mid-April, hoping to offer beginning and experienced artists a way to meet and have fun sketching together, outdoors, right here in our wonderful little city.

Today’s gathering was modeled along the guidelines of the international organization, Urban Sketchers™. I named our little group “Drawing Attention” long before I realized that the Urban Sketchers’ newsletter is also called Drawing Attention. Oh well!

Nine folks showed up for today’s get-together, excellent turnout for a kick-off event. When it was time to begin, lots of eager faces turned to me, waiting to be told where to sit, what to sketch, what supplies to use… oh my. “Urban Sketching” is a huge mind-shift for people who are used to following online tutorials or taking in-person “art classes.” Instead of offering a teacher’s usual dive into minutia, I told them, “Outdoor sketching consists of ‘noticing and notetaking.’ It’s letting your eye follow your own curiosity. There is no performance anxiety, just go have fun looking at things you never noticed before. Draw or paint a bit too if you like. Most of all, slow down your eyes and mind, gaze deeply and see what happens. You may be surprised!”

I said they were welcome to sit where I settled, but that I was going to be sketching too, not teaching. As it turned out, I decided to stay fairly close to the Arch at City Plaza, because the farmer’s market was  in full swing and felt energizing.

We learn by doing, right? That’s the good news and the bad news: there are no short-cuts, only lots and lots of practice! I reassured them we would be able to chat when we reconvened for lunch and Show & Tell.

There are so many doorways to enter the world of Urban Sketching: pen, pencil, paint, detailed, or loose sketches. Endless options, with an A+ to anyone who is willing to give it a go. And as always. It’s far more fun with fellow sketchers!

The check-in at the end was full of laughter, one person after another saying, “Me too!” when they described the discomfort at the beginning, and the unexpected delight that followed as soon as their minds slowed down. I’ve scheduled three more meetups after today. We shall see!

(to be continued…)

[Note: As some of you might have guessed, I am incapable of lifting the words and illustrations straight from my book’s text file and plopping them here. That would be efficient, but much less fun. I love editing. It’s not my fault, though. I had wordsmithing coming at me with both barrels of Nature and Nurture since childhood. My poor clueless dad gave me a dictionary for my 14^th birthday. Seriously. It was his only gift that year. I was crestfallen at the time but today I’m grateful.

Now, in this blog series, I have the luxury of editing my own published work without the inconvenience or expense of a graphic designer, a professional editor, or heaven forbid, republishing! Best of all, I get to add in the background information that would have made the printed “Double Take” way too long. I hope you enjoyed reading this and that it has given you the itch to head outside sketching, no matter what the weather!

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All three of my books are available on Amazon in eBook and paperback formats.

The link to “Double Take” is here.

The newest book, Look at That! – Second Edition, is also available as a beautiful hardcover.

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 As always, thanks for spending some time with me “aloft.” Happy sketching!