For those who signed up for USk Van Sketch Weekend 2025, here is the useful information you should know before the event! Q. Can I come only for my event? Is there anything more planned? You are welcome to join on both days of Sketch Weekend!  In the morning sessions, we have workshops and sketchcrawls with limited capacity. But afternoon sessions are open to all registered participants. They will be held indoors at Zameen Art House (on Granville Island) from 2pm-5pm on both days. There will be ample opportunities to hang out, listen to inspiring talks, chat with other sketchers, and look through each other’s sketchbooks - all the fun stuff! Q. Will I be able to speak with instructors and visiting Executive Board members? Yes! We made sure to designate some unstructured time for mingling every afternoon. Join our afternoon sessions from 2pm onwards at Zameen Art House. Q. I registered but cannot make it to the event any longer. What should I do? Contact the admin team email...

  USk Van Sketch Weekend 2025 is supported by these seven amazing sponsors! This event could not be possible without them. We'd like to express our gratitude here for their generous offers. Opus Art Supplies If you are an artist based in Metro Vancouver, you probably have bought art supplies from them. Their Granville Island location is going to provide their gathering space, and even art supplies for the event! Zameen Art House The event/workshop venue for artists and creatives on Granville Island will be the place where the event hangout and talks will take place. You can meet our local artists, the USk Executive Board members and fellow sketchers there! Supply Sponsors More information about the art supply sponsors and goodie bags will follow. Stay tuned for what you will get at the event! Legion Paper Renowned for its high-quality, fine art papers and art supplies, providing an extensive selection of over 3000 premium papers. Etchr Lab Australian art company focusing ...

The last local artist we introduce is Heather Souliere, who will be holding a talk Urban Sketching With Inks !  Heather is a Canadian artist and urban sketcher who has been working in the Animation & Film Industry for over two decades. Her preferred urban sketching mediums are pen and ink and gouache. She enjoys capturing both the urban landscape of Vancouver, and the natural surroundings of the city.  She will give a talk about how urban sketching helps her in her professional work. It allows her to quickly decipher and analyse what is seen, and translate it to a page or what she is painting on a computer. Sketching is a great way to learn to filter between what is and isn't important. Working with inks specifically has helped her get a deeper understanding of light and value. This talk will offer advice on how sketching can benefit professional artists and aspiring professionals as a creative activity! Heather Souliere Instagram Website --------------------- #USkVan...

  Here we are delighted to introduce our most enthusiastic sketcher and avid meetup host, Bob Altwein, who will be holding a talk Stories Through Sketching !  Bob started embracing urban sketching 13 years ago after retiring from being a long-time graphic designer. Since then, he has hosted meetups, given demos and workshops, and also been a guest artist at USk meetups in Ukraine, Germany and France.  Throughout his life, sketching has offered an opportunity to tell stories and document his many travels. Backpacking across four continents in his youth, a sketchbook was his constant companion. Feeling grateful to have such a lifelong connection to sketching, he will share stories from his travels in his sketchbooks in the artists talk. This will be undoubtedly an inspiring and valuable opportunity to learn about people and life from across the world, across the decades, through our sketch master's artwork! Bob Altwein Instagram --------------------- #USkVan Sketch Weekend ...

  The second local artist we introduce is Zandro Tumaliuan, who will be leading the sketchwalk Fast & Fearless: The Art of Travel Sketching Zandro is a designer and partner at HDI/Hager Design International in Vancouver, seamlessly integrates sketching into his creative process. Whether conceptualizing designs at work or exploring new destinations, he finds joy and tranquility in urban sketching. Armed with his trusted pens, sketchbook, and watercolors, he captures vibrant moments wherever he goes. His sketches not only document his travels but also spark conversations with curious passersby. Through his art, he preserves the essence of his surroundings, creating lasting memories of each journey. Sketching provides him with solace amid bustling cityscapes, allowing him to see the world through a dynamic and expressive lens. In the sketching adventure on Granville Island, he will guide sketchers and explore its vibrant streets, bustling markets, and scenic waterfront while ...

  In USk Van Sketch Weekend 2025, we invited some talented local artists to lead sketchers on Granville Island and share their skills. Here, meet Beck Cao, who will be leading the sketchwalk Capturing Granville Island’s Charm Through Ink and Watercolor Sketches . Becky is an artist and art educator specializing in ink and watercolor sketching. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and a Master’s degree in Art Education. A longtime practitioner of sketching on location, Becky finds inspiration in the subtle beauty of city life, transforming it into expressive and thoughtful sketches. In the sketchwalk, she will guide participants through two location sketches, offering insights on composition, perspective, sketching people in motion, and storytelling through art. Through this creative stroll, you will learn some tips to capture the charm of Granville Island. Becky has made so many sketches that capture the colorful and lively moments of Metro Vancouver. Having a look at her ske...

Another workshop instructor from the Urban Sketchers Executive Board is Annette Morris, who will be leading the workshop Choosing and Celebrating Colour ! Annette is a British artist living in southern France. She serves as the Education Director on the Urban Sketchers Executive Board and is the founder Admin of the USk Languedoc-Roussillon chapter. In addition to exhibiting and selling her work, Annette also runs online sketch classes plus workshops and sketching holidays in Europe. She is passionate about bringing people together who share a common interest, and encouraging connection and wellbeing through creative expression and the joy of painting. She believes that in becoming an active member of USk herself she finally ‘found her tribe’. Her workshop will explore how to select and adapt local colours to create interest and luminosity in your sketches. Colour is a very powerful tool - it can be used to suggest mood and influence reactions. As an Urban Sketcher, colour enables you ...

  The second instructor we introduce is Mike Daikubara, who will be leading the workshop titled Color First Ink Later Workshop ! Mike is an artist, author, designer and educator based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sketching daily since 2000, he’s passionate about sharing his love for sketching. He has authored 10 Urban Sketching books, including Sketch NOW Think Later , and COLOR first INK later . He has taught hundreds of students locally and internationally.　He currently serves as Vice President for Urban Sketchers. In his workshop, he will be teaching the "COLOR First, INK Later" approach, which helps make it easier to sketch a complex scene. Instead of starting with line work, broad watercolor washes are applied first using a mop brush, freeing you from controlling every detail. Once dry, ink adds structure and focus, followed by additional colors and highlights to complete the sketch. Using minimal tools in a short time, this method creates vibrant, dynamic, and fun sket...

  We're delighted to introduce our instructors for USk Van Sketch Weekend 2025. First up, meet Genine Carvalheira, who will be leading the workshop The Full Picture - Sketching Your Entire Experience ! Genine is an Artist, Interior & Industrial Designer and avid traveler. Originally from the US, she has lived in Canada and currently resides in Bogota, Colombia. Since 2007, she's filled over 85 sketchbooks, recording her life and travels across 30+ countries. Her sketchbooks serve as a visual journal, recording the quiet beauty of everyday moments alongside the captivating scenes from her global travels, always ready to capture life as it unfolds. As a long time Urban Sketcher, she has participated in nine symposiums, volunteered as Vice President and President, and currently serves as Past President for the global Urban Sketchers organization. Her workshop will be exploring storytelling techniques to create dynamic two-page spreads using multiple sketches to capture the ri...

UPDATE (9th March 2025): REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSED. Thank you for your support! --------------------- Registration for USk Van Sketch Weekend 2025 is now open! For this first-ever event, the entry is FREE; however, spots are limited. We want to ensure as many members of our community as possible have the chance to participate. Please complete the registration form below and select your preferred sessions to secure your spot. Registration form https://forms.gle/ABSZkwYvxeaoHpKdA Find more information on the artists and activities in this post . All the activities will be held on Granville Island. Let's discover and capture the charms of the island with USk Vancouver, the global USk Executive Board, and the amazing guest and local artists! #USkVan Sketch Weekend 2025 Granville Island April 5 (Sat) - April 6 (Sun) Facebook group Instagram

  Urban Sketchers Vancouver and the Urban Sketchers Global Executive Board cordially invite you to join us in USk Van Sketch Weekend! The event will run between 5 to 6 April 2025! This is going to be USk Vancouver's first big community event, featuring amazing guest instructors and lots of learning opportunities. We have an exciting lineup of esteemed guest and established local artists. The details of each artist and activity will follow soon. Workshops Genine Carvalheira Former President of Urban Sketchers Genine has filled over 85 sketchbooks, recording her life and travels across 30+ countries. Her sketchbook serves as a visual journal, capturing the quiet beauty of everyday moments. Genine is always ready to capture life as it unfolds. Genine will lead the workshop The Full Picture: Sketching Your Entire Experience , showing how to create dynamic story-rich two page spread sketchbooks. Join Genine in capturing a scene in sketches that transcend their physical appearances. Mike...