This tiny triangle of a park offers a lot of impact for urban sketching: cobblestone streets, cafes with bright umbrellas and home to the often photographed Staple Street Skybridge.   And, just down the street is Washington Market Park, offering green lawns, playgrounds and shady trees.   

DATE: Wednesday May 20 , 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: 1, 2, 3 to Chambers St. Walk 2 blocks north on Hudson Street

HOST :Kristin Zimmermann. 917-973-6867

NOTES: 

Water, bathrooms are available in Washington Market Park

Food available at local vendors

Bring a stool

Saturday 5/16/26: Washington Square Park

 

If there’s a place in New York City that consistently delivers sketching gold, it’s Washington Square Park. Whether you’ve been dozens of times or somehow haven’t yet made it a regular stop, this park offers one of the richest, most dynamic sketching environments in the city—arguably the world. Between the Washington Square Arch, the fountain, row houses, street performers, musicians, dancers, skateboarders, chess hustlers, “independent entrepreneurs”… Washington Square Park has it all!!

HOST: Frieda Christofides (917) 747-6060
DATE: Saturday 5/16/26
TIME: Sketching 11am - 3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: Washington Square Park

MEETING LOCATION: There will be a kickoff meeting at 11am by the benches in front of the arch (between the arch and the fountain). If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: The benches in front of the arch (between the arch and the fountain). Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location.
FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: Yes to all.

ABOUT NYC URBAN SKETCHING EVENTS: All are welcome, no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

WORKSHOP: Gesture Painting: Large, Loose and Fast with Rene Barkett, June 6

Learn to make quick impressions of a scene in watercolor with large brush strokes loosely applied.

The inspiration for this workshop is Gesture Drawing - the art of capturing the essence of the human figure in a very short period of time. Gesture Drawing is fast, expressive and loose. Using the same techniques, Rene will teach how to depict the heart of an urban scene with Gesture Painting.

Students will learn to observe and record quickly what they see, not becoming stuck on any one detail. The goal will be to depict the whole of a scene, giving a fresh, vivid description. We will do this so that an entire image can be created at once, just as you would in a life drawing quick pose, avoiding the problem of working too tightly.

For information and tickets: Gesture Painting: Large, Loose and Fast 

SATURDAY, May 16, 2026: Westchester Sketchers Plein Air Day at Larchmont Library

 

The Larchmont Public Library has teamed up with the Westchester NYC Urban Sketchers to provide a fun and relaxing drawing event ‘en plain air’ or ‘in the open air.’

Join us at 10 AM on the front lawn of the Library for a quick meet and greet. From there, choose a spot on the lawn (or anywhere around the building) and begin sketching/drawing the surrounding scenery. We will break for lunch at 12:30 PM and reconvene at 1 PM for Show & Tell. After that, everyone is welcome to continue sketching until 3 PM.

HOST: Cathy Gutterman (914) 625-0766

DATE: Saturday, May 16, 2026

TIME: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM 

LOCATION: Larchmont Library, 121 Larchmont Ave, Larchmont, NY 10538.

Phone: (914) 834-2281

DIRECTIONS: https://larchmontlibrary.org/directions/

By TRAIN (From Grand Central Terminal, NYC):

Take the Metro-North New Haven line to the Larchmont Station. The Library is less than a mile's walk from the Larchmont station. (Walk on Chatsworth until you reach Post Road. Turn right. Larchmont Avenue is your next left). If you need a ride from the Station, please call Marianne (914-355-6507) to arrange for pick-up.

PARKING: While parking is metered in Larchmont, you can drive east (towards the water) on Larchmont Ave and look for a spot further down from Elm Street where metered parking ends.

NOTES:

Bring water and your lunch or a snack, or pick something up from nearby eateries on Boston Post Road or Chatsworth Ave.

• Bring a stool for more sketching options.

Event announcement: https://larchmont.librarycalendar.com/event/plein-air-drawing-event-nyc-urban-sketchers-30312

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at westchester@nycurbansketchers.org

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

TUESDAY, May 12, 2026: NYACK/Westchester Sketch Meet-up at the Nyack Library

 

Come and join the next meet-up of the Nyack/Westchester Sketchers at the Nyack Library. Meet in the Creative Lab at 2 PM, then gather gain at 4 PM to share sketches. Choose whatever you would like to draw inside or outside.

Free, informal and friendly!  All levels welcome. Beginners welcome. No registration required.

HOST: Kay Copp Brown (631) 432-6526

DATE: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

TIME: 2:00 - 4:30 PM 

LOCATION: Nyack Library, 59 South Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960.

Meet in the Creative Lab at 2 PM. Return at 4:00 PM for Show and Tell.

DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Nyack+Library,+59+S+Broadway,+Nyack,+NY+10960 

NOTES:

• Park on the street or in the library lot behind the building.

• Restrooms are available.

For more information contact Kay at kcoppbrown@aol.com 

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

5/15 NJ Sketchers at Presby Iris Garden

Sketch the Irises

Join the NJ Urban Sketchers at Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 on Friday May 15 at 10:30 AM.

This favorite spot of photographers, gardeners, artists, and blossom enthusiasts is a feast for the senses. It is set on a sloped 6.5 acres and has 3,000 varieties and over 10,000 iris blooms. Since it was founded in 1927 as an ode to Frank Presby, an iris hybridizer, volunteers care for the delicate flowers without using herbicides or pesticides. Some of the varietals date back to the 1500's. The colors must be seen. Bring your summer palette, if you have one.

Wear a sun hat, and bring your lunch and plenty of water. Picnic tables are available as are Port-o-Sans. Bring your portable stool. Please wear sturdy shoes, as there are a few bumpy spots. There is free on the street parking on Upper Mountain Avenue, and cash donations are accepted at the entrance.

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026 

Starting Time: 10:30am

Location: Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043

Parking: Available on Upper Mountain Avenue

Please RSVP to Julia at

jazaz7658@gmail.com, and if you get lost

551-206-1273

Saturday 5/9/26: City Hall Park

 

As if City Hall, designed on 1802 by architects John McComb Jr. and Joseph-Francois Mangin, weren't sketchable enough, it is surrounded by stunning and historical buildings such as the majestic Manhattan Municipal Building, Tweed Courthouse, The Woolworth Building, Surrogate’s Court, the old NY Times Building, NY County Supreme Court, and even the Brooklyn Bridge and St. Paul’s Chapel are within striking distance.

The weather forecast is calling for rain in the afternoon on Saturday. As a fallback plan, let’s retreat to Brookfield Place if it is raining hard enough to prevent sketching. Check the comment section of the Instagram and Facebook posts for this event on Saturday for “live” updates. We can communicate there.

HOST: Dan Honig (917) 843-5539
DATE: Saturday 5/9/26
TIME: Sketching 10am - 3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: City Hall Park- East Side of Broadway @ Park Place- between Broadway and Park Row.

MEETING LOCATION: There will be no official meeting to kick off the day, join your fellow sketchers and just start sketching. If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: The benches around the Jacob Wrey Mould Fountain on the south side of the park. If we need to go to Brookfield place, meet on the east side of the Winter Garden Atrium, on the 2nd floor at the top of the giant staircase (there are elevators to get up there). Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location, and/or check the comment section of the Instagram and Facebook posts for this event for “live” updates.

FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: Yes to all.

ABOUT NYC URBAN SKETCHING EVENTS: All are welcome, no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.