SUNDAY: Double Header Weekend

Saturday Sketch BBG

Sunday Sketch NYSLO

SUNDAY

The weather is finally with us and both weekend dates look great.  We have very interesting events planed for both days this weekend.  Details about the Sunday event will be sent in a second email.

On Sunday we’ll be sketching with a Musical Theme.  We’ll start the day sketching NYC’s “Music Row”l and finish with the special invitation to from the NY Late Starters Orchestra rehearsal.  If there is a group which is the musical equivalent of Urban Sketchers, it’s these people. They’re all talented passionate amateur musicians.  They have a sister group who play in London.  We’ve been invited as their special guests to visit their rehearsal space.

MUSIC ROW

Perhaps Times Square's best kept secret is 48th street, or what locals fondly call "Music Row." Along this street are retailers of specialty instruments, instrument repair shops, and sheet music stores. "Music Row" hosts New York City's highest concentration of music instrument stores.

Since the early 1930s, "Music Row" has been a center for the musical community, playing host to repair shops and music stores, yes, but also to rehearsal spaces, studios, and musical venues. 

NYSLO

NYLSO, the New York Late-Starters String Orchestra, is something special. It was founded in early 2007, and grew out of a concept developed by The East London Late Starters Orchestra (ELLSO), an award-winning group in England. NYLSO is an amateur chamber orchestra for beginning or recently returning adult players of violin, viola, cello, and double bass. They are not a class, but rather a highly committed and enthusiastic group of individuals who want to enjoy the experience of playing serious music in an organized group.  Sounds a little like us?

New York Late-Starters String Orchestra (NYLSO) promo from NYLSO on Vimeo.

DETAILS:

When:  1:00 PM.  Music Row:  Meet at the corner of 48th Street and 6th Avenue and we will slowly work our way to 7th Avenue.  Everything is on that one block.   We will finish at 2:20.

NYSLO:  At 2:20 we’ll leave to go to the second part of the sketch day.  Our visit to NYSLO will be a short walk to their  rehearsal space is at Studios 353, located at 353 West 48 Street.  

If you're coming on your own, ask at the desk, and they'll let you know which studio we are in. 

>>>  Please let us know if you are coming so we can be sure to have enough extra chairs available.  Click to send an email to let us know you're coming.

The rehearsal runs from 3:00 to 5:00

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: Double Header Weekend

Saturday Sketch BBG

and 

Sunday Sketch NYSLO

THE DETAILS:

Peak Weekend at BBG

SATURDAY

The weather is finally with us and both weekend dates look great.  We have very interesting events planed for both days this weekend.  Details about the Sunday event will be sent in a second email.

 On Saturday we’ll be at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for what some believe is “the peak weekend” for the garden.  We will meet at the front gate at Eastern Parkway.  If you arrive late -  take the contact phone number so you can find us.

The Gardens are going to be filled with people on Saturday, including photography clubs, other artists, families and lovers.  We’re going to try to stay together as a group moving from one location to another.  You might want to bring your lunch, it will be a perfect day for picnicking.  There is food for sale too but the lines are often long on peak days.

DETAILS:

When:   The Gardens open at 10 AM and admission is free until noon.  Sleeping late?  Come anyway but be sure to take the contact phone number (973-809-9128) to call or text for info on where we are.

Where:  The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens,  150 Eastern Parkway,  Brooklyn, NY 11225

Admission:  Free from 10 AM to Noon (incentive to come early.

From 12 PM on

• Adults - $10
• Seniors (65 and over) - $5
• Students with a valid ID - $5
• Children under 12 - Free
  

How:  Best Bet - 2,3 , 4, 5, B tSubway,

           Close but not as convenient - Q to Prospect Park

          By car:  There's convenient parking behind the Brooklyn Museum which is adjacent to the Gardens.

Lunch at 12:00.  We’ll find a nice spot near the Conservatory.  There are lily ponds in the area and food can be purchased nearby.

Afternoon:   1:15 - back to sketching the Gardens.

Show and Tell:  3:15 walk to Tooker Alley 793 Washington Ave,  to share drawings, good stories and a beer or wine if you're so inclined.

Map:

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

Double Header Weekend

Saturday Sketch BBG

Sunday Sketch NYSLO

DETAILS COMING SOON

SATURDAY:

The weather is finally with us and both weekend dates look great.   On Saturday we’ll be at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for what some believe is “the peak weekend” for the garden.  

SUNDAY:

On Sunday we’ll be sketching with a Musical Theme.  We’ll start the day sketching NYC’s “Music Row” and finish with the special invitation to from the NY Late Starters Orchestra rehearsal.  If there is a group which is the musical equivalent of Urban Sketchers, it’s these people. They’re all talented passionate amateur musicians.  They have a sister group who play in London.  We’ve been invited as their special guests to visit their rehearsal space.

Weekday Urban Sketchers Redux: 

Take a Line for a Walk

Last Thursday we were "blown away" at the Weekday Urban Sketchers meet up....really blown away. It was so cold and windy that we couldn't stay outdoors to sketch in Chelsea Waterside Park. Since we couldn't enjoy the venue I thought we should go back and try again this week.

We will meet in Chelsea Waterside Park to "take a line for a walk"...a drawing exercise.  For our first hour we will move through the park drawing things that peak our interest without taking our pen/pencil off the page.  After we break for lunch (many areas for picnics ) we will continue with our usual manner of drawing.  The park offers many sketching opportunities that include a skateboard park, playground, dog park, river views, Chelsea Piers and the Hudson River Greenway. Great opportunities to sketch people, animals, boats, skylines (NYC and NJ) and greenways.

DATE: Thursday April 30, 2015

Meet Up Location: Park Entrance at the foot of 23rd Street at 11th Ave.

Time: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Transportation: A,C,E train to 23rd Street at 8th Ave.  You can take the crosstown bus to 11th Ave.

PLEASE RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net

Looking for us?  Call Raylie at 201-978-6387

Whitney Museum and Meatpacking District - April 25, 2015

Whitney Museum of American Art from 13th Street and Washington

Julie sketching at the 14th Street Park

Looking north along 9th Ave from plaza at Gansevoort St.

Meat trucks at London Meat Company on Little 12th St.

A Day of Sketching Near the New Whitney Museum

Susan and I started our day sketching on the E Train going into the city. The sketching was fine until it got too crowded to see anything but the person right smack in front of you. Here are a few train sketches that I did.

It was cold so I looked for a spot to block the wind where I could still see part of the new Whitney Museum. I personally think the building looks out of place in the area...too modern to fit in with the warehouses, brick, and cobblestones that give the Meatpacking District so much charm.

I found the Gansevoort Street entrance to Highline Park more to my liking...and I was sitting in the warm sunshine in a spot where the wind was blocked. Yay!

After lunch a number of us ended up in a lovely sunny square with an assortment of views in every direction. In this one the restaurant was the star.

In this one done from the same location, Mark, Michael, and Michael were the stars.

I don't know why I only took one photo of the day, but here it is. We need to make sure we do a group photo in the future. Sorry we didn't get to do a big group show and tell at the end as planned, but I'm glad those of us that were still around gathered in that nice park to share. I got to see a few sketchers I hadn't seen all day.

SATURDAY: NYC - World Wide Sketchcrawl #47

For the WW Sketchcrawl 

NYC Urban Sketchers will be visiting the 

New Whitney Museum and it's neighborhood.

Flickr CC user Steven Severinghaus

We are one week from the opening of the Whitney Museum's new home located between the High Line and the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.  Although we can't get inside we will have an opportunity to visually explore NYC's newest architectural addition.  Highly anticipated and much discussed, ... is it a masterpiece?  With loads of reviewers weighing in  it's time for you to decide. 

Use your artistic sensibilities and your sketching skills to explore the Whitney's new home.

Designed by architect Renzo Piano with a dramatically cantilevered entrance along Gansevoort Street.  We will sketch the building and explore the surrounding neighborhood which has been revitalized by the Highline.

DETAILS:

When:  Saturday April 25th, starting at 10 AM.  Sleeping late?  Come anyway, you'll find us sketching.

Where:  We'll start at The Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, NYC.  The closest subway stop is 14th Street using the A, C, E or L train.

Lunch:  At noon we'll break for food and meet at the 14th Street Park (10th Ave and 14th Street). Bring or buy food along the way   We'll meet at the park at 12:30 for a picnic lunch and more sketching.

Afternoon: 1:30 - Back to the streets in the meatpacking district.  It might pay to have a light weight stool for street sketching.

Show and Tell:  3:15 stop sketching.  Meet us at 3:30 at the Brass Monkey located at 55 Little West 12th St.  We'll head up their rooftop garden  to continue sketching,  to share drawings, good stories, beer, coffee, tea or wine if you're so inclined (food too if you like).

Click to Enlarge

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

Postcards from Hawaii - Day 4 and 5

Day 4: Hanauma Bay

Before my friend's wedding in the afternoon, we woke up early to visit the snorkeling heaven of Hanauma Bay.  The bay is the crater of a former volcano.  The calm waters within support a coral reef with brightly colored fish swimming by your feet.

Day 5: Waikiki

We walked around the busy tourist hotspot of Waikiki--one of the densest areas of Honolulu.  We visited the beachfront of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, built in 1927.  It had beautiful gardens and outdoor colonnades for sitting.  We had cold beer while enjoying a view of the hotel structures and Diamond head.

Of course, I couldn't resist getting my very own Hawaiian shirt while visiting!

Sketching Philipsburg Manor

We visited Philipsburg Manor on Sunday, a lovely spot up the Hudson River a few miles north of the Tappanzee Bridge.  The event was labeled "From Sheep to Shawl" which drew my wife, - a passionate fiber artist.  However the Manor was more a historical recreation showing our Colonial Heritage.  Not what I expected but still a good sketching opportunity.  I happily sketched while Susan attended lectures and demonstrations.

The Mill at Philipsburg Manon

A Brook by the side of a Field

Oil Sketching on the eastern shore of MD

I missed you all! And tried to drum up new members of Urban Sketchers...It will be a month before I can join you again. It should be blooming and green in NYC by then too.....

night light, 7x5

cheery tree, 7x5

still standing, 7x5

Bay water edge, 11x14

Impromptu, 9x12

Old Cannery, 10x10

Phragmites invaders, 10x8

Sunset Marsh, 10x8

early spring marsh 12x12

Pokomoke Sunset 5x7

Weekday Urban Sketchers Take a Line for a Walk

We will meet in Chelsea Waterside Park to "take a line for a walk"...a drawing exercise.  For our first hour we will move through the park drawing things that peak our interest without taking our pen/pencil off the page.  After we break for lunch (many areas for picnics ) we will continue with our usual manner of drawing.  The park offers many sketching opportunities that include a skateboard park, playground, dog park, river views, Chelsea Piers and the Hudson River Greenway. Great opportunities to sketch people, animals, boats, skylines (NYC and NJ) and greenways.

DATE: Thursday April 23, 2015

Meet Up Location: Park Entrance at the foot of 23rd Street at 11th Ave.

Time: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Transportation: A,C,E train to 23rd Street at 8th Ave.  You can take the crosstown bus to 11th Ave.

PLEASE RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net

Looking for us?  Call Raylie at 201-978-6387

Postcards from Hawaii - Day 2 and 3

Day 2:

We took a stroll at sunrise along the Waialea beach park.  The palm trees swayed above the thick landscape below.

We drove to the windward coast of O'ahu island where we stopped by Makapu'u Beach.  The strong currents and waves made it a favorite of body surfers. Sandy beach nestled by dark volcanic stones.

Day 3: We drove up to the Manoa valley to hike the trail to the Manoa falls.  It was a completely different environment: a damp rainforest with muddy paths.  The reward at the end of the hike was the majestic stone wall with rainfall from the mountain top splashing down to create Manoa Falls.  

I had a conversation with a local resident (Ola) who said he appreciated the idea of drawing on location instead of just taking photographs.  I mentioned he should check out our Urban Sketchers page for more! 

Lots of gratitude to my wife Sima who supports, patiently waits at each landmark, and takes cool photos like this one-- sketching on a mossy rock at the base of the falls:

"Binge Sketching" Defined

Binge sketching is a pattern of disordered drawing which consists of episodes of uncontrollable production of sketches. It is synonymous with “compulsive oversketching disorder.” During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of ink and sketchbook paper. Many people who have sketching binges try to hide this behavior from others or seek outlets among other sketchers such as those who attend NY Urban Sketch events. It is often accompanied by euphoria but can result in exhaustion and loss of productive work-time and time with family. Although people who do not have any sketching disorder may occasionally experience episodes of oversketching, frequent binge sketching is often a symptom of compulsive oversketching disorder. Binge sketching occurs more commonly in the Spring when the weather turns warm and peaks in the summer months. Persons with binge sketching disorder are sometimes antisocial and often spend excess amount of time in art supply stores or trolling the internet late at night for paints, pens, and brushes. 

The following sketches were produced during a mad sketch binge that lasted most of the weekend, starting in Madison Square by the Flatiron building, moving on to Roosevelt Island with the NY Urban Sketchers, and ending at a bar near Second Avenue by the Queensborough Bridge:

And a big THANK YOU to my NY Urban Sketch enablers!  Follow me on Instagram @jlevinemd and see more sketches on my Google Page.

Jeff Levine