Sub-Urban Sketching
Urban Sketching is lovely and wonderful, but I notice it's mostly Euro-centric subject matter. What to draw when you're not there.
Over the past decade thanks to Instagram and YouTube, the phrase and practice Urban Sketching has become popular. Artists have long drawn out on location (ex. Van Gogh) with their every day carry kits. Urban Sketching is specifically focused on skylines and hubbub. Groups of artists have organized into a non-profit and regional charters for casual meetups. Due to the growth and interest of drawing and painting on location, a cottage industry has also popped up.
Urban Sketching is lovely and wonderful, though I’ve noticed that the subject matter is mostly Euro-centric cities with old-world glamour. When it’s not that, it’s coastal cities with the rugged sea-faring textures, boats and sea gulls.
I want to introduce a term - “Sub-Urban sketching.”
Alternative spelling: Suburban Sketching.
It’s the American Sprawl you see as you drive through the suburbs or enter a business or house. Another term I created for this is Midwestern Opulence - where it’s just stuff. Think Costco, boxes upon boxes piled up. Easy subject matter to practice perspective drawing of squares and character.
Urban Sketching features airport drawings and travelers
Sub-Urban Sketching features rest stop McDonalds and road trippers - which on a caricature level have the same amount of variety. Construction workers, families, locals and travelers all show up.
The strength of Instagram since the beginning has been the power of travel and sharing exploits and Urban Sketching has really leaned into that - not only are the posts about the wonder and comparison of traveling to wonderful places, but it has also become about sharing talent and access/sponsorship of particular art tools and colors.
In the same way that the practice of drawing your mundane tasks as Batman adds to seeing yourself in an abstracted way - outside of your norm. Drawing everyday surroundings - even if not glamorous - I have found, also adds a new level of connecting to your space and most importantly, shares a story and your viewpoint.
In addition to my personal interest of art making using quality materials, I’m involved in the Art Supplies business. My company, Busy Hands Studio designs and manufactures tools for artists -primarily painters- to use in their practice. We are a very small business taking part in a $21.7 billion global industry. As such I have participated in industry lectures, organization and trade shows.
One of those organizations is the National Art Materials Trade Association - NAMTA. They host a trade show every year and two years ago I attended. The major buyers are Michaels, JoAnn’s and Blick and as you walk the aisles of those stores, you will understand who the major exhibitors at this show are.
It was weird for me to see paint brushes, crayons and clay presented and sold in the same way that cars are sold at a dealership. Doughy, old men in ties and khakis pacing at the edge of their booth carpet, trying to sell and upsell gel pens and acrylic paint … men who don’t even use the products and casually state that they “only draw stick figures.” Such a tired response - I hear this all the time. These salesmen were particularly hungry to talk about anything that had to do with urban sketching, because it sells.
What those big box store buyers (Michaels, JoAnns & Blick) have in common is that a majority of theirs sales and audience are from suburban customers. What are these customers creating or contributing to the artistic conversations and representations?
A larger conversation. I’m not sure how to end this article without sounding pessimistic and it is technically a day past my self-imposed Wednesday publishing deadline. So, for now I’ll leave this here and may edit in the future.
TLDR: Draw your surroundings, even if you’re not traveling or in glamorous cities. Involve your community in your sketchbooks. Use up your art supplies, they go bad.