Hi readers, With just a few minutes of August left on the clock here in Seattle, On the Spot’s “Sketching News Roundup” is back. Enjoy! Joust draw it! Earlier in August, London-based illustrator Erin De Bar documented a famous joust competition at Hampton Court Palace. De Bar told me via text how she felt the pressure to capture […]

Hello readers and happy summer, or winter, depending where you find yourself as a new season starts. Here’s a new summary of cool and current work happening in the world of urban sketching and reportage illustration. If you like what you see, please share On the Spot and invite others to subscribe. From sketchbook to asphalt “As […]

Hello readers and welcome new subscribers, What cool sketches have you come across recently? I write this curated report every other week to highlight timely on-the-spot drawings and news that caught my eye. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy putting it together. Pride Month Drawing by Veronica Lawlor As June […]

Hello readers, In case you are new to On the Spot, this is my twice-a-month bulletin highlighting timely work by sketchers worldwide. If you see something I should consider mentioning, please don’t hesitate to email me or leave a comment. Curtis Tappenden at the Brighton Festival Courtesy of Curtis Tappenden Every May, the seaside English town of Brighton […]

Hello readers, After my trips to Querétaro and Auckland last month, I’m happy to be typing this newsletter from my home office instead of an airport. Allow me a couple of bullets before we get into the good stuff. On the Spot reached more than 100 paid subscribers last week! (And it’s close to surpassing 2,000 free subscribers). I’m truly […]

Kia Ora, readers! This beautiful Māori-language greeting is one of the many things I’ve learned while participating in the 11th International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Auckland last week. It is used to express all sorts of well wishes, including hello, goodbye, good morning or thank you. Keep on reading for more highlights about the Symposium and other […]

Hello readers, Did you travel over spring break? I spent the week in Querétaro, a booming city in central Mexico known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture, and as the cradle of Mexico’s independence from Spanish rulers in the early 1800s. The visit, made possible by Urban Sketchers Querétaro, was beyond meaningful. My pocket sketchbook is […]

Hello readers and greetings from Seattle, As springs turns around, I’m wrapping up some projects and starting new ones. Last Monday, I shared the stage with Rita Sabler at the Seattle University Book Store for the presentation of her book, New York Reawakens. Melanie Reim’s Different and the Same, my second Sketcher Press book, is off to press. (Get free shipping within the […]

Hello readers, This is my twice-a-month post highlighting timely work by artists who draw on the spot and aim to capture a sense of place and time.  For the sake of simplicity, I refer to all these artists as sketchers. Every sketcher has a unique style and gravitates to different subjects. But we all have […]