The Magazine of Graphic Journalism
Here are some sketchers who documented the summer Olympic Games in Paris. While none of them was specifically commissioned to be there, their work underscores the unique value of hand-drawn reportage as a visual human record of important events, especially as AI continues to flood social media with machine-generated imagery.
Meet Lydia Wood and John Donohue, two sketchers drawn to food establishments. Wood has drawn more than 300 London pubs and aspires to immortalize the more than 3,000 across the city. Donohue is on a quest to draw every restaurant in New York, Paris, London and beyond.
Drawings to save animals Here’s a great initiative that underscores the value of reportage as a communication and marketing tool. Wildlife artist Delphine Zigoni, 11 other sketchers from USk Paris and journalist Marianne Lagrange recently teamed up to document the life of laboratory animals. They partenered with White Rabbit, a French association that finds homes for
Lapin’s sketchbook reportage is sought out by municipalities, museums and even the French military. How did he launch his career as an independent reportage artist and urban sketcher? In this new Artist Talk exclusive for On the Spot members, Lapin talks about his career and the strategies behind his success.
Uganda’s landscape and wildlife in watercolor and pencil “I traveled to Uganda to make one of my dreams a reality: to witness the mountain gorillas.” —Joan León Hot off the press! Barcelona-based sketcher Joan León, the author of Ilustrando Sudamérica*, takes us to a whole new continent in Cuaderno de Uganda ($16.77 on Etsy),
Hello readers, Here’s a new bulletin of sketching and reportage news. If you like what you read, please share so others can learn about On the Spot and Sketcher Press. Behind the scenes at a London hospital “Vital Organs” is a newly-released 48-page publication collecting the gripping reportage drawings made
Hello readers, Some housekeeping: On the Spot has a new tagline: the Magazine of Reportage Illustration. This slogan better reflects my original goal for the newsletter: to create a reader-supported publication that pays artists for articles of compelling visual storytelling. In light of the new tagline, “Sketching News Roundups” are now called
The guest of my January Live Zoom was Marielle Durand, an artist, author and urban sketcher based in Paris. Durand belongs to a very small group of artists who holds a special pass to draw inside the French Parliament, where she has been documenting political debates since October of 2022. We talked
Hi readers, It felt good to kick off On the Spot in 2024 with a contributed article by Houston based artist Judith Dollar. Next, I announced this Thursday’s Artist Talk with Marielle Durand (Are you in?). And now it’s time to review some compelling reportage that caught my eye in the past few weeks. Rolf
French artist Marielle Durand has been sketching for more than 20 years, but when she started her career as a professional artist she never imagined the job would open doors like the ones that lead into the French Parliament. Since October 2022, Durand has belonged to a very small group of artists
“A drawing is a human document of witness, and is ultimately complicated by the subjectivities of the artist’s experience. This book explores the concerns that make the act of reportage a highly valuable record of interaction between human and subject in a hypermediated world.” Louis Netter Recorded live Dec. 21,
Hello readers and welcome new subscribers, I’m glad you are here for another fresh batch of sketching news. Niki Groom at ‘Peace Feast’ Art by Niki Groom Community events offer great opportunities for reportage. In Bristol, England, local artist Niki Groom was commissioned to document Peace Feast, a multicultural evening of food and
Len Grant relies on crowdfunding to publish high-quality books of his sketches. Dear subscribers, How did you like Thursday’s Live Zoom with Len Grant? If you missed it, the recording is at the bottom of this post. I really enjoyed the conversation with Grant. He talked about his professional journey from
Hello readers and welcome new subscribers, After the excitement of my trip to France for Rendez-vous and Thanksgiving week, it’s time for a fresh bulletin of sketching news. Consider the books I mention in today’s newsletter when you do your holiday shoppping, and don’t forget about the Live Zoom with Len Grant on
Thousands of people congregated in Clermont-Ferrand over the weekend to meet and greet some of the biggest names in the travel sketching universe. In the photo is Paris sketcher Sylvain Cnudde. Hello readers, and welcome new subscribers, I am back in Seattle after an exciting long weekend at Rendez-vous International du Carnet
Hello readers and welcome new subscribers, Here’s a fresh batch of sketching news from talented artists who make on-the-spot sketching look easy. Also, a special announcement is below the calendar at the bottom of this newsletter. Don’t miss it. Denim Days reportage by KVB Drawing by Kay Van Bellen I
Hello readers, I have a fresh delivery of sketching news for you. Enjoy! Sketcher of the Galaxy An observatory in Catania as seen by Lapin. It looks as if renowned French urban sketcher Lapin is set to take his sketchbooks into the farthest confines of the galaxy. He has been on assignment
I talked to award-winning travel sketcher Oliver Hoeller about his approach to visual storytelling and our collaboration on his recent On the Spot article about Bali. Hoeller is a scientist turned illustrator and urban sketcher.
Hello readers, Fall has arrived in Seattle. I’m excited to share a new “Sketching News Roundup” with you as rain begins to pour outside. Enjoy! Tiny Changes and live-painter Jenny Soep Photo by Ryan Buchanan. Stockholm-based reportage artist Jenny Soep landed a pretty rad gig the last week of August. She was the
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
