Sketchcrawl 46: Bernal Heights, San Francisco

SF Bernal Heights Sketchcrawl, ink, watercolor, gouache, 7.5 x 11"

It was great seeing old friends and my regular sketching buddies on a beautiful day in San Francisco for Sketchcrawl 46. I got there late (as usual) so I sketched in one spot and drew what I could see from a bench in the shade on the porch in front of the Bernal Heights library. More about the day on my blog JanasJournal.

THANK YOU to Participants, Sponsors and Supporters of West Coast Urban Sketchers Sketchcrawl!

Sketches of Ferry Building, Coit Tower and Other SF Views

We had a fantastic time at the 3-day West Coast/Bay Area Sketchcrawl event and enjoyed meeting over 100 artists from as far away as Montreal, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles and from all around the Bay Area. Many new friends and connections were made along with hundreds of great sketches.

Looking at sketches at Lake Merritt's Camron Stanford House on Sunday

Thanks to the generosity of the many organizations who supported this event, we were able to give participants some free art supply swag and close the weekend's events with lemonade and cookies on the terrace of the historic Victorian Camron-Stanford house overlooking Lake Merritt.

Group photo, midday SF on Saturday

Huge thanks to the following sponsors and supporters (in alphabetical order):

• Artists and Craftsman, Berkeley with special thanks to Dawline Oni-Eseleh for the little sketchpads for kids and for sending representatives to the sketchcrawl with special "Urban Sketchers" discount cards.
• Bee Paper Company who sent us a huge heavy box full of wonderful Aquabee Super Deluxe, Recycled and large CoMo Sketchbooks. 
• Blick Art, Oakland  with special thanks to Megan Torres for the 100 Blick's bags with acrylic paint, sketchpads and charcoal.
• Cameron Stanford House with special thanks to Ann Swift for hosting our Sunday afternoon closing sketchbook sharing with lemonade and cookies on the terrace and tables to lay out our sketchbooks.
• Green Copy at 5267 Broadway (at College) Oakland, CA 94618 for printing the maps, copies of the poster and other items.
• Oakland Public Library Main Branch with special thanks to Kathleen DiGiovanni, Senior Librarian, Main Branch for hosting our sketchbook display and panel discussion. 
• Oakland Tribune for publicizing the event with articles and columns written by reporter Brittny Mejia who interviewed several of us and Tribune columnist Annalee Allen.
• Savoir Faire sent us a set of special USK-branded Sennelier accordian-style multimedia sketchbooks.
• Stillman and Birn provided 2 dozen beautiful Alpha Sketchbooks that were quickly snapped up!

Miles o' sketchbooks, mid-day sharing, SF Saturday

We'll be posting our sketches here and on our Bay Area Urban Sketchers Facebook page and Flickr Group where you are also invited to join and post.

See our Events Page for information about our monthly first Tuesday evening sketchcrawls and other events on this blog's Events page and on our Facebook group page.

39th Worldwide SketchCrawl

Sunny and crisp on Saturday in S.F. for the latest SketchCrawl.  We started at Philz Coffee on 18th Street and made our way to Dolores Park.  Talked to locals as well as sketchers from Davis, Modesto, and Vancouver.  

Loved drawing this dog who didn't move

Beautiful blossoms all over the colorful neighborhood

Sketchcrawl38 and Urban Sketchers Show

It was a great day to get out to draw on the corner of Solano and Masonic and meet fellow sketchers. I loved to see all their sketches at the reception hosted by the Albany Library at the end of our 'crawl. See Jana's post for more details.  

International Sketchcrawl 35

Sketchcrawl 35 was fantastic! The weather in San Francisco was unusually beautiful, warm and sunny and there was so much to see and do.

Sketched Standing on the BART Platform

Reading a REAL book on BART on the way to SF

A look alike for Jay (of Jay and Silent Bob from Clerks)? 

 He reminded me of Jay from the movie Clerks (you can see a photo of Jay on my blog here)

Cathy at Caffe Trieste

Cathy was sitting at my sidewalk table sketching someone behind me so I sketched her while the group gathered at Caffe Trieste, the starting point for the sketchcrawl. 

Molinari's Deli

Cathy and I bought lunch for later and then stood in opposite corners of the store to sketch the counter guys at Molinari's Deli in North Beach. I'll be posting more sketches from the day here and on my blog over the next few days. 

International Sketchcrawl Reminder, the Drunken Boat and Burlesque Marathon

Cathy sketching at Le Bateau Ivre, ink & watercolor, 8x6"

We had a wonderful Tuesday evening sketching and dining at Le Bateau Ivre (The Drunken Boat) in Berkeley. The ambiance and food is fantastic. We sat in the dining room with lovely brick walls and a fireplace. When we sketched there last year we sat in the cafe area which is equally charming.

International Sketchcrawl 35 is Saturday, April 21!

Here is a link to the Sketchcrawl website where you can find out if there is a group sketching near you (or initiate a location yourself).

San Francisco looks to be a particularly juicy sketchcrawl, starting in North Beach and ending at a free Burlesque Queens sketching marathon at a hotel at Fisherman's Wharf, hosted by Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School. The  burlesque performers are in town for the Tease-O-Rama, a "showcase and convention dedicated to the thriving neo-burlesque revival."

sketchcrawl 31: the mission, sf

For the 31st SketchCrawl in San Francisco, we met in the mission at a cafe near Mission Dolores Park. The day was fine and clear, although it did get a little cold and windy by the end. This stately tower is part of the local high school, Mission High.

Here are some of the sketchers who gathered in the morning including SketchCrawl founder Enrico Casarosa, fellow Urban Sketcher Pete Scully, and a few friends who kept with me, sketching all day

A kid from the restaurant where we took our lunch, and a few of the characters around the 16th and Mission BART station where we got into a little more adventure than we wanted. The woman is eating redvines.

Sights along Dolores, including Notre Dame Plaza- a senior housing facility on the site of what was once a bull and bear fighting ring- and a glimpse of the Mission Dolores itself.

There were so many people enjoying the sun in Mission Dolores Park that it looked like a music festival without the music. Another view of the high school in the distance.

Sketchers at the end of the day, and a gentleman waiting for his train.

Riders on BART on my way home.

I usually draw in my moleskine, but this time, since SketchCrawl 31 is also a fundraiser for Japan, I drew on seperate sheets so I can offer the sketches to my sponsors for their contributions.

sketchcrawl 30:san francisco

A surprisingly sunny day in San Francisco. We met in the morning at a cafe called Murano in Lower Pacific Heights. Here are some fellow sketchers at the cafe, St. Dominic's Church on Steiner, A view along California St. and a dog that seemed like it was going to lie still at first but then its person came back and distracted it with water and a ball, but which then lost the ball under a car which gave me a minute to draw the dog as the person fished the ball out, two angles on the pagoda at the Peace Plaza in Japan Center, and BART riders from my way home that night.

sketchcrawl 29: san francisco

Sorry I've been away. I've been sketching though. Here is from the recent sketchcrawl in SF. Riders on BART and muni, dogs and sketchers in Duboce Park.


The Sunset Chinese Folk Dance Group near Duboce Park and the view from in front of Blue Bottle Coffee.


The view from Duboce and Buena Vista.


City Hall.


Table decoration from a Thai restaurant south of Market, more riders on BART.
More soon!