Showcasing Chennai to the world, one sketch at a time

Urban Sketchers is a global community of sketch artists with a motto of showing the world one sketch at a time. The Chennai chapter was established three years ago, but the team is yet to receive official recognition from the global organisation. The admin team of the Urban Sketchers Chennai chapter comprises Mohan Krishnan, Namita Ravichandran, and Srishti. In an interview with DT Next, Srishti talks about the activities of this art community.

“We meet twice a month at different locations to sketch on location, which is the main goal. Our activities follow the global manifesto, and we have people of all ages, including students and retired professionals, joining us. Since 2019, I have been hosting art trails and encouraging live urban sketching,” says Srishti.

The team selects varied locations for their sketch meets, from Egmore Museum to Tower Park. “It is interesting to see how each person picks a different frame to sketch. Along with our sketch meets, we invite visiting artists who share techniques and tips for urban sketching. For example, we had a guest from the Pune chapter in February. We hope to collaborate with artists for heritage-based trails to incorporate both learning and urban sketching,” adds the artist.

Being a part of the urban sketchers community, according to Srishti, is beneficial as you meet artists with different styles. “This is a great environment for seeking critique, sharing tips, and appreciating others’ art. As an urban sketcher, when you travel, you can join the sketch meets of other global chapters and find lesser-known heritage attractions to sketch. I have been doing that with USk Rhein-Main in Germany and USk Istanbul for two years now.”

The team encourages people interested in sketching, even if not formally trained, to join them. “Urban sketching is great practice for artists. We hope to spread awareness about ethical and lesser-known heritage through our art and showcase Chennai to the world, one sketch at a time. Some of our members focus on people in the frames, while some on the landscape. We have architects in the group who beautifully capture the architectural styles of buildings. We like to mix things up with the locations we choose so that everyone tries everything,” concludes Srishti.

Urban Sketchers Chennai is hosting its next meetup in Tower Park, Anna Nagar. For more details, check their Instagram @uskchennai.