Sunshine and Wind Brings Kite Strings

Urban Sketchers Miami at the 26th Annual Kite Festival on February 18, 2018.

2018 has brought another fun event to Urban Sketchers Miami. We had multiple sketchers from other cities and states come back to join us for this event. We’re happy to have out-of-town guests return and sketch with us again! And welcome to the few who came out and met us for the first time.

The 26th Annual Kite Festival hosted by Skyward Kites and Miami-Dade Parks. I’m a bit surprised that we have just found out about it this year, but we’re so glad we did. The event had a number of vendors, bounce houses and face painting for kids, a live DJ, and a line of food trucks for all ages to have a good time. And of course, a sky full of fun and colorful kites.

The group holding up our sketchbooks.

It’s a bit magically standing out on the field looking up at the sky seeing almost a hundred kites floating above our heads. Florida gets some crazy winds during the hurricane season but other than that, it isn’t too windy. Today was windy enough to bring all of the kites to life up in the sky.

Having a Show & Tell about our sketches and favorite kites that we saw.

We have a talented group of people with our own individual styles. And we are all still trying to improve and get better with every sketch. Trying new techniques with watercolor washes, sketching in perspective,  gesture drawing a crowd of people, and testing different types of paper. We’re all trying to get better and better. If anyone is still new to urban sketching, it’s never too late to come learn with us.

A closer look at our sketches from the kite festival:
 

Classic Cars All Over the Park

Row of classic, antique, and vintage cars.

I’ve always been attracted to sketching cars. Drawing cars might look complex at first, but as a subject, they remain still and are composed of basic shapes. This sketch was done at the Classic Car Show hosted by the City of Sunrise and Russ G Events. Antique classic cars were spread out all over the fields of Nob Hill Soccer Park.

I was sitting at the top of the bleachers to get an elevated view of the row of cars. My watercolor set had slipped off the bench and fell to the ground with all of the small pans scattering everywhere. I went down a few steps to pick up the case and when I looked up these kids had already recovered all of the watercolor pans. I felt lucky that these kids were here because they were quick to help and small enough to crawl under the bleachers to find the pieces.

Cars have a magic of bringing people together. Being in South Florida, they a big part of our day to day lives. And these classic cars are a part of our nation’s automotive history. I find it astonishing that these old cars are still around, being restored and preserved in beautiful condition. Car shows are like out-of-school science fairs. People spend time working on their projects and then they all gather to show and talk about it.

List of cars: 1971 Chevy Corvette Stingray, 1973 Cadillac Coupe Deville, 1964 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, 1932 Ford Phaeton, 1965 Chevy Malibu SS, 1966 VW Single Cab, 1929 Ford A

Urban Sketchers and Fountain Pens in South Florida

Many urban sketchers use fountain pens for their sketches because there are a variety of line widths to choose from, they're reusable, a large selection of inks including waterproof inks so you can lay a watercolor wash on top of the line work, and because they look cool. If you like fountain pens then you should definitely come to this meeting.


If you're a long time collector or just getting into fountain pens, there's a great group of people to talk to and learn from. Most are kind enough to let others hold their pens, look at them, and even write with their pens. One of the most helpful parts is getting to try the pen in person. Each pen and nib offer a different writing experience and you get to feel how each one performs which can help you make a decision when purchasing a new pen. It's a great time. If you'd like to learn more about pens, inks, paper, and everything in between, then please come join us.


The South Florida Pen Club is having their monthly meeting on February 10, 2018 at the Glades Branch Library. We meet from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM. You can stay for as long as you like, and plenty of us stay until the library closes at 5:00 PM.

Saturday, February 10, 2018
1:30-5:00 PM


Palm Beach County Library - Glades Branch
20701 95th Ave S, Boca Raton, FL 33434

Our Next Event - February 18, 2018 - 26th Annual Kite Festival

Our event will be held at 26th Annual Kite Festival by Skyward Kites in Haulover Park, Miami.

Details

Date: February 18, 2018

Time: 12:00PM - 3:00PM (Show and Tell at 2:30pm)

Location: Skyward Kites at Haulover Park

10800 Collins Ave

Miami Beach FL

33154

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/urban-sketchers-miami-26th-annual-kite-festival-tickets-42580239643

Introduction

We are Urban Sketchers Miami, a local group of sketchers located in South Florida. We provide free events to explore and sketch together as a group. We are an official chapter of Urban Sketchers, a global, all-volunteer, non-profit organization.

We are excited to share our hobby of sketching on location, gain new members, explore South Florida together, and to connect with other local artists and organizations.  This site will feature summaries of our events, details about upcoming events, photos of our sketches, and much more.

As part of Urban Sketchers, here is the rules we follow when we sketch:

The Urban Sketcher’s Manifesto

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

Visual of the urban sketch rules.

Please check us out on our other social media platforms.

Facebook: UskMiami Group
Instagram: @uskmiami
Twitter: @uskmiami

We look forward to meeting you at our next event!