Workshop
Minimum Marker Mission
Albert Kiefer (NL)
Saturday|Sunday

Workshop
Color First, Then Line
Anne Rose Oosterbaan (NL)
Saturday

Workshop
Catching The Character 
Jörg Asselborn (DE)
Saturday|Sunday

Workshop
Searching Shapes: Building up a Sketch from Basic Shapes
Linda Toolsema (NL)
Saturday|Sunday

Workshop
Brush Moves Water, Water Moves Pigment:
A Mantra for Achieving Clear, Luminous Watercolors
Matthew Brehm (USA)
Saturday|Sunday

Workshop
Living lines: bamboo and Chinese ink
Rene Fijten (NL)
Sunday

Workshop
Focus! Tips and tricks to strengthen the drawing’s story
Rene Fijten (NL)
Saturday

Workshop
Super Easy Urban Sketching Tricks
Ruud Otten (NL)
Sunday

THE FOLLOWING WORKSHOPS ARE SPONSORED BY

Workshop
Urban Sketching with Winsor & Newton Promarkers
Julia Henze (NL)
Sunday

Workshop
Get the most out of your Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketchers Pocket set
Robert Rost (NL)
Saturday

9 workshop instructors

Our 9 workshop instructors will bring your urban sketching experience to the next level.

10 different workshops

Our instructors will teach 10 different workshop subjects.

16 WORKSHOP SESSIONS

At Sketch Weekend Maastricht you can choose from 16 workshop sessions. Each participant can sign up for up to 2 workshops.

200+ workshop spots

We have over 200 workshop spots during the weekend. Although that is a lot, make sure you register in time before they run out.

5 sketchwalks

Sketch the best parts of Maastricht in a group. We have 5 sketchwalk locations and areas for you.

Drink and draw

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening you can meet at the DRINK AND DRAW location to share your sketches, talk, sketch, eat and drink.

Venue
Former Lutharian Church Maastricht

Lutherse Kerk Maastricht

Hondstraat 14
6211 HW Maastricht

PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL DISCOUNT AT:

Detailed workshops info
Timeline

Registration

Sketch pass

Get access to Sketch Weekend Maastricht
€5
  • Get access to the venue
  • You will receive a brochure with all the sketchwalks
  • Get access to the sketchwalks
  • You will receive a badge
  • If you attend only one day (Saturday or Sunday), you still need to buy a pass.
  • You do not have to buy a pass if you attend on Friday 26 June only!
  • You do not have to buy a sketch pass if you buy one of the Workshop Passes!

workshop PASS A

Everything in Sketch Pass + 1 workshop
€25
  • Get access to one workshop (on Saturday or Sunday)
  • Get access to the venue
  • You will receive a brochure with all the sketchwalks
  • Get access to the sketchwalks
  • You will receive a badge
  • You do not have to buy a Sketch Pass!

workshop PASS B

Everything in Sketch Pass + 2 workshops
€45
  • Get access to two workshops
  • (Please check timeline first: If you want to do two workshops on one day, choices are limited)
  • Get access to the venue
  • You will receive a brochure with all the sketchwalks
  • Get access to the sketchwalks
  • You will receive a badge
  • You do not have to buy a Sketch Pass!
Canceled

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The workshop I would like to book is full. Do you keep a waiting list, so you can inform me if a spot comes available?

Unfortunately we do not have a waiting list for the workshops, as the booking platform we are using does not offer that option.

Also we do not offer refunds for cancelations. If we accept cancelations for very special cases we will open up these spots on Eventbrite and will announce this through our social media on Facebook and Instagram.

We have considered to keep a waiting list by hand, but decided not to do this as this would be too time consuming for the volunteering organizers.

Do I have to buy a pass if I only want to participate in the sketchwalks?

If you would like to participate in the sketchwalks on Saturday 27 and/or Sunday 28 June, you need to buy a pass.
If you will visit Sketch Weekend Maastricht on Friday 26 June only: you do not have to buy a pass.

I want to do one workshop. Which ticket do I need?

You need to buy Workshop Pass A. You do not have to buy a Sketch Pass!

I want to do two workshops. Which ticket do I need?

You need to buy Workshop Pass B. You do not have to buy a Sketch Pass!

I want to participate only one day. Do I need to buy a pass?

On Friday 26 June, you do not need a pass.
On Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June you need to have a Sketch Pass, whether you will only participate on Saturday, only on Sunday or on both days. If you also would like to attend one or two workshops, you need to buy Workshop Pass A or Workshop Pass B. If you buy one of the Workshop Passes, you do not have to buy a Sketch Pass!

What will be the language in the workshops?

All workshops will be taught in English.

Can I attend the sketchwalks for free?

Only the Friday sketchwalk can be attended without a pass. 

Please, respect that the there are costs and a maximum number of participants involved in organising an event like this. Please do not attend the sketchwalks on Saturday and Sunday without a ticket. 

I have another question…

Questions about Sketch Weekend Maastricht?
Please, read the FAQ on this website first. Is your question still not answered? Get in touch with the organising team.

Timeline

Workshop
Minimum Marker Mission
Albert Kiefer

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Creating sketches with markers and fineliners

Workshop description

Markers and fineliners bring a very unique quality quality and character to a sketch. Working with them is extremely fast and responsive. As such this technique lends itself perfectly to on location sketching. But like any medium, markers and fineliners also have their limitations. You can’t draw on very large surfaces and to make a full color range sketch you would to carry around lots of different markers. They also bleed mercilessly onto pages below so in sketchbooks you need to be careful and you have to accept sacrificing ‘the back page’ because of bleed through.

That said though, for me, markers have become a medium that I dearly love to work in and I learn every time I create a new sketch, which is daily.

My goals for this workshop are to familiarize attendees with the set up with fineliners and rendering with markers. We’ll do that in a limited palette of a series of light to dark tones (preferably some grey scale values with maybe an accent color if you like). You can choose to do some preliminary pencil setup if you like. But if you want the spontaneity (and ‘excitement’) of totally free linework give direct black line sketching a try. It’ll be fun!

Learning goals 

  • Deciding on a composition or framing
  • Trusting your direct lines with black fineliners
  • Getting to know some marker characteristics for sketching
  • Character of light and dark to create depth

List of materials to bring yourself

  • A minimal set of grey scale markers (for instance The Winsor and Newton grey set) You can choose wether cool, warm or neutral grey. Any set will do. 
  • Or you can go for an even more minimal set of four Copic markers (more expensive but refillable) like a scale of C2, C4, C6, C8 (W2, W4, W6, W8 or T2, T4, T6, T8 is also just fine)
  • An accent color like a very light sky blue (Winsor and Newton Powder Blue (B119) is very kind and not too BLUE) or a nice not so saturated green like Winsor and Newton Pear Green (Y635) or a muted reddish brown like Copic Light Suntan (E13)
  • For some sparsely applied thin white line (or alternatively going decoratively overboard) I use a uniPOSCA White 0.7mm bullet shaped white acrylic pen.
  • A markerproof fineliner. I use Faber-Castell PITT artist fineliners in size XS and F
  • A sketchbook or some sturdy sketching paper (I use Moleskine Art collection (light blue ribbon) 13x21cm sketchbooks.
  • Some sort of bleed guard (waste paper to protect lower lying pages from your marker bleeds.) 

About the instructor

As a Computer Graphics (CG) artist doing mostly digital work every day I decided in 2016 to pick up my traditional sketching again. I hadn’t done that for well over thirty years. To improve I decided to make at least one sketch each day. I bought some random materials (a sketchbook, some markers and a fineliner) and started off. My main focus is drawing every day and I have to combine that with my CG professional work so for me it’s a combination of on location sketching and making photos of places I visit for later sketching. I hope to be learning and exchanging for as long as I am able to sketch. There are so many great things to do, places to visit. I’m excited to visit more places in the future.

You can find my work on Instagram: @housesketcher and @ridesketcher

Workshop
Color First, Then Line
Anne Rose Oosterbaan

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

Probably you recognise the situation: you are sitting on a beautiful spot and start sketching with a pen. If you have time, you add color on the spot; if you have less time, you take a picture and apply color to your sketch at home. Quite difficult: you are proud of your sketch and it would be annoying if you ruin it. You are therefore careful.

If you first ‘sketch’ with your brush and then draw the lines with pen, you will have twice the fun. Your drawing is definitely more dynamic than before. If you apply color to your paper, you look carefully to your object. You make the big shapes with the brush, pay attention to the perspective and the colors. If you sketch on top of it later, you will look at the proportions again, but now you have a hold on the color shapes that you have created earlier. Color and line do not always match each other exactly, but you will see, it works. The extra advantage is that you are able to sketch complicated subjects, the proportions will be (almost) correct.

We carefully go through all the steps of the process and you will experience how liberating this process can be.

 

Learning goals

  • You learn to look around better and more carefully before you start sketching. Focus first.
  • Build your proportions with simple shapes. Add details if you want to. With color you place the big shapes, so the proportions are almost correct when you sketch later.
  • Loose color shapes, confident lines. You will notice that you make a looser drawing by this different way of working. The shapes and lines do not always match each other exactly, no problem. There are no mistakes, you bluff through.
  • Your colors are lively because you see more color on the spot than at home at the phone. Mix colors on paper as long as the paint is still wet.
  • Double fun. Really liberating.

List of materials to bring yourself

  • a pencil;
  • watercolor;
  • watercolor paper in a booklet or loose sheets;
  • some real brushes, including a thick one with a handle about the thickness of a pencil (better no waterbrush);
  • water;
  • cloth or absorbent paper to wipe your brush clean;
  • pen with (preferably water-resistant) black ink or permanent fineliner;
  • something to sit on;
  • optional: colored pencils (& a pencil sharpener). 

About the instructor

Anne Rose could draw before she could walk. Her father was an architect and her mother a drawing teacher; sketching is in her blood.

She never let go of that pencil: she graduated cum laude from the Academy of Visual Arts in Utrecht. Until recently she worked as an art director; useful if one can draw to present an idea to the customer. Anne Rose always sketches, almost daily. It cleans her head, it energizes her.

Anne Rose is founder and manager of the Haarlem Urban Sketchers. Developer and instructor of the new workshop ‘Urban sketching for beginners’ (6 hrs), together with Linda Toolsema.

In 2018 she gave a workshop in Amsterdam during the National Sketch Weekend; a year later she was a workshop instructor during the International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam. Anne Rose was the art director of this Symposium.

Workshop
Catching The Character
Jörg Asselborn

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

We’ll try to portrait the unique character of an old historic building (town house), maybe a small ensemble of buildings.

We‘ll chose buildings that are not too complex, so that the participants can examine and understand the proportions and characteristics very quickly and then move on to draw more freely and loosely to catch the spirit of the building, as they feel it.

The technics to achieve this will be line drawings and the use of watercolor. The participants are encouraged to work with the antipodes »chaos« and »control«. Meaning to use half-blind drawings, then take back control and being more precise in recording the forms and elements or perspective. Exaggeration of perspective, forms or color are also welcome to achieve the goal.

Learning goals 

  • Choosing the best angle to depict the most interesting features of the buildings
  • Drawing loosely, but at the same time focussing on details
  • Confidently drawing directly on paper – without guidelines or predrawing
  • Embracing minor flaws and imperfection
  • Integrating small dark shadow areas and surface textures while drawing
  • Giving the building its own pose and posture through using exaggerations
  • Using watercolour washes to create texture and achieve light effects
  • Using additional tools for embossing details and enhancing further texture

List of materials to bring yourself

I suggest (and personally use):

  • Waterproof Fineliners (black, grey) (0.2 – 0.5 mm), other tools are welcome as well, e. g. fountain pens with waterproof ink

  • Paper: Sketchpad, Sketchbook, or sheets of sketching paper for dry media; furthermore: good quality watercolour paper (not too grainy), watercolour-sketchbooks or -pads, size: min. A4

  • Pencils: One or two soft non-water-soluble pencils (HB, 2B, 4B) or coloured pencils, white soft coloured pencil

  • Brushes: Watercolour round brushes (small, medium, large)

  • Water container, water (min. 0.5 litres), tissues

  • Watercolours of good quality (Ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, quinacridone red, indigo blue would be great to be brought along by the participants)

  • Stool / folding chair 

About the instructor

Jörg Asselborn (*1972) is a draughtsman and Urban Sketcher based in Wiesbaden, Germany. He studied communication design with a focus on illustration. In 1999, he founded his own design studio and has been working there ever since, mainly working on brand design and visual communication. Before he discovered the Urban Sketchers in 2013, sketching and drawing were more or less pushed into the background due to his job at the studio. Since being part of the USk-community, he sketches and draws as often as possible – whether it’s at local sketch meetings or during private holiday trips. He is hugely inspired by sharing and connecting with other sketchers from all over the world.

He is a member of the German USk Rhein-Main Chapter, gave speeches about Urban Sketching and led several workshops, including the International USk Symposium in Amsterdam in 2019.

Web: www.thetravelsketcher.com

instagram.com/joergasselborn

Workshop
Searching Shapes: Building up a Sketch from Basic Shapes
Linda Toolsema

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

Note: Linda taught the same workshop at the Sketch Weekend Amsterdam, 2-3 June 2018. So if you participated in her workshop then, please do not sign up for this one!

When sketching a complicated scene, we often don’t know where to start, or feel like we need to measure everything and plan ahead before we put pen to paper. This workshop will teach you how to start your sketch with basic shapes and build up from there.

Workshop schedule

1.     Quick exercises to see basic shapes

We will practice finding basic shapes in our subject and transferring them to paper. The aim here is to loosely block in the main shapes, to obtain a good structure to work from. We will work fast, focusing on the essence.

2.     Exercises using layering to build up a sketch

Based on a quick sketch of the main shapes, we will proceed to build up the sketch by working in layers. Each layer allows for making adjustments and improving placement and proportions. Also, with each layer we add more detail.

3.     Final drawing

The final drawing  brings it all together. The multi-coloured layering  can be used purely as practice, but we will see that it can also produce nice finished pieces, where only some of the lines remain visible and add interest. You combine all that you have learned to set up your sketch quickly, build up layers, and continue with ink lines, colour, or whatever you prefer to turn it into a finished piece.

4.     Sharing & discussion

We end by sharing our finished drawings and seeing how we all produce unique results, even when using a similar approach or materials.

Learning goals

  • To be able to see basic shapes in your subject and use these to build up your sketch.
  • To feel confident that you can draw any subject on location.
  • To sketch fast and loosely using layering.

List of materials to bring yourself

Sketchbook/paper

  • A sketchbook or loose sheets of cheaper paper for the first two exercises (you may use a lot of pages).

  • Your favourite sketchbook or paper for the final sketch.

  • Recommended size: A4 or A5.

Tools

For linework we will work with different colours, building up from light to dark. I often use light flesh, yellow, red, and black. The darkest colour (my black) should stand out from the next darkest (my red).

  • Recommended tools: coloured pencils in four colours from light to dark.

  • If you like to sketch with pen, you can replace the darkest colour by a black pen (not too fine).

  • Alternative tools: markers, watercolour pencils, crayons. If you want to use watercolour or other wet media for the final sketch, use waterproof tools for the linework.

For finishing the final drawing please bring your favourite sketching materials: paints, mixed media, whatever you prefer welcomed and encouraged! Suggestions:

  • portable watercolour palette, (water)brushes, paper towels, and water container,

  • broad markers,

  • or you could use the same pencils/crayons as for the linework.

Optional:

  • Drawing board and bulldog clips if you work with loose sheets of paper.

  • A small stool for sitting, if you prefer.

About the instructor

Linda Toolsema (1975) is an economist and sketchbook artist based near Groningen in the Netherlands. She draws and paints in a wide range of media and styles but almost exclusively in books. These include big, messy mixed media art journals used in the studio as well as more portable sketchbooks for sketching on location, with relatively ‘clean’ materials (often fountain pen and watercolours).

In 2018 Linda participated in the Sketch Tour Portugal, a cooperation between Urban Sketchers and Turismo di Portugal where Portuguese and foreign sketchers travelled through Portugal to draw the country as they saw it. She taught sketching workshops in Lisbon and Amsterdam, was part of the local organizing team for the 2019 Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam and is co-organizer of Urban Sketchers Groningen.

Workshop

Brush Moves Water, Water Moves Pigment:
A Mantra for Achieving Clear, Luminous Watercolors

Matthew Brehm

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

“Brush Moves Water, Water Moves Pigment” is a mantra that I often repeat to myself when I’m painting. It helps me focus on the magic that can occur when the water, and not the brush, is the primary vehicle for applying color and value to a page – when the brush is simply used as the shepherd guiding the water. The workshop will apply this mantra to pursue sketches that are luminous, clear, fluid, and dramatic. The major goals will be twofold – first, effective brush and water handling to achieve clarity, precision, and luminosity in the washes, and second, approaching watercolor as a process of subtraction that reserves specific areas of light intrinsic to the page. We will treat the blank page as the only light source in our watercolor sketches, and focus on brush-handling skills and appropriate pigment choices to create truly transparent, glowing lights alongside rich and saturated darks. Using watercolor in this way will infuse our sketches with the warmth, clarity, and crispness of bright, dazzling sunlight, and we’ll be more able to represent the volumes and cool, shady depths of architecture, urban space, and landscape. We’ll do straightforward, highly useful exercises – clearly explained on-site and reinforced on a take- home handout – that can become part of the participants’ regular sketching practice, so that their learning process may continue long after the conclusion of the workshop. Overall, the workshop will be balanced between demonstration and guided participation, with the ultimate goals of having participants both learn new techniques and create sketches that will help solidify these techniques through practice.

Workshop timeline

Introduction (30 minutes): after personal introductions among the participants, I’ll provide handouts and describe the goals and structure of the workshop, and we’ll discuss the necessary materials (papers, brushes, and pigments, provided by me for participants if necessary).

Essential Brush & Water Handling Techniques (40 minutes, demo and guided practice):

  • “Brush moves water, water moves pigment:” we’ll cover what this means, how it can be achieved, and why it’s a useful technique.
  • “Clear reservoir, clear painting:” because clean water allows us to make clear and luminous washes, we’ll cover and practice a very simple but important skill for maintaining a clean supply of fresh water.
  • “Water on, move water, water off:” we’ll discuss and practice the movement of water, not merely on the page but also to and from the page.

Essential Wash Techniques (40 minutes, demo and guided practice):

  • Flat: creating simple, clear, uniform washes.
  • Graded: creating washes that transition from light to dark, color to color, and/or saturated to desaturated.
  • Wet-into-Wet: creating atmospheric effects by injecting pigment into clean water.
  • Wet-over-Dry: layering successively richer and more saturated washes, often of successively smaller dimension, over the dry foundational washes.

Culminating Exercise (40 minutes): participants will create one or more sketches of their choice as an opportunity to apply the workshop techniques, with guidance and feedback from the instructor.

Conclusion (30 minutes) – The workshop will end with a brief synopsis of the subjects covered, a question-and- answer session, and a discussion of participants’ work.

Learning goals 

  • Participants will complete the workshop with the following understandings and abilities:

    • Skills that lead to effective watercolor sketches:
    • Brush & Water Handling: to achieve transparent, luminous washes.
    • Essential Wash Techniques: applying brush/water techniques to achieve specific goals.
    • Color Mixing: on the palette and on the page.
    • Layering Washes: tips on the ordering and creation of depth and light.
    • Forcing Shadows: a truly useful technique for representing light in the shade.
    • Chiaroscuro: bringing it all together to achieve comprehensive visual drama and intensity.

    Concepts that create the foundation for these particular skills:

    • To create luminous watercolors, adopt a strategy of subtracting light from the page.
    • Transparency is vital to the representation of light in watercolor, so we’ll discuss the essentials regarding a manageable group of specific pigments and their applications.
    • Value contrast is far more important than specific/representational hue.
    • Working quickly is often a necessary component of using watercolor.

List of materials to bring yourself

  • Watercolor Paper: good paper is needed to achieve clear, transparent washes, and relatively large paper (A4 or larger) makes it much easier to practice creating clear washes by moving significant amounts of water. Any sketchbook containing reasonably good watercolor paper will work (Moleskine, Hahnemühle and others), as long as the size is A4 as a minimum, as will any standard watercolor block or pad (Arches, etc.).
  • Watercolor Brush: I work with a single brush – a Round #8 or #10, preferably with natural fibers – so this is the recommended brush for the workshop. But really the only essential quality of the necessary brush is that it will absorb and hold a good amount of water (at least several drops, if not more). Please note that a “waterbrush” will not be useful for this workshop, as they don’t allow for moving large, wet washes across the page, they don’t readily pull excess water from the page, and they make it very difficult to achieve consistent or smoothly-graded washes.
  • Watercolor Pigments: The possible list of pigments is very long, but we’ll focus on just a few – Azo Yellow, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue. However, any group of three primary colors (yellow, red, blue) that are reasonably transparent will be all that’s needed.

Most participants will already have workable materials in their sketching kit. But I’ll come prepared with spare sheets of watercolor paper, enough pigment for all the participants, and enough brushes for everyone (or at least enough to be shared by everyone).

 

About the instructor

Matthew Brehm is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Idaho, and has been a correspondent for Urban Sketchers since May 2009. He received degrees in architecture from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Oregon, and has been teaching architectural design with an emphasis on freehand sketching since 2000. Each year since 2007, he has led a 2- to 3-month architecture program in Rome, Italy, with one of the courses being entirely focused on sketching on location. He has been a workshop instructor at six Urban Sketchers International Symposia, in Portland, Lisbon, Barcelona, Paraty, Singapore, and Porto, and was one of the founding members on the non-profit organization’s board of directors. Matt’s sketches have received several awards at the Design Communication Association’s Biannual Juried Drawing Exhibit and he has received three Awards of Excellence for his observational drawings from the American Society of Architectural Illustrators. Matt is also the author/illustrator of three books on drawing techniques: “Sketching on Location,” “Drawing Perspective: How to See It and How to Apply It” (available in 10 languages), and “Draw Cities and Buildings in 15 Minutes” (also available in Dutch, Norwegian, and Italian).

Workshop 1
Living lines: bamboo and Chinese ink
Rene Fijten

Note: Rene Fijten will teach two different workshops. For details about his second workshop see workshop 2.

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

The workshop is about drawing with bamboo pens, or twigs. Bought or self made.
These materials will deliver expressive and loose lines, and will give the drawing a character of its own. Living lines that are thick, thin, black, grey, strong or feeble in one stroke.

We will learn how to use the bamboo pen, Chinese ink, inked stencil brushes and if needed colour.
With this technique the graphic result is sometimes more important than the realistic representation of the (city)image. These materials will force you to make a selection within your subject.
So part of the workshop is how to treat your subject, make a selection and how to connect the parts into an interesting image. To have an exciting drawing is more important than the realistic representation of the scene.

Learning goals 

  • Learn to work with bamboo pens, twigs, and chines ink.
  • Learn to work with black, grey or coloured parts, without losing the liveliness.
  • Selection within your subject in view of the drawing method, leaving parts out and still achieve a consistent result.

 

List of materials to bring yourself

  • Bamboo pens or twigs. Bought or self-made. Preferably with a maximum diameter of 10mm.
  • Stencil brush, or a cheap stiff acrylic/oilbrush. A size 10 will do.
  • Chinese ink. Any decent brand. I will bring some ink for those who don’t have it.
  • A large piece of old cloth, preferably cotton.
  • Paper: thick watercolour paper, cold or hot pressed. At least 250-300 grams. Size A4 or A3. Preferably with a non-smooth, coarse top. I personally use Fabriano artistico paper, size A4. It’s not cheap, but the result shows.
  • If possible a black brushpen (like the Pentel pocket brushpen, with permanent ink).
  • All the other stuff you usually use: water, a stool, watercolours etc. 

Workshop 2
Focus! Tips and tricks to strengthen the drawing’s story
Rene Fijten

Note: Rene Fijten will teach two different workshops. For details about his other workshop see workshop 1.

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

When we make sketches, we see something interesting and want the drawing to represent what we saw. Especially that thing which made the scene so interesting in the first place!

In this workshop we will experiment to find and how to strengthen that interesting point.

First we will study how to find the story in a particular scene. By moving around, and realizing how a drawing works: from 3D to 2D and back to 3D again.

Secondly we will work on how to emphasize the focus of the story. But we will not concentrate on the subject itself, as most of us know pretty well how to draw that properly. We will study how the rest of the paper will help us to enhance that focus. In this workshop we will concentrate on “negative space” and “hierarchy” in your drawing.

The goal is not a perfect drawing, but a drawing that tells the story in an interesting way.

Learning goals 

  • Learn to find a point of interest: to find the main subject and the enhancing side stories.
  • Learn work with the concept: from 3D (reality) to 2D (the paper) to 3D (the perceived image).
  • How to use the paper around the subject to enhance the focus.

 

List of materials to bring yourself

  • Any drawing materials that you usually use. I would suggest a sketchbook, pencil, ink, watercolour and brushes.
  • Any way you want to draw comfortably: a foldable seat, a blanket if you want to sit on the ground, a tripod, whatever.
  • Any way you want to protect against the weather: sunshades, hats, a parasol, whatever.

About the instructor

My name is Rene Fijten. I am living in Hoensbroek, in the south of the Netherlands. As a profession I am an Architect working for an international engineering company.

Drawing and painting has always been my hobby. I have been part of the Urban sketchers movement since the very start in 2007, presently I am part of board of the “Stichting Urban Sketching Nederland”. 

About my teaching experience: the last few years I have regularly given workshops on urban sketching, and for a few years I gave courses of sketching and drawing for 1rst year architectural students. But most of all: I enjoy drawing and painting the urban life, preferably in company with fellow sketchers.

Workshop

Super Easy Urban Sketching Tricks

Ruud Otten

Duration: approx. 160-180 minutes

Workshop description

Are you looking for insights that make you go “I wish someone told me this before”? Then this is the workshop for you.

Ruud will present to you a complete set of tips and tricks that will bring your urban sketching experience to the next level in just 3 hours. He will show you how to make your sketching more exciting by using your materials in different ways. You will learn how to look at your sketch subject in different ways.

After this workshop you will go home with a new skill set that makes you want to go out and sketch: from easy perspective tricks to applying color in different ways. You will learn how to look and how to loosen up your style, how to experiment and how to enjoy the “happy little accidents”.

You will work with techniques that bring more fun to creating your sketches. Learn to relax and feel more confident to enjoy the urban sketching experience. Let’s play with ‘Super Easy Urban Sketching Tricks’!

This is a workshop for beginner to intermediate level urban sketchers.

Learning goals 

In this workshop you will learn to:

  • Enjoy urban sketching more
  • Look and see perspective
  • Bring more fun to your sketches
  • Play with colour and tones
  • Sketch faster
  • Use simple tools
  • Surprise yourself

List of materials to bring yourself

Please, bring the following materials:

  • Your favorite pencil
  • Your favorite fountain pen and/or fineliner
  • Your set of watercolours
  • Medium watercolour brush
  • Fine watercolour brush
  • Bottle of water (and water container) or waterbrush
  • Paper napkins, tissues or piece of cloth to wipe off your brushes
  • Your watercolour sketch book or loose watercolour sheets (minimal 200 grams/m2)

Optional:

  • Eraser

Ruud will bring for you:

  • A ruler for each participant
  • Small sheets of sandpaper
  • workshop handouts

About the instructor

Ruud Otten (1971) is an independent project manager and sketch artist. He has been drawing almost his entire life. He lives in the Maastricht area with Peggy and their two daughters. In 2012 he discovered Urban Sketching and embraced it as his favorite spare time passing. In 2013 Ruud founded the national Urban Sketchers Netherlands group and was co-organizer of the 10th International Urban Sketchers Symposium 2019 in Amsterdam.
Ruud is currently in the process of founding The Sketch Co., a platform to share his sketch activities.

Workshop

Urban Sketching with Winsor & Newton Promarkers

Julia Henze

Duration: approx. 120 minutes

A workshop sponsored by:

Workshop description

Winsor & Newton Promarker and Promarker Brush are high-quality alcohol-based markers perfect for adding colour to your urban sketches.

During this workshop, you will get familiar with Winsor & Newton Promarker en Promarker Brush. The instructor, Julia Henze, will explain the characteristics of the markers, share some tips and tricks about their use, and demonstrate different colouring techniques. Then you can try the markers by yourself on location. Under the supervision of Julia, you will make a sketch of a building or a part of a building, using just a few markers.

The structure of the workshop:

  1. Explanation about Promarker and Promarker brush; the properties of the Promarker, available colours, suitable paper, different techniques and how to use with other mediums
  2. Urban Sketching on location, close to the store of Gerstaecker; create a Sketch with a limited colour palette

Learning goals

  • Look at the characteristics of Promarkers and Promarkers Brush, learn how to choose the right paper and fineliners;
  • Learn the basic strokes and colouring techniques;
  • Learn how to make a loose and outstanding sketch using a limited colour palette.

List of materials

Use of all the materials (Promarkers, Promarkers Brush, fineliners, paper, etc.) will be made available by Winsor & Newton.

    Workshop

    Get the most out of your Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketchers Pocket set

    Robert Rost

    Duration: approx. 90 minutes

    A workshop sponsored by:

    Workshop description

    As an Urban Sketcher, a watercolour pocketset is probably one of your regular go-to’s. An instrument that lends itself perfectly for adding colour to your drawing. An easy way to add atmosphere, light and dimension. A watercolour pocketset set is easy to use and allows you to paint at any location with a rich palette of colours within reach.

    But which colours do we actually find in a pocket set and why are these selected? Do you actually get the most out of your watercolour pocket set and do you use all the possibilities that this pocket set offers to you?

    In a short workshop, Winsor & Newton’s Resident Artist, Robert Rost, will teach you a better understanding of the colour palette of the Cotman Sketchers Pocket Set. Also he will show you what possibilities and properties this composition of colours offers you as an Urban Sketcher.

    The structure of the workshop:

    1. Explanation about the colours in the palette, the composition of the palette and the properties of the colors.
      2. How to adjust the palette accordingly to your own taste, use and application.
      3. Mixing colours and applying new mixes and colour contrasts.

    Learning goals 

    Objective of the workshop:

    Developing more knowledge about the colours in the Cotman Sketchers Pocket Set, so that Urban Sketchers can take full advantage of the possibilities.

    What will you learn during this workshop:

    • Properties and application possibilities of the colours in the palette
    • Mixing various colours and applying contrasts

    List of materials

    All materials will be made available by Winsor & Newton.

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