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If you are like me, you may still have some Christmas shopping to do, so I’ll keep this update as brief as I can.
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The Travel Sketchbooks Festival in Clermont-Ferrand was a blast. I met many outstanding sketchers, including the young fellow in the picture, a super talented 14-year-old (also named Gabriel!) attending with his family. I emailed a substantial recap about the festival to On the Spot subscribers. Not a subscriber yet? Sign up here.
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The Seattle Google Employees Art Group invited me to come to their offices to sketch and talk about the urban sketching movement. Judging by the smiles, I think everyone had a good time. I sure did. Thanks to Ikroop Kaur for the invitation! (More images on this reel).
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My new self-employed status means I now have more flexibility to pitch illustration projects and take commissions.
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I have a soft spot for sketching buildings, so when a client reached out to commission a house portrait, I accepted the job. The day I came over was super rainy, but I managed to park my car at a decent angle across the street and get the ink work done, adding watercolor later at home. I used 300 lb. Fabriano Extra White Watercolor paper, cut to 8” x 10” after the work was completed.
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Those projects aside, Sketcher Press continues to be my primary focus.
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The online bookstore is now up to 37 titles! It includes publications you can’t get anywhere else in the U.S., such as “London Greens,” by Lis Watkins; “Paris Jeux t’Aime,” by Marielle Durand; "Mission Pegase," by Lapin; and “Berlin, The Wall Revisited,” by Detlef Surrey, and many others. “Sketching Here and Everywhere,” by Christina Wald, and “An Artist’s View of Portsmouth, New Hampshire,” by Sue Anne Bottomley are new additions as well. And speaking of new additions, if you have published books or zines and are looking for a distributor to the U.S. market, email me.
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I shipped a new print issue of On the Spot to subscribers. This is the fourth one I’ve produced, commissioning not only sketch reportage but also comics. If you’d like to buy the issue, the Sketcher Press store has a limited number of copies.
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- I will be giving a free art talk at Graphite Arts Center Jan. 20. My presentation — aptly titled “Drawn to Graphite” — will be about drawing in pencil. I’ll share pencil drawings spanning more than a decade and pay homage to the humble graphite pencil as one of the most useful tools to improve your drawing skills.
- My Jan. 31 “Expanding your Drawing Skills” workshop at Cole Art Studio is full, so I’m going to do it again on March 14. (Studio will be listing it soon here.)
- I’m gearing up with preparations for the fourth edition of Sketcher Fest Edmonds. The dates are already set for July 11-12. I’m always looking for volunteers, so If you’d like to drop your name in the hat, please send me a message.
In a change of pace, I’m not setting big goals for 2026. I’m grateful to be part of a community that values drawing and storytelling, and for the opportunity to spotlight the important work of sketchers everywhere.
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Many thanks for following along and best wishes for the holidays and the new year!
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