The International Urban Sketching Symposium is an annual educational event organised by Urban Sketchers (USk), a nonprofit dedicated to fostering the practice of on-location observational sketching.  The goal of the Symposium is to celebrate and practice the art of on-location sketching in the host city. Each symposium offers valuable field-sketching instruction and opportunities for participants to meet new friends and learn more skills. Following our spirit of “sharing the world, one drawing at a time,” we aim to bring the Symposium to new cities and countries every year.

This year it was the 11th in Auckland, New Zealand, and there were 500 participants from 31 countries.

Purchasing a Workshop Pass meant you could choose 3 workshops from a choice of 20. There were also Demos and Lectures. Alternatively, you could purchase a Sketchpass. I choose the Workshop Pass and below is an overview of my experience.

I was in Auckland for 10 days and filled more than one sketchbook. I arrived on Sunday and had already met and sketched with local and global sketchers before it even began, The following is about the Symposium Wednesday April 19 to Saturday April 22.

Opening Reception

A meet and greet and big Welcome and introduction to Symposium and what to expect over the next few days. Drinks and nibbles and mingling before heading back to the hotel.

Workshop 04 Soaring spaces Stephanie Bower

My first Workshop. I have done this Workshop at Manchester Urban Sketching Symposium and still have a lot to learn. Inside St Paul’s, learning about vanishing points, eyeline, measuring. It was great but very challenging. I was pleased with my final sketch, but it took a long time to get there. And then we added colour with watercolour paints (which I borrowed as I use watercolour pencils) – more challenges.

Sketchwalk at Freyburg Square

Thursday pm .Freyberg Square is in central Auckland and all sketchers gathered and spread out over this multilevel square. Sketchers as far as the eye could see! Everyone is happy for a chat if you moved around them. We then gathered together for a group photo – always impressive. You can see in the photo that the sky is grey – but it was not raining.

Workshop 11 People in motion – marathon for a fearless sketcher Marina Grechanik

Friday 21 April

A whole A5 sketchbook of very quick sketches of people in Queen Street, down near the Quay where is a pedestrian zone. I learned some new techniques of adding blocks of colour first, which I will try to incorporate into some of my sketches. The session ended in one larger A4 page combining what we had learned.

Workshop 08 Sketch is just the beginning: design your own sketchbook spread using different elements Jaoquin Dorao

Saturday 22 April

Last day of Urban Drawing Symposium in Auckland. It rains in the morning, so instead of doing the workshop in the park, we do it indoors at Auckland University of Technology.

Elements include a large scene, taking up 60% of the page, a feature (I chose my pencils), a map, something glued in (in this case, it was the USK stamp), lettering and then text. There is one large bit of text and then shorter words to fill in white spaces.

Demo 21 Writing for sketchers: how to enhance your sketch with interesting narrative Gabi Campanario

Friday 21 April 2023 pm

The Demo is a one hour session (not three hours, like the Workshops), However, I learned so much in this hour, AND Gabi founded Urban Sketchers organisation, so it was great to meet him.

It was damp and we were at Symonds Cemetary a historic cemetery and park in central Auckland, in use from 1842, but not in use now. There is a motorway going over it called the Massive Overpass (that is what is called on the sign), which proved us shelter as the rain got a bit heavier.

The Last Sketch walk

Saturday 22 April 2023

The final sketchwalk was in Aotea Square, which is a large paved public area, which was a regular sketching venue. After the photo it rained a bit and people scattered and umbrellas were brought out. I sketched here too.

Closing reception

Saturday 22 April 2023

I had an amazing time at Symposium, meeting do many old sketching friends, and putting faces to names I had only seen online. I also met Lots of new sketchers from Australia and around the world.

and I have not even mentioned the Drink & Draw sessions, the Sponsors market. Silent Auction and anything else in the time I was there. I hope this has provided you with an insight into my experience at Symposium. I will write next week’s blog on my other NZ sketches. Let me know if you have any questions.