By April Philips, FASLA
On an unusual rainy Saturday in May a group of intrepid urban sketchers met in Washington Square, umbrellas and sketchbooks in hand, to participate in an afternoon of on location sketching and café hopping. Led by drawing champions Chip Sullivan and Jim Richards with a little assist from myself, April Philips, the group explored the treasures and iconic places of this charming San Francisco neighborhood.
Chip led off the afternoon expedition with funny historical anecdotes and his curated map of North Beach that highlighted places to consider drawing. City Lights, Vesuvio's, The Condor Club, Zoetrope Studios, Jack Kerouac, and Mario's Cigar Bar were just the tip of the iceberg in this charming recitation of North Beach characters and places. Jim then presented a condensed overview of on the go sketching tips that were both inspirational and road worthy for sketching the vitality of a place. April ended the 30 minute workshop with the reminder that in sketching anything goes and that there are no mistakes- just opportunities to communicate and have fun! The group then dispersed to roam through North Beach in the rain to find places to test their drawing skills, consumed much coffee and tea in cute little bistros and cafes, before 
meeting back up at Tosca Café for a sketch book "throw down" where everyone puts their sketch books out on a table for everyone to enjoy each other's works, including the passerby's in the café. Much celebrating of our accomplishments (thanks M & J) and each other's good company ensued as we tossed back libations Рrelaxing easily into the evening hours before heading off into the glorious sunset. Yes, the rain had finally stopped.
We'd like to thank Marty McPhee of Park West and to Rebecca Casey of Landscape Forms for co-sponsoring the event. Thanks to Gary Scharlach and Jake Weidner for filming the event. CLICK HERE to watch the Sketch Crawl in action.
If you want to learn more or follow our illustrious sketchers work, see the following links:
Here is more info on our veteran urban sketch leaders for the event:
James Richards: http://www.jamesrichardssketchbook.com/
Chip Sullivan: http://gonzogardens.com/
April Philips: https://apdwblog.wordpress.com/art/
