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Amsterdam by Sketchbook: A Trip to the 2019 Urban Sketchers Symposium
Urban Sketchers (USK) is an international community of artists dedicated to the craft of on-location drawing. Though most sketchers connect and share their work through social media, the organization also hosts a three-day symposium in a different city each year, and this includes seminars, workshops, and evening drink-n-draws.
The following is a collection of illustrations and sketchbook pages from the 2019 trip.
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First Impressions
How can one city be so amazing? Amsterdam is so overwhelmingly beautiful and fun to explore, especially as an artist with an open sketchbook. During my stay, I frequently sat at cafes along the canals and drew page after page.
The Rijkmuseum and The Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam is home to some of the best paintings in the world. The Rijkmuseum is famous for its Rembrandt works, and The Van Gogh Museum is a short walk away, making both doable in a day.
The Rijkmuseum is an impressive—almost intimidating—building from the outside. Once inside, however, the artifacts and paintings gave way to a more playful feeling. I tried to match these contrasting themes in my sketches by stretching things that were thin and squatting things that were fat.
