Touring the City!

This past Saturday we "Sketch" Crawled through Public Square and Tower City! It was a lighter attendance this past week, but we had a great time. I heard some where a bit late...sorry that we missed you. We waited at the Arcade till about 10:20, then we headed out.

As we were walking, I think Maureen or I mentioned the Soldier's and Sailor's monument...and we decided to make a detour on our way to Tower City. We walked into the monument (and if you haven't had a chance to check out the inside of the monument...it definitely is one of this cities hidden treasures) and got an in depth tour of the monument. That place is full of interesting history and stories. We decided to take pictures of the monument and sketch later because we enjoyed the tour so much. **We will be heading back there to do more sketching in January.

Our next stop was Tower City. At this point...i transitioned into my secret hobby profession...tour guide. I love showing people the interesting parts of the city. There really is so much to discover in Downtown! We spent a good portion of time in the lobby of Terminal Tower reading the historical markers and studying the paintings in the vaulted ceiling (i never noticed Charles Lindberg till then...that could be a great scavenger hunt clue) .

Tower City was packed full of people on Saturday. It seemed like there were hundreds of kids with their families down there to watch the Holiday performances at noon. It really is an amazing environment for the holidays....seeing all those kids cramming around the fountain...00ing and ahhhing...its great.

Well, we didn't do much sketching during the crawl...but we had a great time! I'll upload some photo's from the day later, but the sketch above is a perfect example of GREAT places there are to sketch in the monument (That is an awesome piece Maureen!)

Here is what we are planning for the next couple of crawls:

• January 5th - We'll be back on the same route we did this past Saturday. We will head over to the Soldier's and Sailors Monument and spend time sketching inside (its warm in there...so no worries). We'll also sketch the inner lobby of the BP tower...even though it is more modern...it is a great space (and its warm!). I am going to try and see if we can get into lobby of the Metzenbaum Courthouse...but it maybe closed on Saturday.
  
• February 2nd - Library Crawl. This complex has hundreds of awesome spaces in it and it is the perfect place to spend a cold February day! We will see if we can set up an impromptu tour of the Library by a librarian and be sure to check the special collections exhibit in the old building.
  

Give me a call at the office if you are interested in coming...i can give you the best directions to where we meet. 216-736-7799 or you can email me at jtaylor@dcacleveland.net.

My Calander reading skills are slipping!

Hey everybody,

I apologize for the confusion about our next Sketch Crawl! Someone just pointed out that I mistakenly mentioned the date for the next Sketch Crawl being on December the 8th...when the first Saturday of the month is THIS Saturday. So...in case you have been lead astray by my previous post...

...Our next Sketch Crawl is this Saturday!

We'll meet at the DCA Marketing Suite as usual and then we'll head over to Tower City to sketch. There are so many awesome things to draw inside that complex. The holiday decorations are up and the crowds will be down for shopping. It will be a fun atmosphere. Feel free to shop too!

I will say this...while the official times for the sketch crawl are from 10-12noon...the city is open to anything you want. Anyone is free to continue sketching through the areas we explore each month. This event is more about exploration anyway! I hop you can make it down this month...we look forward to having an even bigger turn out! See you on Saturday.

Crawling Through Playhouse Square

The second Cleveland Sketch Crawl took place in the Theaters of Playhouse Square. I have to say...this was a cool location. I have been in some of those theaters before, but i have not seen them from that perspective before. I'll have to see if I got any pictures so you can see what I am talking about...even though any pictures can't do justice to those theaters (especially the Allen).

We had a great time hopping through the State, Palace and Allen theaters. If you weren't able to make it...don't worry, Playhouse Square gives free tours of the theaters the first Saturday of every month. Tour guides let you in on some of the history and stories behind Cleveland's famed theaters (i just found out that George Burns and Gracie Allen were married at the Palace Theater because they loved it so much!). We will definitely be back there to sketch some more. There are so many things to draw and check out. Just check out some of the sketchings from this month:













Next month...we'll be sketching at Tower City. Looking forward to seeing everybody down there on December 8th!

First Sketch Crawl a Blast!

Thanks to all those who made it out the first Cleveland Sketch Crawl. I can't believe the weather we had...80 degrees in October...unbelievable.

We had 10 sketchers show up and crawl through the city's "arcade district" (not an official title...but perhaps one that could catch on!). Because the weather was so nice we decided to sketch outside, so we soaked in the sites of E. 4th Street and then headed over to the Library's reading garden. Local artist Tom Roese was on hand to offer sketching tips for those of use that needed a bit of help (thanks Tom...I think I've got the perspective trick you taught us down).

This is a great excuse to get out of the house and take the morning to sketch and meet new people. The city is your inspiration and there are literally thousands of interesting and unique subjects to sketch. Our next Sketch Crawl will take place on November 3rd. I'll have more details about the location for that crawl....but for now...enjoy some of the sketches from this past Saturday!

Sketch Crawl this Saturday!

Hey everybody, this Saturday is the first Cleveland Sketch Crawl! This first crawl will highlight Cleveland's most popular Arcades and the environments that surround them. It will be a great opportunity to get together with other fellow sketchers and draw unique perspectives of these amazing parts of the city.

We will start things off in the Old Arcade and work our way over towards the Colonial Arcade. This is a free and open event to anyone that loves to draw...so come on down!

If you are interested in seeing where this idea of a Cleveland Sketch crawl came from....check out www.sketchcrawl.com. This is the brainchild of cartoon artist Enrico Casarosa ( I believe he is located in California). He has started this sketch crawl phenomenon and it has really taken off! It is such a simple and cool idea...and it is a great way to bring people together to explore the city, its people and all the things that go on in a metropolitan area.

So...that is why we thought we organize a Cleveland Sketch crawl and start our own community here! If you check out Sketchcrawl.com , they will be organizing a World Wide Sketch Crawl on November 4th. Our next Cleveland Sketch Crawl is scheduled for November the 3rd....but i hope we can all participate in our own way for the World Wide Crawl the following day! It would be great to participate in something global like that!

Anyway...just thought I'd leave a quick note. See you all on Saturday!

Welcome to Cleveland's Sketch Crawl!

This coming October 6th (Saturday), the first Cleveland Sketch Crawl will take place in Downtown!

The Sketch Crawl is a monthly event where sketchers of all skill levels meet Downtown and sketch a series of different locations throughout the city. The sketch crawl is a simple way to explore parts of the city you've never seen. and share your art with others.

The first Saturday of every month, from 10am - 12noon, the Cleveland Sketch Crawl will meet. The initial meeting place is the Downtown Cleveland Alliance's storefront in the Old Arcade (420 Superior Avenue). From there, we will venture out to our sketching destination for that month. The only thing you need to bring is your pencils, sketch pad and a friend, if you like.

If you feel like you can't draw...don't worry. It doesn't matter; you are welcome! Cleveland artist Thomas Roese will be on hand with coaching and encouragement for those who want it.

The crawl is being sponsored by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and is free to anyone that wants to draw, paint or charcoal the city on paper!

Come Downtown the first Saturday of every month ready to draw and explore the city.