Description

"Urban Sketching": Sketching the City, Capturing Life

On a pleasant day, have you ever noticed a small group of people in a public square or at a street corner, sketchbook and pencil in hand, capturing the scenes and places around them? If so, you may have witnessed an urban sketching session.Urban sketching.

L’Urban sketching (in French rando-croquis ou croquis urbain) is not only the practice of drawing on location; it is also a global artistic movement that brings together beginners and experienced artists around a shared act of observation. The movement is structured around the international organization Urban Sketchers, which promotes a simple idea: drawing from direct observation and telling the story of the world one sketch at a time, transforming public space into a temporary studio.

In this presentation, illustrated with numerous examples, we will explore the origins of this movement, its recent development, and the place it occupies today in the field of graphic arts.

Audience: Open to all skill levels

Location : Chalet Jean-Chénier, 515 Jean-Chénier Street, Gatineau (Aylmer sector)

Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Hours : 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

This presentation will be given in French, but the presenter is bilingual.

Minimum of 11 participants.

Cost for members: $5 (for non-members $6)

Regarding the presenter:

Primarily self-taught, Marcelle Chabot actively practices urban sketching both locally and during her travels. Now retired after a rich career in research and public policy, she approaches urban space with the same analytical eye, now turned toward the light, lines, and rhythms of the street. She continues her training through academic drawing and watercolour. She is also a board member of the Ottawa Urban Sketchers regional chapter.