This is a Vancouver Urban Sketchers group based on urbansketchers.org which is an international nonprofit organization to bring urban sketchers from all over the world together in real life and online.

Please note:

1. All levels of experience (yes, that includes none!) are welcome.
2. No judgment, no criticism. We only give positive feedback, tips and encouragement. Every drawing is unique.
3. This is not a class, but we can learn from one another.
4. NEW as of October 2014: With the amazing growth of this group, we are getting more and more requests by commercial entities who hope to profit from our community of members. However, our philosophy is to stay free of commercial interests unless they are fee-based (or free) sketching workshops or community-based sketching events. For example, do not contact us if: a) you are a large corporation needing sketchers in the backdrop of your video, b) are looking for volunteer graphic designers, c) are hoping to promote your printing/framing/yoga/dog food business, d) are hoping to promote an event that has nothing to do with sketching, or e) are doing a study that requires you to interview our members.

The concept for this group is simple: We get together outdoors or in coffee shops to sketch our city and surroundings together. You don't need any drawing background, just an interest in drawing your environment. It's very low-key and supportive. We can then share any drawings we want on flickr, here on Meetup, and on a Vancouver Urban Sketchers blog that we are hoping to set up.

The Urban Sketchers manifesto is quoted below. It is based on a tradition called "reportage drawing", and if you create sketches based on it, you can post them on the Urban Sketchers flickr group or related blogs. So you may use this as a guide, but it is not a requirement to participate in this group — any kind of drawing, whether it's based on what you see or interpretations thereof or completely abstracted experiments are welcome here.

Urban Sketchers Manifesto (optional guidelines for this group):

• We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
• Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
• Our drawings are a record of time and place.
• We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
• We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
• We support each other and draw together.
• We share our drawings online.
• We show the world, one drawing at a time.

April 1, 2014: Please note, we now charge a minimum suggested annual fee of $5. You only have to pay this when you come to your second meetup. If you never participate, no fee, of course. We encourage members who post paid workshops to pay a bit more. The suggested annual fee is $30. All paid workshops must be approved by an organizer before they are posted.