City Sketchers - Austin

# 🏰 Sketching at Chateau Bellevue: Cinematic Castle Vibes

**Date is changed to 10/18 to avoid the ACL traffic

### 🎬 Movie Intro: Elvis and Anabelle & Austin’s French Chateau

Next in our Austin Cinematic Sketching Series, we’re visiting Chateau Bellevue! Built in 1874, this grand, castle-like landmark stood in as a backdrop for the 2007 indie film Elvis and Anabelle starring Blake Lively.
The film’s plot leans dark and quirky: during a live broadcast, pageant contestant Anabelle (Blake Lively) collapses on the catwalk and is pronounced dead, only to miraculously awaken on the embalming table right before a young mortician begins his work. While the story is eccentric, the location itself is pure fairytale architecture—featuring romantic courtyards, sweeping arches, and historic stone detail.
Have a favorite local film set in mind? We welcome everyone to propose places for our next stop!

### 🤔 IS THIS EVENT FOR YOU?

• Meet Creative & Fun Fellows: Connect with local sketchers, photographers, and film lovers.
• Practice Architectural Composition: Capture 19th-century French Chateau stonework, arches, and courtyard shadows.
• Sketch, Photo, or Just Hang Out: Bring a sketchbook, draw digitally, snap photos on your phone/camera, or just walk around and chat—you are 100% welcome!

### 🕒 DETAILS & TIMELINE

• When: 10/18, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Where We Meet: Corner of 8th St & Nueces St, near the main entrance of Chateau Bellevue.
• Sketch & Explore (11:00 AM – 12:30 AM): Find a cozy vantage point to frame the historic stonework and castle-like details.
• Show & Tell (12:30 AM – 1:00 PM): Optional showcase to share sketchbooks, photos, and ideas for future movie spots! `#sharingiscaring`
• Parking: Street parking meters in downtown Austin are FREE on Sundays!

### 🎒 WHAT TO BRING

• Materials: Sketchbook, tablet, phone, camera, or favorite drawing tools.
• Mindset: Capture the mood, character, and historic charm of the space—no technical perfection required!

*Date changed to 10/20

# 🗺️ Cartography of the Arcane: Fantasy Neighborhood Maps Sketch Jam

### 🧙‍♂️ The Theme: Re-Imagine Your Neighborhood as a Fantasy Realm

What if your everyday Austin stroll was actually a trek through a realm of myth and magic? Pick an Austin neighborhood you know and love—whether it's Hyde Park, Mueller, East Austin, or South Congress—and transform it into a fantasy map!
What if the corner Walgreens was actually a Tavern for Weary Adventurers? What if the local creek was guarded by river fairies, the park was a sleeping giant, or city alleyways were stalked by freestyle modern vampires? Dust off your medieval-style handwriting, scatter wizards, dragons, and monsters across the streets, and let your imagination blossom!

### 🤔 IS THIS EVENT FOR YOU?

• Meet Creative & Fun Fellows: Connect with local artists, fantasy buffs, map lovers, and creative minds over late-night coffee.
• Playful World-Building: Practice imaginative cartography, lettering, and creature design by turning familiar geography into a spellbinding legend.
• Sketch, Photo, or Just Hang Out: Whether you bring a sketchbook, draw on a digital tablet, or just come to grab a coffee, chat, and brainstorm lore—you are 100% welcome! It’s a creative event after all.

### 🕒 DETAILS & TIMELINE

• When: Thursday, October 20, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:45 PM
• Where We Meet: Bennu Coffee ACC Highland (109 Jacob Fontaine Ln suite 600, Austin, TX 78752). Look for sketchbooks on the tables!
• Map-Making & Socialize (6:45 PM – 8:15 PM): Grab a coffee, pull up a map, swap ideas for fantasy taverns and monster dens, and get sketching.
• Show & Tell (8:15 PM – 8:45 PM): Optional showcase to share your maps, talk about your neighborhood lore, and enjoy each other's creations! `#sharingiscaring`

### 🎒 WHAT TO BRING

• Map Reference: Your phone with Google Maps or Apple Maps, or a paper map/printout of a neighborhood you like.
• Materials: Sketchbook, tablet, fine-liner pens, pencils, or whatever drawing tools you prefer.
• Mindset: Don't worry about the final result—just enjoy the process, playful discovery, and good conversation!

### 🏛️ The Theme: The Paleontological Afterlife

Beneath the glass displays and vaulted ceilings, fossils are far more than static stone—they are time capsules suspended between existence and memory. What did these prehistoric titans look like as living, breathing creatures, and what lingering poetry remains when only their bones endure?
This month, we're taking inspiration from the duality of extinct life: sketching or imagining a prehistoric creature split down the middle—one half vibrant with living flesh, muscle, and texture, and the other half revealed in stark, skeletal bone. Let the exhibits stir your imagination as we explore the boundary between what was and what remains.

### 🤔 IS THIS EVENT FOR YOU?

• Meet Creative & Fun Fellows: Connect with local artists, photographers, history buffs, and creative minds in an inspiring setting.
• Explore Duality & Imagination: Practice composition, value, and anatomical contrast by blending living forms with ancient skeletons.
• Sketch, Photo, or Just Hang Out: Whether you bring a sketchbook, render on a tablet, snap photos on your phone/camera, or simply wander the hall of fossils and chat—you are 100% welcome! It’s a creative event after all, so choose whatever medium inspires you.
• Free Admission: Take advantage of the museum's Free Fourth Sunday—no admission ticket required!

### 🕒 DETAILS & TIMELINE

• When: Sunday, October 25, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Where We Meet: Main Lobby inside the Texas Science & Natural History Museum (2400 Trinity St).
• Sketch & Explore (1:00 PM – 2:30 PM): Wander the exhibits, find your prehistoric subject, and work on your split-vision concept or capture dramatic lighting and angles through your camera lens.
• Show & Tell (2:30 PM – 3:00 PM): Optional showcase outside on the courtyard steps or in the lobby to share sketchbooks, photos, and creative ideas! `#sharingiscaring`

### 🎒 WHAT TO BRING

• Materials: Sketchbook, tablet, phone, camera, pencils, charcoal, or pens (Note: dry mediums are preferred inside museum galleries).
• Cost: FREE (Thanks to Free Fourth Sunday!).
• Mindset: Art is a bridge between memory and imagination. Come curious, embrace the moody historical vibes, and have a great time!