January
Our thanks to the Auditorium Theatre for welcoming us back for another exclusive sketching event.
Arrival: Please use the main glass doors on Ida B. Wells Drive. If you arrive after the session has started, a phone number will be posted at the entrance for you to call for access.
To enhance our visit, a dedicated tour guide will provide a brief historical overview and remain available to answer questions about this architectural masterpiece.
Guidelines:
- Stay in Public Areas: Please remain within visible, public spaces. If you wish to explore other areas, kindly notify the tour guide first.
- Lighting: As the house lights will be dimmed, we recommend bringing a compact book light or using your phone to assist with sketching.
- Food Policy: No food is permitted inside the theater.
Banner Sketch by Tammy Campbell
Facebook Event page
February
New information:
We have a limit of 150 participants. Please pre-register. If you secured a ticket but can’t attend please let the museum know.
Please click on link below! Join us at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for this unique opportunity to sketch indoors. Whether you’re a long-standing member, or a curious newcomer, Urban Sketchers Chicago will be glad to meet you!
Entry to this meetup is free and includes access to all the museum’s exhibits, including the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven.
Please register using this link. You are welcome to be a walk-in, but you will need to register at the check-in desk. By registering ahead of time, you’ll be able to enter quicker.
Banner sketch: Amy Gowans
Facebook Event Page
March
Join us at the Catalog Food Hall on the ground floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower downtown! This meetup is free, and all are welcome! Whether you’re a long-standing member, or a curious newcomer, Urban Sketchers Chicago will be glad to meet you!
Enter the building on Jackson Blvd to the left of the Shake Shack. The main food hall area has a tall atrium, interesting architecture, lots of seating and several food stalls to sketch.
Address: 320 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60606
Banner sketch by Courtney Perrin
Facebook Event page
April
This is a place holder, to save the date. We will update with location and Information of event soon. Please be patient with us on details.
We want to help you plan some sketching opportunities ahead of time. Hope it helps knowing what days and times we will be meeting.
May
Mark your calendars for this wonderful full day event exploring and creating in one of Chicago’s wonderful neighborhoods.
Meet at 8:45-9am at Harrison Park – the Northwest corner of 19th and S. Wolcott Ave. to get a name badge and begin your sketch route! See the Sketchwalk Guide for more information on the full day.
Download the Sketchwalk Guide!
Banner art: @jennymouse2003
Host: Robert Cordero
June
The Lincoln Park Zoo is a free, 35-acre zoo located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1868, it is one of the oldest zoos in the U.S. and one of the few with free admission.
We will meet in the central square by the lions’ outdoor habitat at 12:00 noon. After sketching, we’ll regroup at 2:45 PM at the same spot for a throwdown and group photos. If you arrive late, no worries—just find a spot to sketch and meet us back at 2:45 PM.
Transit/Parking: Please check the zoo’s website for parking information if you’re driving and want to park in the zoo lot. Street parking is available if you’re willing to search and/or walk a bit. For public transportation please check the CTA website or Ventra app.
Hope to see you at the zoo!
Hosted by Urban Sketchers Chicago.
Host and Banner sketch: Paul Ingold
Facebook Event page
July
The Sketch Seminar is an annual event put on by the Chicago chapter of Urban Sketchers (USk), a nonprofit group that encourages people to “share the world, one drawing at a time”. The event is an opportunity to explore the streets of Chicago and spend time practicing on-location sketching in a relaxed, supportive setting. It’s also a great chance to meet other sketchers, learn from instructors, share tips and ideas, and simply enjoy drawing together as a community. Whether you’re a long-standing member or a curious newcomer, Urban Sketchers Chicago will be glad to meet you!
Check out all the details on the Seminar home page!
August
This is a place holder, to save the date. We will update with location and Information of event soon. Please be patient with us on details.
We want to help you plan some sketching opportunities ahead of time. Hope it helps knowing what days and times we will be meeting.
Outdoor events are weather permitting. We will have backup indoor location if necessary.
September
Location will be announced soon, it’ll be a nice surprise.
Full day of wonderful sketching is being planned.
This is a place holder, to save the date. We will update with location and Information of event soon. Please be patient with us on details.
We want to help you plan some sketching opportunities ahead of time. Hope it helps knowing what days and times we will be meeting.
October
Let’s sketch in the beautiful village of Riverside, IL. We’ll meet In Centennial Park, next to the train station and the Historic Water Tower. The village has lots to offer an urban sketcher: the Water Tower, the Public Library, a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Desplaines River, a bucolic River Walk along the river…
Easy to get to via car (street address is 10 Pine Avenue, plenty of street parking) and Metra (take the BNSF line from Union Station towards Aurora).
Hosted by: Rachel Pasch Grossman
Banner art: Throwdown of 2025 group
November
This is a place holder, to save the date. We will update with location and Information of event soon. Please be patient with us on details.
We want to help you plan some sketching opportunities ahead of time. Hope it helps knowing what days and times we will be meeting.
Host: Yelina Noskin
December
This is a place holder, to save the date. We will update with location and Information of event soon. Please be patient with us on details.
We want to help you plan some sketching opportunities ahead of time. Hope it helps knowing what days and times we will be meeting.
Urban Sketchers Chicago 