Urban Sketching Program

The Urban Sketching Program is a program created by the Veterans Arts Council that will supply active-duty service members and Veterans in Colorado who are/will deploy or travel with sketching/watercolor kits. The members of the program will use the kits to create an artistic record of their travels. The artwork that is created will then be featured in an annual gallery show at the VFW Post 1 art gallery.

Sketching with pen/pencil and watercolor in journals catches the daily observations and emotions of the artist. It is both its own art form and an excellent entry point to larger works of artistic exploration with oil, acrylics, pastels etc.  Published professional artists in this field along with an active duty USMC Combat Artist will provide art instructions.

In partnership with Purple Heart, Vietnam Veteran owned Meininger Art Supply, complete sketching watercolor kits will be issued to active-duty Colorado National Guard members for their global deployments to create an artistic record of daily life (1,000 Guard members are deployed at any given time).  The program is also open to Veterans and the families of both audiences.

Art will be featured in an annual show at the VFW Post 1 Veterans Art Gallery

This program was created with the intent of providing service members and Veterans an artistic outlet opportunity while they travel.  VAC members have also created the Mil/Vet Urban Sketching Facebook group providing the members a place to communicate and share their work with each other, along with providing  mentorship and training opportunities for members of the program. 

Below are some examples of work summited by current members of the Urban Sketching program.