Urban Sketchers Japan

Kazhiro Kimra (Shimane), Lavinia Elysia (Tokyo), Sadamu Asami (Tokyo), and Jessica Craven (Saitama)

Sometimes, you just need to ditch your phone and open your eyes to the world around you. I believe that’s why urban sketching has become so popular among artists and illustrators around the world over the last few years. Urban Sketchers Japan is one of the national chapters of the movement that aims to connect people across the globe who draw on location where they live or travel within the country.

When I first heard of urban sketching, my initial thought was, “isn’t that just plein air painting?” In the mid-1800s, the invention of paint tubes enabled artists to take their easels outside, explore nature, and paint onsite. Some of the most famous artists who painted in plein air were the Impressionist painters, such as Renoir and Monet.

Like the plein air painters, urban sketchers are also interested in capturing their impression of a moment and place, and responding directly to the world around them, but there are some key differences. Urban sketching is less formal, has fewer rules, and is more accessible so that anyone can join, regardless of artistic training. Plein air painting generally takes much more time and must be completed with either paint or pastels, but urban sketching allows for any use of material and can be completed very quickly. (1)

Urban sketching is not limited to the outdoors and can be done in other public spaces like cafes, shops, and museums. Also, artists can include photographs or write details of the environment onto their artwork, making urban sketching a journalistic practice that enables you to remember your experiences and travels.

The urban sketching movement was also born out of the internet when, in 2007, Seattle-based journalist and illustrator Gabriel Campanario created an online forum “for all sketchers out there who love to draw the cities where they live and visit, from the window of their homes, from a cafe, at a park, standing by a street corner . . . always on location, not from photos or memory.” (2) The urban sketching movement uses the internet to bring people together, but also encourages them to step away from technology for a few hours to experience and record the physical world.

Urban Sketchers Japan also follows the Urban Sketchers Manifesto that many communities within the movement adhere to. The lenient rules allow for a broad range of artistic freedom but help connect artists to the same purpose. They are as follows:

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.

2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live, and where we travel.

3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.

4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.

5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.

6. We support each other and draw together.

7. We share our drawings online.

8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

Some of the members of Urban Sketchers Japan have generously contributed their works to be published here so that you can tour Japan without ever leaving your home. Let’s go on a journey with them:

Kazhiro Kimra is a hobbyist illustrator and urban sketcher from Shimane prefecture.

“It is the shrine named Mankusen Jinja in Hikawa-cho, Izumo City. The ancient Izumo gods gather at the Izumo Taisha Shrine in October of the lunar calendar—which is the Month of the Gods (called Kamiarizuki in Japanese)—and hold a meeting. After this meeting, the gods cross the Hii River to return to their respective nations. This shrine is the place where the gods depart for their respective countries.”

“I suddenly see people on the train and think, “Oh! I want to draw them! So I pull out my smartphone and start using adrawingapp,hopingnoone will notice. My smartphone is very convenient like that. However, the train in this city stops every one or two minutes at different stations, so there is a high risk that a good model will get off the train as soon as I start drawing them. That’s why I draw many people who are fast asleep.”

Sadamu Asami is an illustrator and urban sketcher from Tokyo. You can see more of his artwork on his blog.

“Same earth, with a different season. Same book, with a new chapter.”

Lavinia Elysia is a design graduate of Petra Christian University in Indonesia. As an author and design researcher, her main works focus on projects and research related to design for sustainability and waste management in Indonesia, Japan and South East Asian countries. She is currently living in Japan, and one of her hobbies is urban sketching. You can see more of her artwork on her website.

Jessica is a fifth-year American JET living in Saitama. On weekends, she enjoys hiking in remote areas of Saitama or taking day trips to Tokyo. When not adventuring, she can be found reading or creating her own artwork, which can be seen on her Instagram.

If you are interested in joining Urban Sketchers Japan and making friends you can sketch together with, you can join their Facebook page here. These days, they are also holding some online events where creators can share their artwork easily, even during coronavirus. Hobbyists of all experience levels are welcome to join.