A group of amateur artists is capturing the sights and spirit of Route 66 in sketches. Urban Sketchers Tulsa is a local chapter that is part of a global community of sketches.

"It is really a fun group," said Tulsa founder Connie MacFarland. "We follow each other on Instagram, and it is really a great way to share Tulsa with the world."

This month, their artwork is being featured in an exhibition at the McKeon Center for Creativity on the Tulsa Community College downtown campus.

Sketching the Mother Road

Hundreds of sketches were submitted for the exhibition at TCC. Some of the artwork was drawn by local chapter members and others come from Urban Sketchers chapters in Oklahoma City, Springfield, and Chicago.

Tulsa chapter member Pat Neal said, "If you like the Catoosa Blue Whale, we have got some real good pictures for you, Red Fork, the reconstructed depot and service station, and all of that, and then lots of things up and down Route 66."

The exhibition is open to the public through August 22 at 910 S Boston Ave. To visit during regular hours, call 918-595-7339 or email cindy.barton@tulsacc.edu in advance.

See the World One Sketch at a Time

Urban Sketchers Tulsa started a local chapter in April 2021; however, the international group was founded in 2009 by Gabriel Campanario, a Seattle-based journalist and illustrator. An urban sketch is a drawing created at a location, either indoors or outdoors, and captured from the sketcher's point of view.

Campanario created an online forum for sketchers to draw the cities where they live and share their work with others. MacFarland added, "It is a great group, it is a growing group, and it is a free group. I mean, all you've got to do is bring paper, pen, and pencil and come be with us."

Come to an Urban Sketchers Meet Up

Urban Sketchers Tulsa hosts a monthly meetup for its members to get together and sketch. The time and location are posted in advance on the group's Facebook and Instagram pages.

The next one is Saturday, August 16, at 9:30 a.m. Everyone will check in at Christ the King Church at 1520 S Rockford Ave. Sketchers can pick a spot anywhere inside or outside the church and will sketch on their own using their own supplies.

"It is amazing to see all the different things that people have sketched and their different views, maybe even of the same thing," Neal continued, "Nobody gets down on anybody else, everybody is very supportive."

Meet-ups are typically 1-2 hours long. Afterward, each person will share their sketch with the group and is encouraged to post it on social media using #urbansketcherstulsa.

Sketching is for Everyone

On October 4, Urban Sketchers Tulsa will be leading a workshop at Tulsa Community College. "I Can't Draw" is a hands-on workshop for anyone who feels intimidated by drawing.

"Everybody says, 'Oh, I cannot draw, I just draw stick figures.' It is not about that. No one is judging. It is just about learning something new and using all sides of your brain," MacFarland said.

During the workshop, Urban Sketchers Tulsa will focus on one and two-point perspective sketches. It is from 10-10:45 a.m. at the Center for Creativity. To register, click here.