Hello, from the Sketchy Traveler newsletter. A mostly twice monthly newsletter on drawing and life design. Excited to have you join us! If you are enjoying this newsletter consider becoming a patron to help keep this newsletter financially sustainable.

This last Thursday was the Corvallis Arts Walk (CAW), which happens on the third Thursday of the month here in Corvallis. This got me thinking about sharing work and what motivates us to sketch. For some people, sketching is a personal reflective practice, like keeping a journal. For others, sketching is an entry to point to engaging with the larger community they are a part of. There are a variety of ways you can use sketching to meet new friends, network with potential employers or clients and engage with your urban community. So, I wanted to use this newsletter to explore a couple of these options.

Online

The internet can be a low-pressure introduction to share work. Social media like Instagram is the classic place to share artistic work though other social media spaces have developed for artists. Substack Notes is another space where you can find a lot of artists. Another option, particularly if you want to have a more written aspect, is posting to a blog. Some free options like Blogger or Tumblr offer an easy entry point and there are low-cost options to host your own blog like Wordpress.com.

Shortly after graduating college I got started with urban sketching by attending the urban sketcher meetups in Seattle. I eventually became a blog correspondent for them and was lucky enough to share my work as part of their group in its early stages. Here are a couple of early posts I did for them;)

• Seattle Central Library Reading Room

• Kubota Gardens

• University of Washington Greenhouses

Practice Groups

Another low-pressure option to share your work is in a group of other artists. The Urban Sketchers provide a nice entry point for practicing and sharing work together. Sharing in a group setting like this keeps the audience small and you usually know the people you are sharing with. Sharing online is also a part of the Urban Sketcher manifesto, so they can be a nice setting to learn more about sharing your work in virtual forums.

Drawing in public does have this effect a bit too since people see your work as you are practicing. However, drawing in public does come with strangers viewing your work. Though most people who stop to look at my work while I am drawing in public are usually just impressed that I am out creating art.

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Shows and Galleries

The next step after drawing in public is to start sharing work in spaces open to the public like galleries or spaces that host artists. Places like coffee shops, bakeries and local creative centers are great places to start. They are often looking for local artists to feature and showing artists’ work gives these spaces a rotating decorative element to spruce up their space. The first place I showed my work in public was C&P Coffee in Seattle and the owners were so great to work with😊

Since then I have shown my work in a wide range of spaces. Local galleries and artists coops can be great spaces to share work too. Artists coops, like A/NT Gallery in Seattle and Artistic Portland Gallery in Portland, take some of the pressure off showing your work since you are part of a group show. They can also help spread out the admin work involved with a studio. Local schools and art centers will often host community shows in their spaces too. Some good places to keep an eye on in Corvallis are the Giustina Gallery at Oregon State University (OSU) and the Howland Community Show at The Art Center.

I coordinate a community gallery space with a local co-working space in Corvallis as an example. The co-working space makes their social space available for local artists to hang their work for a month and appear on the Corvallis art walk. I run this as a low-pressure space for new and emerging artists to try on sharing their work and explore how they want to expand their practice. If you are in the Corvallis area and interested in showing your work let me know😉

Upcoming Events

On-Site Drawing Workshop

August 29, 2026, 4pm-5pm

Corvallis, OR

The next on-site drawing workshop is coming up this Saturday. If you are in the Corvallis area and want a live drawing demo with me now is your chance. I will host a drawing workshop every other week through October. We will cover foundational drawing skills, working with color and composing a scene. Each session is a standalone, so feel free to join when you can make it and progress at the pace that is right for you.

Corvallis Art Walk Meetup

September 4, 2026, 4pm-6pm

Corvallis Foundry (257 SW Madison Ave, Suite 210)

Come meet the amazing artists, craftspeople and creatives on the Corvallis Arts Walk (CAW) all in one place. Find your next creative partnership and connect with the amazing work of local artists and craftspeople. Come when you can and leave when you need to.

Logan’s Paintings at Plant Posse

As a practicing artists part of my practice is showing my work😊 Now through October 18^th two of my paintings of Ladd’s Addition are on display at Plant Posse in Corvallis. They are part of a show title “How Does Your Garden Grow” celebrating plants and the gardens we grow with them. If you are in the area, swing by to see my work and art by several other amazing artists.

The End is Only the Beginning

Wow, you read all the way to the end of the newsletter. This is the end of the newsletter, but only the beginning of your journey. Here are some potential next steps:

• Become a newsletter patron and help keep this newsletter financially sustainable
• Register for a 1:1 coaching session
• Purchase a print or commission me to do a drawing for you