Urban Sketch Like an Architect with Charles Cannizzaro

We are the New York City Urban Sketchers, a Regional Chapter of Urban Sketchers.  Our mission is to raise the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel. New York City Urban Sketchers aim to show the our city and our life and times, one drawing at a time.

New York City Urban Sketchers

How to boil down the knowledge of an architecture studio into basic principles and techniques for sketching and painting on location.

The "Oaks" New Dawn Foundation

Drawing in a studio is very different from drawing on location. In the studio architects learn by using a drafting table, t-square, triangles, a compass, a computer, and other cumbersome tools that you wouldn’t want to drag along to Urban Sketch. The Instructor will teach how to boil down studio knowledge into basic principles, techniques, rules of thumb, and tips &amp; tricks, which can be applied to work in real world situations.Techniques that will be covered include: selecting your subject, composition, mark making, scale/sighting, perspective, foreshortening, and others. He will briefly demonstrate how techniques learned in the studio can be adapted to urban sketching, using only minimal tools, which students probably carry with them already when going out to sketch. Then, participants will create 2 sketches while the instructor walks around to answer questions and give individual instruction. At the end there will be a show and tell.Location:This workshop will be held at The New Dawn Foundation, located in “The White House,” which is also known as "The Oaks." Built in 1900, it served as a school for girls before being privately purchased in 1919 by Charles and Magdalene Klingenstein. The historic estate house is located on the exclusive waterfront peninsula of Davenport Neck in New Rochelle, NY. Today this is a beautiful haven in Westchester County overlooking Long Island Sound. Please see below for directions to The New Dawn Foundation.This workshop is scheduled for Monday, October 6th and will meet rain or shine. The New Dawn Foundation will be able to provide a sheltered space in the event of inclimate weather.For this workshop an extra $7.00 is included in the ticket price and will be donated to The New Dawn Foundation for allowing us to use the space.About the Instructor:Charles Cannizzaro is a co-founder and Principal at Crate Architecture, and a Registered Architect. With over 25 years of experience, he has guided some of the top national and international companies through successful projects with award-winning designs. Charles has taught design and drafting at Paier College of Art. He is also an avid Urban Sketcher. Charles was the November 2024 Spotlight Artist for the NYC Urban Sketchers Newsletter. In June 2025, he taught a workshop "Urban Sketching for Designers and Architects" in Chicago at NeoCon, the world's leading trade show for the design industry. For examples of his work, see <a href="https://www.charliecannsketch.com" title="https://www.charliecannsketch.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.charliecannsketch.com</a> and on Instagram<a href="https://@charliecannsketch" title="https://@charliecannsketch" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> @charliecannsketch</a>Suggested Supplies:<ul><li>Beginner students should bring at a minimum something to draw with (a pencil and/or pen), and a 12” ruler or straight-edge.</li></ul><ul><li>Advanced students should bring their normal Urban Sketching kits, (graphite, colored pencils, watercolor set with brush/water brush, or other media) plus a 12” ruler or straight-edge.</li><li>Cardboard or other sturdy platform with clips for holding paper.</li><li>Paper will be provided.</li><li>Seating is available at the venue, but bringing a stool may give you more options.</li></ul>DIRECTIONS to New Dawn Foundation http://www.thenewdawnfoundation.org/directions.htmlNOTE: The New Dawn Foundation is easy to get to but you could miss it as the entrance is small. Most directions will tell you to go to Pelham Road. If you come to Pelham Road from North Ave., make a right onto Pelham Road, then make a left at Church Street (Trinity Elementary School is on the corner). Drive down to light and make a right onto Davenport Ave. Take this road down past the beach and catering halls. After the Greentree Club, you will see a VERY SMALL entrance on the left. (There is a boat yard on the right). It will say New Dawn Foundation and also "The Oaks" which was the former name of the estate. Drive slowly down the very curved and narrow road. There will be a fork. Go to the left where there is a small white mansion.

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