Doodle days are here again

A few years ago Enrico Casarosa embarked upon a little experiment. His website lets out the details—"The Idea: Sketch irrevocably for a whole day out in the city (San Francisco). Recording all I could of what I did and saw. A marathon of drawings," it reads.

From the coffee he drank to the different buses he took, Carsarosa translated the world around him into doodles on his sketch pad. Apart from loving the activity he also admits how it helped his point of view, “Giving yourself this kind of mandate for a full day changes the way you look around you. It makes you stop and see things just a tad longer, just a bit deeper...” Soon, he figured that his initiative Sketchcrawl- a marathon of drawings would be a lot more fun if he had company.

And he wasn't just talking about a bunch of people in his own city. The wanderings of one person spread out to 90 locations across the world and sketchcrawl grew into international movement thanks to the internet. Sketchers and doodlers from around the world soon turned into sketchcrawlers.

On one decided date, people from across the world would spend a day out in their respective cities whether it's New York, Bologna, Belgrade, Adelaide or Bangalore just sketching. They then exchange their sketches online, to find out what others have been up to. 

The Bangalore chapter of Sketchcrawl was outlined by Rohit Kulkarni, a designer who moved to the city two years ago. Kulkarni clarifies the genesis of the city's sketchcrawler clique: “I used to sketchcrawl in Delhi alone and I thought of doing the same in Bangalore. In this city, the weather is so great and that's one reason our sketchcrawls have been going on consistently since March 08. We've completed eight sketchcrawls so far.”

He recounts that the first crawl in the city was in Lal Bagh and the bustling Gandhi Market. He then explains how it works. “The founder of Sketchcrawl announces a date and then sketchcrawlers from various cities in the world enjoy a day of sketching. These sketches are shared on the internet and one gets a peek into what sketchers from around the world have come up with.”

He then adds that he loves to see doodles of places such as Florence with their cobblestone streets, churches and markets. “Sometimes when the sketchcrawl dates are too far away, we organise events in between,” he adds. Fellow sketchcrawler Anand Bora, a software engineer, has two drawing pads filled with sketches he drew on 'sketchcrawls'. Bora confesses that had it not been for the group, he would have hardly had an opportunity to experience the city.

He rattles out a few of the sights he's seen. “For each event we choose a place. In the past, we've had sketchcrawls in Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park, Chitra Kala Parishath, various markets, Bull Temple Road, Tipu's summer palace, National Gallery of Modern Art, etc.” He informs that the group spends four to five hours sketching anything that fancies them at their chosen spot.

According to Bora a whole lot of people who loved sketching as children tend to get busy with their professions and discontinue their hobby. But Sketchcrawl, he says is a great way to relax and revive sketching as there's no pressure to perform.

“People come from different backgrounds, we have engineers, physiotherapists, housewives, freelance artists who drop in. That apart people are free to draw however they want, there are no restrictions, they can use water colours or just pen and ink, it's their choice how they sketch,” he informs.

Kulkarni believes that belonging to a global movement can be very motivating. “Right now, though we go to different places, it's not as much as cultural exploration, as just reviving sketching. The bigger idea is also to share our experience with people from around the world,” he says. 

Having finished one Sketchcrawl last Saturday, the group is fervently waiting for the next date to be announced and they cheerfully throw an open invitation to all. “Anyone who loves to doodle and sketch around is most welcome.” After all it was one such invite from one man Casarosa that has got the world sketching.