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Sketching and fountain pen groups in Australia
Community groups are a great way to learn or improve your sketching and painting skills. Please check with individual group for event details. Let us know if you know of other active groups.
Australia wide
Australian Watercolour Institute (AWI) - National society of professional watercolourists. Membership is by nomination. Promote watercolour and sketch-based artworks through exhibitions and publications.
Fountain Pens Australia - super active and friendly community group that runs on Facebook. Excellent resource for learning about all things fountain pens. Place a request to join the group through their Facebook account.
Plein Air Painters of Australia (APAP) - Australian group focused on works painted outdoors, either an Australian subject or by an Australian painter. Paintings, not drawings! Founded and run by Australian artist, Leon Holmes. Group managed on Facebook.
The Australian Society of Miniature Art - promotes and supports artists working in small-scale art, including miniature sketches. Range of media including watercolour, oil, acrylic, drawing, printmaking, mixed media and 3D. They organize exhibitions, workshops, and provide technique videos through Youtube.
Urban Sketchers (USK) Australia - strong community group, sketching on location, indoors or out. Lots of local Chapters. Share work on Facebook and Instagram with hashtags #uskaus
ACT
Canberra Art Workshop - well organised community group operating in the M16 Artspace studio. All media, all levels. Offer courses, workshops, exhibitions and untutored midweek groups, including the ExplorARTive group to encourage beginners.
Urban Sketchers Canberra - regional Chapter of USKAus. Sketching on location, not from photos. Meets 2nd Sunday of the month.
NSW
Castle Hill Art Society - Meet first Wednesday evening of the month at the Castle Glen Community Centre. Run classes and workshops in all media including watercolour and drawing. After school and Saturday morning classes for children.
Hills Sketchers - meet 3rd Sunday of the month in the Hills district. Sketching outdoors, mainly around the Hills, Hawkesbury, Penrith and Parramatta districts. Run private group on Facebook that you can request to join.
Lane Cove Art Society - Local Sydney group, meeting on 4th Tuesday of the month (except January and December). Demonstration provided at each meeting and two exhibitions a year. We have previously run a pen & ink demo for members.
Macquarie Towns Art Society (MTAS) - promoting creativity in the Hawkesbury region with demos, workshops, exhibitions and field painting days. Classes for children.
Northern Beaches Art Society - originally the North Shore Art Society, it is a community group meeting at the Narrabeen Tram Shed. Run regular workshops and two exhibitions a year. A Plein Air group also goes out the 3rd Tuesday morning of each month to a different location on the Northern Beaches.
Sydney Art Group - local group in Sydney, meeting up, often at NSW Art Gallery or outside, in small groups and supported by a tutor. All levels welcome. Join the private Facebook group.
Sydney Sketch Club - local Sydney group, meeting to sketch in public - weekends, fortnightly on Wednesdays and away meets at places to like Cowra, Mudgee, the Canola Trail. About 25-30 people, of all abilities, at each event. Sketching in smaller groups and joining together for a sketchbook throw down at the end of the session. No formal lessons. Small annual membership fee or casual rate. Request to Join Meetup group.
Urban Sketchers Blue Mountains
Urban Sketchers Sydney - regional Chapter of USKAus. Sketching on location, not from photos. Meets 1st or 2nd Saturday of the month.
Urban Sketchers Woollongong - regional Chapter of USKAus. Sketching on location, not from photos.
QLD
Brisbane Art Club - local group in Brisbane, meeting up, usually outside, in small groups and supported by a tutor. All levels welcome. Join the private Facebook group. Book a place for an event to get the location.
Hokusai Drawing Club - named after a prolific Japanese artist who loved to draw, this social group meet in cafes in Brisbane a couple of times a month.
South East Quennsland Journal Keepers (SEQJK) - meet up quarterly. For more information or to register your interest, contact silvia@artlife.journal or louise@coffee_tea_paper
Urban Sketchers Cairns - regional Chapter of USKAus. Sketching on location, not from photos.
Urban Sketchers Port Douglas Mossman
Urban Sketchers Townsville - meets 1st Sunday of the month.
SA
Art Society of Adelaide - large art studio and smaller rooms used by sketching and painting groups. All media. Amateur and professional artists. Regular workshops and exhibitions.
Sunday Sketching in the Park - community group meeting outdoors in Adelaide, last Sunday of the Month.
Urban Sketchers Adelaide - meets 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday.
TAS
The Art Society of Tasmania - exhibitions every alternate month at the Lady Franklin Gallery, with free talks and demonstrations by the artist. Painters, ceramicists, sculptors, photographers, textile artists, jewellery makers and calligraphers. Exhibiting or social membership.
VIC
Box Hill Art Group - local community group established in 1952. Run tutored classes during the week, "Sketching Together" plus lunch the last Sunday of the month, workshops and exhibitions. Water colours, oils, acrylics, pastels, drawing, life drawings and mixed media.
Melbourne Art Group - local group in Sydney, meeting up, usually outside, in small groups and supported by a tutor. All levels welcome. Join the private Facebook group.
Urban Sketchers Melbourne - regional Chapter of USKAus. Sketching on location, not from photos. Meets weekly.
WA
Perth Art Group - local group in Perth, meeting up, usually outside, in small groups and supported by a tutor. All levels welcome. Join the private Facebook group.
Urban Sketchers Perth - regional Chapter of USKAus. Sketching on location, not from photos