If ever you've wanted a sketch of yourself that wasn't an outrageous caricature, or even wanted to try your hand at sketching, now is your chance. Sketchy Miami is having a launch party at Lester's this Thursday.
Sketchy Miami features portraits, or sketchys as they call them, of people from all over the Magic City. It's a project by the folks at BeachedMiami with the mission statement" "The goal of Sketchy Miami is simple and impossible: to create a portrait of every person in Miami."
Residents submit their photos to the blog, which artists then turn into portraits. And by "artist," they mean anyone who wants to participate.
"The relationship between portraitist and portrait subject is one of the
strongest in the history of art, and we want to facilitate that
relationship between as many Miamians as possible," said Robby Campbell,
who runs Sketchy Miami. "Portraiture is traditionally a stuffy genre, but, as you can see on the site, it doesn't have to be."
To submit a photo of yourself, or a sketch of someone else, just click on the corresponding tab at the top of the site and enter your information along with the image. The sketchys are then featured on the blog for everyone to see. They would like to eventually exhibit the sketchys offline, but have no concrete plans at the moment.
The
upcoming party will feature local artists ready to do quick portraits of guests,
"particularly those with handsome moustaches and/or adorable ears," says Campbell. Artists include Ximena Prugue, Elizannette Blanco, Brian Butler, Annie Blazejack, and Carrie Sieh.
Lester's
is discounting beer 25 percent for the first hour, and Joey's is
serving up free pizza. And in keeping with the local theme, Miami-born
singer Sam Friend will perform.
"This is not a curated
project and we aren't trying -- and don't expect -- to get a thousand
Mona Lisas. We'd prefer to get a million different Sketchys that show
how creative and diverse a city Miami really is," said Campbell.
Attend a Sketchy Party, presented by BeachedMiami, this Thursday at Lester's (2519 NW Second Ave., Miami). The party begins at 8 p.m. and is free.
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