Urban Sketching Festival in Tarnów, July 30 - August 2, 2026
From 30 July to 2 August 2026, Tarnów became a meeting place for urban sketchers from Poland and abroad. The Urban Sketching Festival brought together 350 registered participants from 15 countries. As a large part of the programme was open to public and available without a festival ticket, we estimate that around 500–600 people took part in the event over the four days.
The programme was packed with workshops, sketching demos led by Polish and international instructors, sketchwalks, talks, contests and daily opportunities to sketch together. Participants could observe a wide variety of approaches and techniques – from watercolour, gouache and coloured pencils to oil pastels, inks and mixed media – and, above all, draw Tarnów itself: the Market Square and Town Hall, colourful townhouses, narrow streets, the Cathedral, mascarons, people and everyday city life. The Ludwik Solski Theatre hosted a two-floor Art Market, where visitors could discover and test art supplies, talk to brand representatives and meet instructors outside the official programme as well.
Temperatures reaching almost 38°C at times forced us to make a few changes to the programme, but did little to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. In post-festival accounts, certain themes came up again and again: meeting people, the openness and accessibility of the instructors, the opportunity to watch others at work and the remarkable variety of ways of seeing and drawing the city. Experienced sketchers worked side by side with complete beginners – some of whom found the courage to take out a sketchbook and draw in a public space for the very first time in Tarnów.
The final event on the programme was an exhibition at BWA Tarnów. During the first three days, participants could have their festival sketches scanned; we then printed them and displayed them together in the final exhibition. Several hundred sketches filled the gallery – created using all kinds of techniques, by people with widely varying levels of experience, and showing Tarnów in many different ways. The idea was not to choose the most technically accomplished works: each visitor simply voted for the sketch that spoke to them most.
Perhaps more than anything, the Festival demonstrated what lies at the heart of urban sketching: we do not have to draw in the same way or be at the same skill level to sit down side by side with our sketchbooks. The many post-festival accounts tell a similar story – participants left Tarnów with new friendships, plenty of inspiration and a strong desire to keep drawing.
You can find more information about the Festival in Tarnów here.
You can read in the Blog tab about the previous editions of the Urban Sketching Festival that took place in 2022, 2023 & 2024 in Świdnica.
Urban Sketchers Poland
WHO WE ARE? We are a group promoting sketching on location in urban spaces, bringing together drawing enthusiasts of all skill levels. Urban Sketchers is a grassroots initiative that is implemented around the world, and its cradle is Seattle.
WHAT WE DO? We sketch the world around us using all available techniques, based on direct observation and the experience of being in a given place. We publish our works on the Internet and support each other in creative development, creating a unique international community.
FOR WHOM? Our drawing meetups are for everyone, regardless of age, opinions and skills - all you need is to like to draw (or paint). We want to show the world seen through our eyes, one sketch at a time.
We sketch in the spirit of our manifesto.
- We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
- Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live, and where we travel.
- Our drawings are a record of time and place.
- We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
- We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
- We support each other and draw together.
- We share our drawings online.
- We show the world, one drawing at a time.
Information about meetings and other events organized by us can be found here.
Urban Sketchers in Poland
On the map below, you'll find places where our sketchers are and how to contact them. If you'd like to sketch with us, please let us know!
Urban Sketchers Symposium Poznań 2025
It was our pleasure to host the 13th Urban Sketchers International Symposium, which was held in Poznań on August 20-23, 2025. For more information about the Symposium please visit www.urbansketchers.org.
Family photo from the Symposium:
Author: Piotr Dutkiewicz
Photos from the Urban Sketching Festival in Świdnica 2024:
Photos for download are here. Author: Daniel Gębala
Contact
Urban Sketchers is a non-profit organization and it's mission is to raise the artistic, storytelling, and educational value of on-location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people worldwide who draw on location where they live and travel.
Urban Sketchers Poland is a local chapter of this organization, and its goal is to spread the above mentioned values and ideas in Poland.
More information: www.urbansketchers.org