The 14th World Wide Sketch Crawl is going to take place on May 19th. If everything goes according to plan, I should be somewhere in Paris that day and of course, if all goes to plan, I will also have my trusty Paris Moleskine notebook so I will definitely be joining in on the sketchcrawling fun. The founder and organizer, Enrico Casarosa, asked for everyone to help spread the world so here’s my part. There’s also money going to a good cause. So why not join in, too? Gather a group of friends and draw! Here is the press release:

CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

WHAT:

14th World Wide SketchCrawl, drawing marathon/fund-raiser for Emergency

WHO:

Artists of all ages and skill levels

WHEN:

Saturday May 19, 2007

WHERE:

Around the globe

INFO:

Free registration and location information at www.sketchcrawl.com/forum

CONTACT:

Enrico Casarosa, casarosa@gmail,com, phone(415)317-2731

All artists, whether they be professionals or just habitual doodlers, are invited to participate in the 14th World Wide SketchCrawl May 19, 2007. While the event is free, participants will be encouraged through their art to raise money for Emergency, a nonprofit international organization based in Italy that provides free medical care to civilian victims of war, landmines and poverty.

SketchCrawl was created to enable people worldwide to share their passion for drawing, says founder Enrico Casarosa. But, he adds, “I believe there’s a second thing we should do through SketchCrawl, and that is giving. There is no better reason to come together as a global drawing community than to give. Together, we can raise awareness and money — with our drawings — for this worthy and peaceful cause.”

So, dust off that old sketchbook or peel off the wrapper from that nice, new Moleskine. The next SketchCrawl is sure to be around the corner — your corner — soon!

WHAT IS SKETCHCRAWL?

SketchCrawl was founded in 2004 in San Francisco as a marathon for the sketch artist. Artists are encouraged to slow down, watch the world around them, and record it through nonstop drawing or writing – whether it be for 20 minutes or eight hours. The event is free, and no skill level is required. More than a dozen events have been held worldwide, with hundreds of artists participating from Singapore to San Diego. In 2006, a SketchCrawl event raised nearly $2,000 for the Pakistani earthquake relief effort.

HOW IT WORKS

Artists can work alone or in groups. Some groups are already established in some cities, including San Francisco. After finding inspiration from their chosen locations, artists share their day’s sketches and other artwork online at Flickr.com and www.SketchCrawl.com. The collaborative spirit of the event brings artists together by sharing views of places and details from all corners of the world. To help raise money for Emergency, artists participating in the 14th SketchCrawl will be encouraged to seek sponsorships of either $1, $5 or $10 per drawing. They also will be invited to donate their work for an online auction, proceeds of which would go to Emergency.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS

Founder Enrico Casarosa started SketchCrawl in 2004 and has organized and spread the word about SketchCrawling since. A storyboard artist at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif., he has been in the animation industry for more than 10 years, publishing comics and artbooks in his spare time.

SketchCrawl partner Ronnie del Carmen, Head of Story at Pixar Animation Studios, is a legend among the animation industry. His career includes work for “Batman: The Animated Series” television show, DreamWorks Animation and many other amazing projects.

ABOUT EMERGENCY

Emergency is a humanitarian organization founded in 1994 in Milan, Italy, that offers free medical care to civilian victims of war, landmines and poverty worldwide. The organization also builds hospitals and health-care centers, physical and social rehabilitation centers, and first-aid posts. All of its facilities are designed, built and run by specialized international personnel, who in turn train local staff. More information can be found at its Web site, www.emergencyusa.org.

[tags]Enrico Casarosa, sketch crawl, drawing, illustration[/tags]