A Worldwide Sketchbook, Organized by Place

I’m so excited to finally share something I’ve been working on: Drawn Here, a new project that grew out of a pretty unexpected source—a bobcat wandering through my neighborhood.

A while back, I spotted a bobcat near my home and posted the sighting to iNaturalist. I loved the idea behind it: people all over the world noticing what’s around them, documenting it, adding it to a map, and collectively building this incredible record of place.

And it got me thinking about artists.

What if we could do something similar with sketches?

I love sketching on location, and one of my favorite things about it is seeing how differently two people can interpret the exact same place. One person notices the architecture, another notices a crooked tree, someone else draws the people sitting at a café. The place is the same, but every drawing is completely individual.

That little idea eventually became Drawn Here.

Think of it as a worldwide, shared sketchbook organized by place. You can explore the map to discover interesting places to draw, see sketches other artists have made there, and add your own drawings and discoveries.

You might find a place nearby that you’ve walked past a hundred times and suddenly want to sketch. Or you might explore drawings from somewhere on the other side of the world. And as more people participate, we start creating this wonderful visual record—not just of places, but of how different people see those places.

That’s the part I’m most excited about.

My hope is that Drawn Here eventually becomes a creative map filled with thousands of places and sketches from around the world. It’s very much in its early beta-testing days right now, though, which means you can actually help shape what it becomes.

You can visit Drawn Here at drawnhere.net, make a profile, explore the map, add a place you’ve sketched, or add your drawing to a place that’s already there.

And please tell me what you think! If something is confusing, something doesn’t work quite right, or you find yourself thinking, “It would be really great if it could do this…” I want to hear it. That’s part of the fun of building it.

Come See Drawn Here in Person

We’re officially introducing Drawn Here during First Friday at Art Department on September 4, from 5–8pm.

We’ll have sketching supplies out so you can draw, experiment, and add something to the map. At 6pm, I’ll give a short demonstration showing how Drawn Here works, how to find places, and how to add your own sketches.

Whether you’re someone who keeps a dedicated travel sketchbook, an urban sketcher, or someone who occasionally doodles the view from your kitchen window, you’re invited.

Because an interesting place doesn’t have to be famous.

Sometimes it’s a beautiful building. Sometimes it’s a garden, a neighborhood café, a trail, a funny little roadside attraction—or apparently, sometimes it starts with a bobcat walking through your neighborhood.

Come draw with us, discover someplace new, and help me put a few more pins on the map.

—Jessica