London’s Sketchy B*tches

Sketchy Bitches, a dynamic all-female illustration meetup by Sketch Appeal in East London’s Create Place, runs once a month. It gives woman of all ages in the capital a chance to express themselves artistically and meet others with a similar interest in producing art.

All artistic materials are provided, from paint markers to fine-liners. Members take it in turn to pose for around ten minutes each, amassing a diverse collection of business-card sized portraits of themselves.

No previous artistic experience is needed. The event is meant to be fun and an opportunity to mess around with felt pens and paper for potentially the first time since childhood.

At the event, I met professional women from all walks of life. A philosophy PHD student, a grandmother who designs scatter cushions, a lingerie designer, and a writer- to name just a few. Their unique livelihoods shone through in the varied styles of artwork that were produced over the course of the afternoon.

A really great thing about the group is how it encourages the women involved to really feel proud of being within their own skin. There’s something extremely uplifting and body-positive about sitting for portraits and receiving such colourful beautiful sketches in return.

Conversation around the Sketchy Bitches table ranged from work life, to how we feel about our bodies, to political and social issues. I don’t think I’ve ever been to another event quite like this one where complete strangers feel comfortable enough around each other to open up and share their opinions on such sensitive and divisive topics.

Tickets for April’s session and details about other Sketch Appeal events can be found here: https://www.sketchappeal.co.uk/