Sketchbook Club

Animations:

Visit
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Must-Sees at the National Gallery

Make the most of your visit
Learn more
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Must-Sees at the National Gallery

Make the most of your visit
Learn more
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Calling all kids: all you need to join this club is a pencil and paper! Artists help guide you in these fun, 30-minute drawing sessions inspired by our collection. Add a new drawing to your sketchbook or just doodle along as we explore a different prompt each session.

We encourage you to bring colored pencils, crayons, markers, or paints, but these are totally optional. Sketchbook Club is recommended for families with children of all ages.

A woman with pale skin and dressed in white sits on a couch gazing into the distance to our left as she raises one arm to stroke a black cat perched on her shoulder in this vertical portrait. Shown from the lap up, the woman’s dress has voluminous, puffed, elbow-length sleeves and a high collar, and her narrow waist is cinched with a white sash. Her dark brown hair is parted down the middle and tied back, and she has pale blue eyes and pink lips. She reaches up to the cat with her left hand, on our right, and her other hand, farther from us, rests flat in her lap. The black cat looks at us with greenish-yellow eyes as it almost disappears into the dark brown background above the white couch, which is decorated with a blue pattern. The artist signed the work with dark letters in the lower left corner: “Cecilia Beaux.” — Tuesday, October 27

A profusion of flowers mostly in ruby red, bright white, and flamingo pink are gathered in a bronze-colored urn, set on a stone ledge against a dark background in this vertical still life painting. A band of flowers reaching from the lower left to the upper right draw the eye, and are made up of a pink rose at the bottom under a white rose, a white-and-red streaked tulip, and a crimson-red poppy near the upper right. Other flowers include a sprig of pale, nearly white lilac to the left, sapphire-blue morning glories, golden stalks of wheat, and green leaves interspersed throughout. The urn has a fluted, flaring foot. Upon closer inspection we find that the foot must belong to a much larger vessel, for a terracotta-colored person reclining next to a stylized fish emerges from behind the flowers at the upper left. An ivory-white butterfly with an orange spot on each wing alights on the tulip, whose petals are spread wide. A snail with a marmalade-orange shell with a thin, shiny, black spiral crawls along the ledge to our right, and on the stone ledge to our left, an earwig eats a honey-yellow caterpillar. The flowers and insects are brightly lit from our left, and the chocolate-brown background is swallowed in shadow. A partially legible inscription in the lower right reads, “Kouwe be h.” — Tuesday, November 3

The image shows a complex geometric shape made of triangles at the center. The shape resembles a three-dimensional star or diamond, with facets casting shadows and light. Surrounding the shape are irregular pebble-like objects, resembling stones or coral fragments. Each object has unique textures and curves. — Tuesday, November 17

This painting consists of intersecting lines and geometric shapes, creating a complex grid-like structure that forms an abstract composition. Rectangles, triangles, circles are prominent. Some parts of the image hint at familiar forms such as houses or fish, though they are not explicitly depicted. The color palette features shades of pale reds, yellows, and blues, in some cases the colors are blended together. — Tuesday, December 15

This is a print of two stylized cats with exaggerated features, such as large, round eyes, sharp ears, and thick whiskers, posed against a textured, dark red background. The cats themselves are rendered in black and white with gray bodies. The cat on the left faces us, while the cat on the right has its body facing the right and its head turned back to look at the other cat. Vertical lines cross the red and gray parts of the print, exposing the off-white paper underneath. — Tuesday, January 12

The image depicts a snow-covered landscape with a winding path leading into the distance. The horizon is obscured by a line of leafless trees and dense shrubbery. Several trees with bare branches and snow-laden evergreens are visible. The trees and path show intricate texture, with fine detail in the snow and branches. The color palette is monochromatic and utilizes a sepia tone, giving the scene a vintage and serene effect. — Tuesday, January 26

Tuesday, October 27

Sketchbook Club: Cecilia Beaux’s Sita and Sarita

Wednesday, October 28

Sketchbook Club: Cecilia Beaux’s Sita and Sarita

Tuesday, November 3

Sketchbook Club: Philip van Kouwenbergh’s Flowers in a Vase

Wednesday, November 4

Sketchbook Club: Philip van Kouwenbergh’s Flowers in a Vase

Tuesday, November 17

Sketchbook Club: M.C. Escher’s Crystal

Wednesday, November 18

Sketchbook Club: M.C. Escher’s Crystal

Tuesday, December 1

Sketchbook Club: Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl’s Family Portrait

Wednesday, December 2

Sketchbook Club: Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl’s Family Portrait

Tuesday, December 15

Sketchbook Club: Joaquín Torres-García’s Untitled Composition

Wednesday, December 16

Sketchbook Club: Joaquín Torres-García’s Untitled Composition

Tuesday, January 12

Sketchbook Club: Kiyoshi Saito’s Cats

Wednesday, January 13

Sketchbook Club: Kiyoshi Saito’s Cats

Tuesday, January 26

Sketchbook Club: Eugène Cuvelier’s Barbizon Roadway in Snow

Wednesday, January 27

Sketchbook Club: Eugène Cuvelier’s Barbizon Roadway in Snow

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Sketchbook Club

Tuesday, October 27

Sketchbook Club: Cecilia Beaux’s Sita and Sarita

Wednesday, October 28

Sketchbook Club: Cecilia Beaux’s Sita and Sarita

Tuesday, November 3

Sketchbook Club: Philip van Kouwenbergh’s Flowers in a Vase

Wednesday, November 4

Sketchbook Club: Philip van Kouwenbergh’s Flowers in a Vase

Tuesday, November 17

Sketchbook Club: M.C. Escher’s Crystal

Wednesday, November 18

Sketchbook Club: M.C. Escher’s Crystal

Tuesday, December 1

Sketchbook Club: Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl’s Family Portrait

Wednesday, December 2

Sketchbook Club: Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl’s Family Portrait

Tuesday, December 15

Sketchbook Club: Joaquín Torres-García’s Untitled Composition

Wednesday, December 16

Sketchbook Club: Joaquín Torres-García’s Untitled Composition

Tuesday, January 12

Sketchbook Club: Kiyoshi Saito’s Cats

Wednesday, January 13

Sketchbook Club: Kiyoshi Saito’s Cats

Tuesday, January 26

Sketchbook Club: Eugène Cuvelier’s Barbizon Roadway in Snow

Wednesday, January 27

Sketchbook Club: Eugène Cuvelier’s Barbizon Roadway in Snow

You may also like

Event Series: Wajda at 100: Literary Adaptations on Film

Event Series: Remembering American Icons

Event Series: A Camera That Goes Anywhere: American Cinema Verité

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