A Sketchy Party Celebrates Miami Locals as Artists and as Subjects

Sketchy Miami

Steve Atlas by Geoffrey Campbell

​If ever you've wanted a sketch of yourself that wasn't an outrageous caricature, or even wanted to try your hand at sketching, now is your chance. Sketchy Miami is having a launch party at Lester's this Thursday.

Sketchy Miami features portraits, or sketchys as they call them, of people from all over the Magic City. It's a project by the folks at BeachedMiami with the mission statement" "The goal of Sketchy Miami is simple and impossible: to create a portrait of every person in Miami."

Residents submit their photos to the blog, which artists then turn into portraits. And by "artist," they mean anyone who wants to participate.

Sketchy Miami

Laura of Miami by Nicolette

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"The relationship between portraitist and portrait subject is one of the strongest in the history of art, and we want to facilitate that relationship between as many Miamians as possible," said Robby Campbell, who runs Sketchy Miami. "Portraiture is traditionally a stuffy genre, but, as you can see on the site, it doesn't have to be."

Sketchy Miami

Tony Dandrades by Nadyia Duff

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To submit a photo of yourself, or a sketch of someone else, just click on the corresponding tab at the top of the site and enter your information along with the image. The sketchys are then featured on the blog for everyone to see.  They would like to eventually exhibit the sketchys offline, but have no concrete plans at the moment.

The upcoming party will feature local artists ready to do quick portraits of guests, "particularly those with handsome moustaches and/or adorable ears," says Campbell. Artists include Ximena Prugue, Elizannette Blanco, Brian Butler, Annie Blazejack, and Carrie Sieh.

Lester's is discounting beer 25 percent for the first hour, and Joey's is serving up free pizza. And in keeping with the local theme, Miami-born singer Sam Friend will perform.

Sketchy Miami

Leah Weston by Ximena Prugue

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"This is not a curated project and we aren't trying -- and don't expect -- to get a thousand Mona Lisas. We'd prefer to get a million different Sketchys that show how creative and diverse a city Miami really is," said Campbell.

Sketchy Miami

Gigi Velez by Jeiddy Lopez

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Attend a Sketchy Party, presented by BeachedMiami, this Thursday at Lester's (2519 NW Second Ave., Miami). The party begins at 8 p.m. and is free.

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