From travel journals to teaching others, artist builds community through sketching

Marcia Schrotenboer never expected to become an artist.

“No, not a bit,” she says. “My last experience would have been high school.”

But decades later, the longtime Holland resident discovered urban sketching and turned it into a way to connect people across West Michigan.

Schrotenboer’s interest in sketching began while working as an activity director at Freedom Village, where she organized group trips. One resident, Ruth Donaldson, regularly carried a sketchbook and documented their travels.

“I came home with a pile of photos, and she came home with this lovely treasure,” Schrotenboer says.

After returning from a trip to Europe, Schrotenboer told her husband she wished she could sketch.

His response changed her thinking.

“He says, ‘Well, have you ever tried?’ ” she says. “Something finally clicked with me.”

Challenging herself

In 2017, she challenged herself to draw every day for a year. With a sketchbook, pen, and watercolors, she began documenting ordinary moments in her life.

While looking for ideas online, she discovered that urban sketching, which focuses on drawing real-life scenes on location, was a global movement.

“That’s when the door opened to this magical land that I’m in,” she says.

When she eventually showed her sketches to Donaldson, she expected criticism. Instead, she received encouragement.

“She asked who I was studying with,” Schrotenboer says. “When I said no one, she said, ‘Good.’”

Donaldson described her style as childlike. It’s a label Schrotenboer embraced.

“Mine is definitely playful,” she says. “More cartooning, more playful and childlike.”

While she still enjoys sketching buildings, she now leans toward people and stories.

“I want to capture an event or a moment,” she says. “It’s about the storytelling of what I’m capturing.”

Encouraging others to try

She started Urban Sketchers West Michigan in 2022. Since then, it has grown into a network of chapters across the state.

As the group leader, she organizes regular meetups, encouraging people to sketch in public spaces and share their work.

“One big thing is taking a moment to pause in our busy worlds,” she says. “When you’re sketching, you’re observing. You’re taking more in than you would at a single glance.”

As the Herrick District Library’s winter maker-in-residence, Schrotenboer has been leading an eight-session urban sketching program open to all ages and experience levels. It wraps up this month.

Participants range from children to retirees. Schrotenboer has observed that kids often feel more comfortable experimenting than adults.

“Adults have a fear of getting started and doing the wrong thing,” she says. “Kids, in 10 minutes, they have three pictures done, and they’re proud of them.”

Everyone sees the same place differently, she adds. 

“We all have such a different way of looking at every single thing,” she says. “And that’s what makes it interesting.”

Her sketches range from political events to community gatherings. Schrotenboer aims to capture shared experiences and create a visual record of everyday life. She shares her work on Instagram at @a_cup_of_happy and @drawn_from_the_streets.

“People who haven’t heard about urban sketching are stumbling upon it,” she says. “And they’re realizing this is something they can do too.”

Photos courtesy of Marcia Schrotenboer.