Liz Steel and Marc Taro Holmes live on opposite sides of the globe, but connected through a sketching challenge. Now it’s a phenomenon
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f you’re lucky, you may spot Liz Steel tucked into the corner of a sun-dappled Sydney cafe, water-soluble pencils and markers in hand. Half a world away, Marc Taro Holmes is led by his sketchbook on to the thawing streets of Montreal, “like a bear coming out of hibernation”.
The duo are co-founders of #OneWeek100People challenge, an informal global initiative that asks artists to sketch 100 people in seven days. The challenge, now in its 10th year, took place this week, but Steel and Holmes stress it is entirely for enjoyment and anyone can take it up and post with the hashtag at any time.
The two friends met at the International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Lisbon in 2011 (this year’s event is in Toulouse in July), and began the challenge as a way to stay connected. Since then it has grown into a phenomenon within the Urban Sketchers community, with hundreds taking part around the world.
