Did you know that it is 15 years to the day since Urban Sketchers first launched? November 1, 2008, and now it’s huge all over the world. I was thinking about that the other day when passing through old North Davis and realized I needed to draw that house on the corner again, the one I had drawn in late October 2008 and was my first post on day 1 of the Urban Sketchers blog. Not however my first drawing on the site, because a photo of my sketchbook was used as the first blog header. Still I remember drawing that little house, which was pink in those days, on a crisp Fall afternoon, with golden orange leaves above it ready to fall. I think I’d left work a little early that day; I lived in south Davis then, but was riding around the old North neighbourhood exploring with my sketchbook before heading home. Some things have changed. That tree is long gone, as is the taller tree behind the house. It’s also no longer pink, and has a solar panel on the roof. Fifteen years ago, George W Bush was still president, right before Obama’s first election. Lewis Hamilton was about to become Formula 1 world champion for the first time. Spurs were not as great as now, but we had just won a trophy earlier that year, and we’ve not won one since. My baby son is almost as tall as me now. My hair is a fair bit less red than it was then. I certainly feel older, but I’ve been to a few interesting places since then. I’ve drawn thousands of sketches since then.

I did draw the house again five years ago, at the end of October 2018. My drawing style had changed (the pen for sure was different) and that big tree out front was gone, but the tree behind was still there. The house was still pink then. It’s a cute little house.

And here is that very first shot of the Urban Sketchers site (not of the post with this house in it) on the day it was launched by Gabi Campanario with that small group of global correspondents, a photo of my screen and sketchbook from Nov 1, 2008, my little computer screen in our old flat. I was thinking about how in another five years it will be 20 years ago today, and we should rewrite Sergeant Pepper in honor. “It was 20 years ago today, Sergeant Gabi taught the band to draw, we been sketching in and out for miles, but we’re guaranteed to save a file” ok look, I have five years to write something significantly better. Maybe I will use AI. Speaking of which, tomorrow (November 2) is the launch of the new, final Beatles song, “Now and Then”, and I’m pretty excited. I’m likely to shed a tear.