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Moment Sketchers, it didn’t really hit me until after our December sketching challenge had already begun that this was no ordinary challenge — my friends, it officially marked the end of our second year of sketching together. And so in addition to rounding up some of the highlights of our December challenge, for me this review is also a chance to round up our now two-year-old sketching family; to admit that I’m still in awe that every month, more than 70 artists from around the world take the time to catch a moment from their lives and share it with our community; and to say thank you to each one of you for being part of the magic every month. and I’d also like to finally revisit your amazing ideas for a Moment Sketchers manifesto. I’d love to hear your ideas, thoughts and suggestions for new directions our community could take in the new year —

And every now and then over the past two years, I’ve been tempted to set a theme for our monthly challenges, as that’s often one of the first questions people ask when they’re looking to take part for the first time. But this month’s November sketching challenge was perfect proof of why I’ve yet to do so — because themes and motifs so often do emerge in each challenge, but in a way that feels incredibly organic and serendipitous. Just like in October, the sketches in this month’s challenge were also focused on gorgeous fall scenes, but with an even more specific motif: Leaves, leaves, and more glorious leaves. I loved seeing how many of you zoomed in and captured the beauty of just one or two or three fallen leaves, and from so many different corners of the world — from California and Chicago to England, Germany, and India.

I’d been hoping for an explosion of fall colors from this month’s challenge, and your sketches certainly did not disappoint. There were harvest bounties and happy scarecrows; there were pumpkin festivals, pumpkin parades, and even pumpkin people; most unexpectedly of all, there was a snowman, complete with sunflower eyes and a green bean smile, framed by a backdrop of some seriously gorgeous fall-colored foliage. Her landscape is made up of layers: a verdant green valley at the bottom, followed by a layer of rolling autumnal hills, and finally, a series of dramatic, snow-capped mountains overlooking the scene. As I wrote to Judy, it seemed to me a perfect encapsulation of the seasons: Each layer a testament to that season’s unique colors and tones, but flowing together as one beautiful whole

After a (very) unintentional pause in our challenge reviews last month, it’s so good to be back with you, especially as our September challenge was quite a sight to behold. We have sketchers from places where its going to be spring and we have sketchers from places where’ going to be autumn I love that she not only touched on the amazing diversity of our community — this month alone we had artists sketching everywhere from Bulgaria to Bangladesh! And now, without further ado, let’s take a look at the incredible beauty this month