Sketch Drive Application

Calgary Telus Convention Centre

May 21 - 22, 2022

The Otafest Sketch Drive embodies our belief in volunteerism and charity. As part of Otafest’s mission to give back to the community, Sketch Drive offers the opportunity for emerging and experienced artists to hone their talents for a good cause.

If you are:

Comfortable sketching people
Familiar with sketching basic anatomy, mainly facial features
Can complete a sketch in approximately 15 min
Creative and passionate about sketching
Looking to improve your drawing skills while meeting new artists in the community
Looking to give back to the community

Then don’t miss the opportunity to join the Otafest 2022 Sketch Drive Team! You can contact us at sketchdrive@otafest.com.

Otafest acknowledges that the land we gather on is the traditional territory of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising the Siksika, Piikani and Kainai First Nations), as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations). The City of Calgary is also the home of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Saturday

May 21

Open to Public
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday

May 22

Open to Public
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

COVID-19 Safety

Please see Otafest’s COVID-19 policies.
Artists will be assigned a table at the beginning of their first shift and will be required to use only that table for the duration of the festival. Table spacing will be increased relative to previous years so that adequate social distancing can be maintained.
If masking requirements are still in place during the festival, patrons who are wanting to get a portrait of themselves may remove their mask long enough for a photo to be taken on a cell phone for the artist to use as a reference.

How Sketch Drive Works

Sketch Drive is located just outside the Exhibitor Hall, in the pre-function space.

Otafest attendees can get a personal or group portrait/caricature sketch for a small fee.

50% of each sketch is donated to a reputable charity which is chosen yearly as part of Otafest’s charity event. The other 50% goes to the Sketch Drive artist. Artists will be paid out at the end of each day based on the number of sketches they have completed.

Application & Selection

An online application for Sketch Drive can be found at the bottom of this page. Potential candidates will be contacted via email and invited to attend an audition.

Sketch Drive artists must be able to work a minimum of 2 shifts over the course of the festival; each shift is 2 hours long.

Audition

Candidates will be notified of the date and time via email. During the audition, the artists will meet the Sketch Drive staff and will have the opportunity to convey any questions or concerns. Auditions will be conducted digitally via Discord or Zoom.

The audition will take approximately 1 hour and consists of the following:

Sketch 1:
- Artists will have 15 minutes to produce an upper body sketch of a model in any style that they are comfortable with.
Sketch 2:
- Artists will have 15 minutes to produce an upper body sketch of a model in a(n) anime/comic/chibi style.

Artists will need to be able to submit the sketches digitally within a time limit after the 15 minutes (cell phone photos are fine if you don’t have a scanner).

The sketches will be collected and reviewed by the Sketch Drive staff, the audition results will be e-mailed to each artist.

* The audition is mandatory for all new Sketch Drive artists.

Fee

A $20 fee (+ GST) is required for all confirmed Sketch Drive artists.

This fee will cover the following:

Rules

Be considerate, supportive and respectful of others. Otafest is a safe and friendly environment for everyone. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and/or violence of any sort. Otafest reserves the right to remove and ban artists who violate the convention’s policies; no refund will be provided.
Be punctual and complete your designated shifts. Sketch Drive will operate as per the set schedule. Artists are expected to arrive on time for their shifts and stay to the completion of their shifts. Failure to be prepared and present for shifts may cause artists to be banned from future sketch drive events.
Fill out the sketch tally form properly. Each artist is responsible for tracking the number of people they have sketched. Artists will be paid out at the end of their last shift each day based on the number on their tally form. In the event of a disagreement between the artist and the form, the number on the tally form will be taken as correct.
Keep your work area clean and respect the workspace of other artists. Please keep your materials and supplies organized and use only your designated work space.
You may display and sell small pieces of your personal artwork. Small items such as bookmarks and prints no larger than letter sized paper (8.5” x 11”) may be displayed and sold. You will keep all of the earnings on these items. The artwork must fit in your designated workspace. No racks or frames may be used.

Map

Application

Thank you for your interest, however applications have closed for Otafest 2022. We hope to see you at Otafest!