UNITED SKETCHES OF AMERICA

United Sketches of America is a 50+2 (DC and PR) tutorial watercolor series designed to engage members of the Outdoor State with the big issues in their backyards as a lead up to the 2024 election.*

This educational series will ignite each student’s internal power to use their creativity in ways that benefit their community.

• Each 13-18 minute episode will include Trailbound Sketches founder and artist Max demonstrating how to paint a provided sketch featuring a specific place/issue in each state, while including educational narration about that place/issue.  

• At the completion of the series, all 52 sketches will fit together to create a colorful painting of the American flag and each individual sketch will be a postcard to share with a friend or elected official.

* The series will be evergreen and “live on” past the election. Pre-election activation & marketing will focus on voting as the primary way to protect outdoor spaces. We are by no means attempting to tell anyone how to vote.

Who is our target audience?

• All members of the Outdoor State from skiers to hikers to surfers to hunters to sailors to birdwatchers.

• Registered and non-registered voters who may be looking for a reason to get involved in the 2024 election.

• Creatively curious individuals who might not otherwise consider watercolor but who care about the environmental issues in their backyard.

What is Max painting in each state?

• Each Location is chosen based on a number of criteria: 

• Is there an impact story we can tell? (e.g. Stories around air quality, ocean acidification, wildfires, trees, animals, impact of climate change on outdoor recreation.) 

• Can we keep the tutorial informative but positive? 

• Does the story/place have a broad appeal (e.g. Does it appeal to hunters and vegans?)

• Does the place “work” with the art? (Most options will fit this criteria)

Why watercolor tutorials?

• Watercolor painting is an engaging medium that invites students to find joy in the process and to see their backyards in a whole new way.

• Tutorials are a positive way to engage an audience while also connecting them to the subject they are attempting to paint.

• Trailbound students, in particular, have responded to Max’s natural ability to guide them along, to help them see mistakes as happy accidents, and to encourage them to create what they want to see.

How can you help?

• In order to reach our goal of engaging 15,000 students with the outdoor spaces in their own backyards in the lead-up to the 2024 election, Trailbound will offer the series for free to all interested students between Labor Day and Election Day.

• This is only possible with full funding for this project! A true team effort.

• With Protect Our Winters (POW) as our fiscal sponsor, you can make a tax deductible contribution to POW towards this project. *

*We are looking for corporate and/or individual donations of $5,000 or more. If you would like to support this project, please click on the “Complete Pledge Form” (below) OR contact us directly.