From Streets to Sketchbooks
Welcome to a unique celebration of Bengaluru. This platform is a collaborative, community-led archive of our city’s culture, heritage and environs, documented through the art of sketching. We are a digital resource focused on the visual storytelling of Namma Bengaluru.
The Heart of our Archive: Penciljam
The heart of the Drawing bengaluru project is Penciljam, a community of Citizen Artists who have gathered every Sunday for the past 16 years to draw our city on location. From bustling markets to quiet colonial-era lanes, our sketchbooks have become an unintentional, yet powerful, record of Bengaluru’s constant transformation.
Why an Archive?
Each sketch is a personal story—a moment of connection between an artist, a place, and a point in time. When brought together, these individual stories create a rich, visual tapestry of the city’s identity. This archive aims to preserve and share that collective memory, offering a unique perspective on the places and people that define Bengaluru.
About Nabachika Foundation
Drawing Bengaluru is a project by the Nabachika Foundation, a non-profit with a focus on promoting the Citizen Arts. The foundation conducts events, research and outreach programs designed to increase public interest in the Visual Arts and in Visual-Thinking.
What is Citizen Art?
Citizen Art is a creative practice that bridges art and social engagement, shifting the focus from the artist as a solitary creator to a collaborative process involving individuals and communities.
Citizen Art invites people to actively contribute their voices, experiences, and creativity to the artistic process.
How may I participate?
Come draw with us this Sunday. Every Sunday morning, we meet at a different spot in the city to do what we love most—sketch together. Check out our Events page on Penciljam.com or follow us on Instagram for the latest jam locations.
For over 16 years, this simple Sunday ritual has been bringing people together—come see why.
How may I contribute Art to this archive?
If you’d like to contribute your artwork to our collection, simply get in touch. We will require your artwork to be a minimum of 2000px in width, and in .jpg format. Please be aware that there is a selection process, and if your artwork has been selected, we will get in touch with you.
How may I support this initiative?
If your organisation would like to support Citizen Arts initiatives like ours, you may wish to sponsor an event. You could also host us as a venue or recommend places we could sketch at. If you work in the media you could tell our story. See the many ways in which you may support us here.
Have questions?
Feel free to reach out.