Notes from Nola Noreen!
Looking for some sketchy inspiration?
HOW TO USE THESE NOTES: These notes are dynamic. I’ll post a note and return later to add an additional sketch or a link to another post, as they are completed. It’s almost more of a bulletin board in that regard. I add “post updated” notes to help you identifiy notes of interest that may have been updated since your last visit.
Rebel Urban Sketching? Using Reference Photos
Urban Sketching has official rules. One of those rules is that you must sketch onsite from direct observation. Great rule...but what about reference photos?There are 3 times that reference photos and urban sketching are perfect companions, in my opinion. 1. When...
Rebel Urban Sketching? NOT on Location
This sourdough bakery located in Carcross, Yukon, was NOT sketched on location. It was sketched a full 8 months after I visited it from a reference photo. REBEL URBAN SKETCHER? To be an “official” urban sketcher associated with the non-profit organization that...
Is Your Town Too Boring to Sketch?
I just saw a post in an urban sketching Facebook group that I participate in from a gentleman who said he couldn’t find anything interesting to sketch in his hometown. His hometown was Calgary, Alberta. What?!? I live in small town Canada (population 397). It was...
Must Have Coffee Stop For Every Canadian Road Trip (Nope – it’s not Tim’s!)
From Fredericton, New Brunswick to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories (and back) the coffee shops you won’t want to miss…and other attractions along the way.
Café Bonté Divine (La Pocatière, Quebec) (Coffee Shop Review)
From Fredericton, New Brunswick to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories (and back) the coffee shops you won’t want to miss…and other attractions along the way.
Neighbourly Coffee (Fredericton, NB)
From Fredericton, New Brunswick to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories (and back) the coffee shops you won’t want to miss…and other attractions along the way.
28 Coffee Shop Stops for your Canadian Road Trip!
Planning a cross-Canada road trip? From Fredericton, New Brunswick to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories (and back) the coffee shops you won’t want to miss…and not one of them was a Tim Horton’s. **Apologies to the Tim’s fans. Every good road trip begins with coffee....
How To Dress For A Canadian Winter (To Make Life Simpler)
Simple living in cold weather doesn’t mean you avoid the snow and the cold. In fact, you can’t avoid it. There will inevitably be snow to shovel and it is probably going to be you out there shoveling it! In addition, nothing brings on the winter blues like holing up...
6 BIG Reasons To Simplify Your Life in 2025 (Because Things Have Gotten Crazy!)
It’s 2025 and it feels like the world has gone crazy. I have never been more grateful than I am right now that I lead a simple life. For many, the appeal of simple living has never been stronger. This article explores why 2025 is the perfect time to embrace a simpler...








