A 300-member sketching group holds free meetups across Bellevue and the Eastside, welcoming anyone willing to sit still and draw.

Eva Moon, founder of Eastside Sketchers, started the group after noticing no active sketching meetup existed on the Eastside. Inspired by the global Urban Sketchers nonprofit founded in Seattle in 2009, she created a Facebook group and put out the call.

The community grew to 300 members who gather year-round at locations in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and Issaquah, according to a feature published by the City of Issaquah on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

No experience is required. Moon said beginners should start small: a cup of coffee, a piece of bark, a leaf, a fence railing. She described sketching at Issaquah Coffee Company once, where her subject was a cup of coffee and a piece of quiche.

Moon said people often tell her they can't draw a stick figure. That misses the point, she said. The group includes skilled artists alongside absolute beginners who have never drawn anything.

"Anyone can sketch, all you need is to commit to spending some time … out in the world capturing a memory," Moon said in the Issaquah feature.

Sessions follow a consistent format. Participants greet each other, find a comfortable spot, and sketch.

Some use traditional paper and paint; at least one member draws on an iPad. Each gathering ends with a "throwdown," where everyone lays their sketches on the ground for the group to see.

Moon describes the practice as meditative. Sitting with one subject forces attention to detail that a quick photo cannot replicate, she said. Moon said members tell her the habit changes how they move through the world, noticing the lean of a tree or the paint on a window they would have walked past before.

The group's Facebook page lists upcoming sessions, including locations in Bellevue. Residents not on Facebook can join the email list by contacting Moon directly.

The next listed Bellevue session is at Bellevue Square Mall on Oct. 23 at 10 a.m., based on a listing on the group's Facebook page. Readers should check the page for the latest schedule.