Natalie Gavidia is a nonbinary, latino artist, and an organizer based in San Francisco, California. Their creative pursuits include printmaking, silversmithing, ceramics, writing, and event programming. They started Sketchboard Co. to fuse the love they had for live music, figure drawing, theatre, and community building, with eccentric collaborators from all backgrounds. This marriage has created a powerful creative community they have sustained alongside other organizers for over a decade. If you can’t find them hosting an event or at an art gallery opening - you can find them at home, playing their dog Stella the pit-chi while listening to vinyls, or at a cafe ordering a dirty chai.

Álida Pepper is an intersex and trans artist, filmmaker, and writer based in the SF Bay Area. With the support of a Yerba Buena Center grant, she created and team-taught a course that re-examined the Human Anatomy curriculum to reflect our growing knowledge of gender. During the pandemic, she played a key role in moving figurative drawing spaces online, and has collaborated and presented a paper with Ang DeCarlis on technology’s role in changing the artist-model relationship. She is a former board member of Bay Area Models' Guild and former officer of UAW Local 2865, the graduate student union of UC Berkeley, from which she holds a master's degree. She edited and contributed to a collection of academic essays published by Harvard University Press, and a short essay of hers is in the 2nd edition of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves (Oxford: 2022).

Nick DeRenzi is a Bay Area raised photographer and community organizer. Using photography as both a storytelling and archiving tool, his work focuses on capturing the essence of people in their environment  - from traditional portraits to moments of protest. He also uses his camera to break perceived barriers to interact with others - which is a pilar to his artistic practice influenced by his community organizing work.

Seetha Sankaranarayan is a movement artist, pole dance teacher, and user experience designer based in San Francisco. Initially involved with Sketchboard as a model, she now books, choreographs, and facilitates the monthly Pole + Sketch series and semi-annual Shibari + Pole figure drawings salons, which prioritize local strippers. Seetha is a staunch advocate for improving the visibility of sex workers in visual arts and takes pride in her ability to help dancers find stillness through life modeling.

Pallavi Kidambi is a South Asian artist who weaves together the threads of art, education, and equity to shape a more accessible future for creative communities. As a non-profit development consultant, artist, educator, and founder of the Democratize Funding initiative, Pallavi’s work is rooted in the belief that storytelling can dismantle barriers and fund transformative projects. With a Master’s in TESOL and a career that has traversed ESL instruction, neurodivergent education, and curriculum development, she discovered her calling in grant writing in 2018, recognizing its potential to amplify artist-driven visions and meet community needs. As an interdisciplinarian, Pallavi bridges the gap between creative vision and practical resourcing, offering both  artists and organizations the tools to navigate funding landscapes while honoring their cultural and artistic lineages. Her work demonstrates the power of storytelling as a means to create spaces where art thrives beyond capitalist constraints. She has served on the board of Omni Commons while working as Development Director and currently serves as the grant advisor and a board member for Sketchboard Co. She also serves on the grantmaking advisory board at Agroecology Commons.

I'm a new age Renaissance man, and I'm always exploring what's next. I started out in IT, but my real journey began when I merged my technical skills with my creative side. I spent years working in animation, painting murals, and drawing comics, eventually landing at some of the biggest studios out there think Cartoon Network, DreamWorks, and Industrial Light & Magic. Storytelling is my true calling, and I've worked my way from comic artist and story-boarder to now writing, directing, and showrunning.

Lately, I've been busy. I'm a serial entrepreneur who has launched five businesses in the past year, and I have a full slate of creative projects, including an animated TV series I'm directing, a fantasy novel I'm writing, and another animated show I'm co-showrunning. I also volunteer on the board for the Children's Media Association because I love helping people, especially kids, unlock their full potential. Life is an adventure, and I'm all about living it to the fullest while helping others reach for the stars.

is a local artist in the mission, and specializes in detailed linework paintings and murals. She draws inspiration from her background in STEM and biology to create her bio mechanical paintings. Lian freehands her work to allow for a creative and fantastical flow and style. Lian graduated from Harvey Mudd College with a bachelors of science in computational and mathematical biology. After graduation, Lian worked at Stanford in a biology research lab as a software developer. However she did not want to continue working in this field, and in 2024 decided to change career paths towards something she always loved, which was art. After this transition, Lian has been featured in multiple venues, including Arcana, The Smart Collective, The Drawing Room, Faultline, and has had two solo shows at The Bird Cage and Adobe Books within the span of one year. Lian also has murals across San Francisco in the Haight, Tenderloin, and Mission. She is now attending graduate school to pursue a MFA in Fine Arts at CCA. Lian hopes to become a full time mural artist, and continue to have shows throughout her career. Lian has been with Sketchboard for 3 years, and enjoys drawing the model as characters for future comic books and loves the beautiful and amazing art community of San Francisco.

is a queer visual artist and musician. Proudly of Saint Lucian and Trinidadian heritage, and having spent a majority of her life in the American South, she aims to explore the nuances of West Indian and Black diasporic histories and life and the interconnectedness of oppressed and colonized peoples throughout the world. In her music she is influenced by jazz, soul, and r&b. A lifelong artist, Naira's visual art focuses on portraiture, figures, and still lifes that illustrate interpersonal relationships and the small details of life that have big meaning. She loves bringing artists together, uplifting others, and encouraging a life of creativity.

has been in the bay for 10 years, and working with sketchboard for 2 years. Their connection to nature is entwined in all their art disciplines which include drawing, painting, book binding, paper flowers, sewing, basket weaving, and gardening. They are inspired by the geometry and rhythms of the natural world, ephemeral moments, clouds after a storm, harsh dichotomies, and soft curves. They can draw with their left hand, see smells, and put their feet on their head. Currently, their monetary pursuits are focused in tattooing and book binding. You can catch them at our Tuesday and OMCA events in Oakland.

is a muralist, plein air painter, scale model builder, and craftsman whose works encourage their viewer to celebrate the beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area. His work has been shown in galleries and shops around the Bay Area, such as STUDIO Gallery, änalog Gallery, Queer Arts Featured, Fleet Wood, The Drawing Room, Sanchez Art Center, and Gearbox Gallery, and in other places such as The Studio Door in San Diego, and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Maryland. He is an award-winning participant in the annual Frank Bette Paint Out in Alameda. He is an organizing member of The Spooky Haus, a Bay Area transgender art collective. The Spooky Haus hosts Art Jam, an annual weekend long event during which trans artists teach each other skills and crafts and build community. The Spooky Haus also pops up with Nathaniel’s art at numerous Bay Area art fairs and events, including SF Pride, Head West, Fierce Fat Flea, Quartz, Oaklash, and SF Zine Fest. Nathaniel organizes artmaking workshops for ARCH Art and Drafting Supplies, San Francisco’s oldest independent art supply store. He also facilitates weekly figure drawing at Madrone Art Bar with Sketchboard. Nathaniel has several murals in small businesses in San Francisco, including Tala Wine, Mersea, House of Tadu, and Sour Cherry Comics. (photo by Kayleigh Shawn).

Hey! I am a queer, lesbian artist from Turkey. I moved to the US about 6 years ago and I have been living in the Bay Area for over two years now. I consider San Francisco as my second home, and I am working through making deeper connections with my community and improving my art as I pass through the stages of life. I work with watercolor mostly, but I am open to trying all aspects of art. I am into astrology and spirituality, one of my two favorite artists are Denis Sarazhin and Francis Bacon.

is an animation art student dabbling in many mediums, focusing primarily on sketching in graphite and charcoal. He's done concept work for the upcoming RPG Branchriders, has worked with the correlated non-profit "The Bodhana Group" for over 10 years, and is a full-time student at New Master's Academy. He loves supporting people through art, connecting and helping others who also struggle with chronic mental and physical medical conditions. Ultimately, he aims to uplift and help people through his stories and artwork, in the same way he has been inspired and uplifted by other's work (Avatar; The Last Airbender, She-Ra; Princesses of Power, Starwars, The Lord of The Rings, Full Metal Alchemist; Brotherhood, ect.). Rich has been isolated due to being homeschooled, covid, and family medical crises and hopes to build a sense of community through Sketchboard, and the mutual love of creating things. https://www.instagram.com/richard_perry_johnson/

is a concept/visual development artist and illustrator working in entertainment, passionate about telling stories through visual art and being involved in fun projects. Originally from the Philippines, they moved to Oakland California in 2016 to attend California College of the Arts where they graduated with a BFA in Illustration in early 2020. Since then, Sabine has had experience working for freelance clients, professional internships, and currently some exciting video games at Steel Wool Studios.Sabine is also passionate about figure drawing, plein air painting, and being a part of the local art community. Previously a regular attendee and volunteer at Sketchboard, Sabine is now a Facilitator for the weekly Monday evening long pose in San Francisco.

started figure drawing as a teenager in Provincetown, MA and early on recognized not only the artistic, technical value of it but also how it brings people together. She now focuses on gouache and oil figure painting as well as plein air painting, hosting group sessions throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area. Professionally, she works in the animation industry as a background painter and 3d artist.

Farah (she/her) is a Lebanese artist and doodler living in SF. She specializes in medical and science visualization, and received her Masters in Biomedical Communications at the University of Toronto. Living in these times requires us to constantly examine our role as artists. She turns to community as the driving force in her art making, and has contributed to actions through art builds and screen printing. There is always more to do. Being part of Sketchboard is truly special, and a place where we can practice our craft while finding community.