Urban Sketchers

Trendy Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (ah huat) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:29:00 +0000

New cafe by the Lido Park, across the Rosedale Hotel along JiangTai Xi Lu called
Maan Coffee. Served mainly sandwiches, different types of toasts and waffles.
During week day, this place is pack with people from the nearby offices. With
coffee at RMB 15 which also comes with free butter toast snack, it is always
crowded on weekends. Beautiful decor, lots of natural lights, garden view and
free wifi, this place is definitely will be one of my favorite.

Old ZiZhong Road antique street

noreply@blogger.com (ah huat) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Old antique street at DongTai Lu next to ZiZhong road in Luwan District in Shanghai PR China.

Famous for its antiques and for people who loves old stuffs, this is a must see place when visiting Shanghai.

Most of the stall owners here stay in the old apartment above their business. Went there on the 4th day of the chinese lunar new year where these stall are open for a 'good luck' start for the year.

Is interesting to see that the people living here

still hang their clothes outside their window, bird cages on the tree and hundred of electrical wiring and phone lines zig zag across the street.

More Orchard road

noreply@blogger.com (Rene Fijten) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:01:00 +0000

Last week I was in Singapore on a businesstrip, and I had a chance to meet two of my favourite Urban Sketchers from Singapore: Tia Boon Sim and Paul Wang.
We had dinner in the University Club restaurant, we showed our drawings, and exchanged experiences. It was great to see the beautiful drawings of Tia and Paul in reality; like so often, they are so much better in real life than on the screen.

They also showed me some tricks, like using the calligraphy fountainpen Hero 501-1 (which I managed to buy the next day).

After I bought the pen, I stood in front of the ION hall on the exact location where Don Low made his sketch of the previous post. But I didn't have enough time, I had to catch the plane back to Europe later that evening.

So I decided to try my new pen just around the corner, drawing one of the big Rain trees on Orchard boulevard.

The world seems so small.

Orchard Road Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Don Low) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:45:00 +0000

Orchard Road used to be a orchard, so the name implied. Now it is the largest shopping paradise in Singapore, housing the biggest brands from all over the world. Big names like Abercrombie has also just landed recently. They hired at least 50 good looking men to line up the street half naked to entice shoppers to their grand opening causing a huge stir among the starry eyed female teenagers. This huge shopping mall that I sketched is named Ion Orchard, one of the newest to be opened here. The oval egg shaped on the lower right is a huge glass dome entrance to the tubes.The glass panels on the top left is a giant LCD display. The tree liked structures are supposed to be Rain Trees, one of the most common trees to be found in Singapore. But I don't come here very often because I cannot find anything that I need to buy here, except Noodler's inks and visiting a bookshop and gallery on the top floor. Speaking of which, we are staging a gallery show here in May!! :D

Original sketch is in BW. Enhanced with Photoshop later, and adding 2 shoppers that I sketched on location in the FG. (Hope it's okay.) :P

Flying Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (kane) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:49:00 +0000

I just flew to Korea and once again I was on the new A380 jumbo monster. If you haven't ridden in one yet, just you wait. It is pretty amazing. Being a fancy boy, I fly business class. I heard rumors their was a bar lounge in the back of the business class section. This time I checked it out, and low and behold there it was. I felt like I was in some little basement bar down a little alleyway in Tokyo. You surely don't feel like you are on a plane. It was a great way to stretch out and kill a couple of hours. Plus you get to meet a lot of people on the plane. It's very convivial. Although I am living the high life at the moment, soon enough I will be sent back to sit in coach where I really belong.

Thaipusam in Penang

noreply@blogger.com (Kiah Kiean) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:51:00 +0000

The Thaipusam festival at Dato Keramat Road, Penang.
Size: 5 x 8.25″
Media: Chinese ink & watercolour on Moleskine sketch book

Preparation of Thaipusam coconut smashing.
Size: 5 x 8.25″
Media: Chinese ink & watercolour on Moleskine sketch book

Little Indian girls.
Size: 5 x 8.25″
Media: Graphite & watercolour on Moleskine sketch book

Mr. Gunanayagam, the music player & Mr. Gobi, the dancer.
Size: 8.25 x 5″
Media: Graphite & watercolour on Moleskine sketch book

Lectures

noreply@blogger.com (Eduardo Salavisa) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:02:00 +0000

It is in the wonderful, almost magical, space of the Carmo Archaeological Museum in Lisbon, that it will take place a set of Conferences about drawing in a sketchbook. That, as we know, has very particular characteristics. This lectures are part of a cycle intitled “Traveling with a Sketchbook”. We invited a group of investigators who have academic works on the subject. You can see here the complet program (only in portuguese).

Recent Sketches on Public Transport and 2 videos of me sketching myself

noreply@blogger.com (adebanji) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:41:00 +0000

These are some recent sketches I have done on public transport and also a two part video full video of me sketching myself from the reflection of a window on a train from London Bridge to Woolwich Arsenal on Southeastern Trains. I also recorded this with the other hand.

SKETCHING THE SKETCHER 2 Part Video

a couple of views of san francisco

noreply@blogger.com (petescully) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:30:00 +0000

I went to San Francisco this Saturday past, for a sketching day. It's important to have sketching days every once in a while, rather than the usual hour or two here and there. The first thing I wanted to do was climb Telegraph Hill and sketch some views - we were having glorious February sunshine and warm weather, not even any fog. I sketched in the Stillman & Birn sketchbook from the Symposium; it's very nice. The top one shows the Bay Bridge, the bottom shows the Golden Gate Bridge, as sketched from the other side of the base of Coit Tower. Each took about 20-30 minutes.

By Pete Scully

Sagres

noreply@blogger.com (Pedro) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:36:00 +0000

Sagres is a beautiful tall ship and yesterday was celebrated her 50th anniversary on the Portuguese Navy.
Back in 2000 I had the chance of sailing from Açores Islands to Lisbon.
I was a visitor, not exactly with crew duties, and the slow days were wonderful drawing opportunities.
Some more sketches of this sailing in Bonecos de Bolso.

freezing recess

noreply@blogger.com (rob carey) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:19:00 +0000

It's still freezing cold outside. The kids don't seem to mind. Many of them were digging cardboard out of the recycling bin and using them as sleds the last couple of days.

Red Lanterns

noreply@blogger.com (VHein) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:56:00 +0000

...actually they are the color and shape of ripe persimmons...they float in the trees at Huntington Gardens, San Marino, California every year for 2 weeks during the Chinese New Year celebration. It just makes me happy to see them, and a little sorry to see them go...until next year!

...getting ready for Lion Dancing, and a martial arts demonstration by the Alhambra Shaolin Temple Cultural Center...

...and leaving...

Jury Duty

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Betza) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Last week I reported to my first day of jury duty in Newark, New Jersey. I was curious as to exactly what was about to happen during my time there, and unfortunately, absolutely nothing happened. My name was never called and I never saw a lawyer, judge, nothing. BUT I did a few drawings of the other pseudo-jurors, a sleeping priest, and the parking lot during lunch. It was good practice and a couple days off of the normal routine.

tribute to antoni tàpies

noreply@blogger.com (lapin) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:38:00 +0000

antoni tàpies i puig, one of the greatest spanish artist of the XXth century died last monday (barcelona 12/12/1923 - barcelona 06/02/2012).
so yesterday, I sketched one of his installation in the public space as a tribute. I can't tell how much his work influence me, and since I live in barcelona, even more…

this sculpture titled "barcelona a picasso 1983" was an order of the city to tàpies at the death of picasso. while I was sketching it, a journalist of the spanish newspaper "la vanguardia" came to me, and ask me a few questions: what I was doing here? what represent tàpies to me?… and my biggest surprise was to read my answers in the newspaper this morning…
today, I went to the "fundació antoni tàpies, and join the crowd to pay one last homage to the artist.

blogged by lapin

Roberto Saviano in Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Miguel Herranz) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:39:00 +0000

Last monday I went to the presentation of Roberto Saviano's new book.
It's a weird sensation to be near a man that is commonly considered a hero, that is menaced by several organized crime groups, that can be shot on every moment.
So many people, so much security, lots and lots of bodyguards.

Saviano is one of those indespensable men Bertolt Brecht talked about. So are his books.

Winter clothes.

noreply@blogger.com (Pedro) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:20:00 +0000

The platanus in front of my window.

Sketchcrawl in an urban park

noreply@blogger.com (Marina Grechanik) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Last Saturday our Israel group of Urban Sketchers went to Meir Park - small and elegant garden in the center of Tel Aviv. Urban parks - very comfortable place for sketching. There is a lot of subjects, and everyone can find what he prefers. Meir Park has it all: trees, grass, trails, playgrounds, even a large fish pond decorated with beautiful water flora, buildings and coffee shops around, and, of course, a lot of people: families with children, dog owners and their dogs, elderly persons and their carers and so on...

This is really fun to see many different points of view and styles done on the same location.

At IKEA: London scenes

noreply@blogger.com (James Hobbs) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:52:00 +0000

I'm very happy to say that some of my images are now on sale at IKEA stores around the world. The images are a series of five art cards featuring London scenes, perfectly timed for the forthcoming Olympics here.

My copy of the beautiful "The Art of Urban Sketching" arrived yesterday.

It's been a good week.

There's more info at my blog.

Looking at Art with a Sketchbook

noreply@blogger.com (Suhita) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:31:00 +0000

If I had walked into the San Jose Museum of Art before I sketched, I would have stood in the entryway, looked up and thought "Ah, there's a Chihuly!". And I'd have moved on to the next piece.
But with a sketchbook, everything changes. I no longer look at whole exhibits, even small ones... I always run out of time. But what I see, I see so much more deeply than before.

So this Chihuly piece at the San Jose Museum of Art was not just another Chihuly: it was a live, writhing mass of eel-like forms hanging in 3 primary colored clumps from the ceiling at the museum. It was interesting to look at the forms up-close, to see how the striations on the forms accentuated their shape, and how variations in color added depth to the pieces.

This fascinating piece of sculpture is a giant orange-red couch-like caterpillar form eating an electric blue chair. I loved how the legs on this piece were so animated.

I'm so glad I sketch. It adds a whole new layer of experience to everything!
You can read more about my day at the museum and see more sketches on my blog or on flickr.

the Hexenball

noreply@blogger.com (rob carey) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:14:00 +0000

It's Fasnacht time again in southern Germany, and you can see people dressed in wild costumes preparing to party it up before the 40 day period of Lent. Over the street in Kandern hangs a banner advertising the Hexenball (witches ball), along with strings of underwear. This tradition goes back hundreds of years in the Black Forest, and looks like it's here to stay.

Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego

noreply@blogger.com (Arty Velarde) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:19:00 +0000

This was done while sketching and painting at the Old Mission Dam with my friend Lyn. This dam is located in Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego.

It ws built in the early 1800s using Kumeyaay labor under the direction of the Franciscan Padres from the San Diego Mission.

Chiostro del Bramante, Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Olha Pryymak) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:21:00 +0000

A good deal of interesting exhibits take place here. Last Christmas it has shown the wonderful Baldini and his fellow impressionists from Paris. This year I came back just for the cloisters.

Bits of jazz

noreply@blogger.com (Miguel Herranz) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:32:00 +0000

For some reasons (moving house among others) I haven't blogged so much on the last 2 months. Back to normal (or so) I've realized I have several unblogged drawings I'd like to share. For example this series of drawings made in two jazz concerts I had the opportunity to attend last november.

The first one was a concert of Flavio Boltro on trumpet and Danilo Rea on piano, with opera arias revisited in jazz key.

The second one had two parts: first, Giovanni Guidi on piano...

...and second, the Conservatori del Liceu Big Band with Jere Laukkanen.

All the sketches I made on this concerts can be seen on my blog.

Auckland Anniversary Day Big Draw

noreply@blogger.com (Murray Dewhurst) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:14:00 +0000

Last Monday's first ever Auckland Anniversary Day Big Draw, saw about 25 or so sketchers happily drawing away at the Wynyard Quarter accompanied by an excellent soundtrack courtesy of the Laneway Festival. Very pleased with the numbers first time out and judging by the comments from happy participants and interested public we can look forward to many more, and larger, sketchcrawls.

The waterfront was packed with the various festival goers - Laneway Festival, Seafood Festival, Buskers Festival and Anniversary Day Regatta spectators which made it difficult at times to keep track of the group, but provided heaps of subject matter for our sketchbooks!

Under the Silos at Silo Park (right)

Sketching at North Wharf (below)...

And reviewing each others work
at the end of the day...

Sketch toward Westhaven
Marina with the harbour
bridge behind...

The funky old buoys arranged as a playground provide an excellent perch to sketch from...

Thank you to everyone who turned up, I look forward to sketching with you again!

some sketches around Unhyeongung Palace, Seoul

noreply@blogger.com (Lee Yong Hwan) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:37:00 +0000

the Neo-Baroque style 'Yanggwan' beyond Norakdang at Unhyeongung, 25 x 35.3cm

Irodang viewed from the rear garden at Unhyeongung, 25 x 35.3cm

a complete view of Noandang at Unhyeongung, 25 x 35.3cm

KH Lee, sketching the precinct buildings earnestly, 25 x 35.3cm

'MONATEA' Cafe located on 2nd floor of Nagwon Musical Instrument Shopping Arcade, 24 x 34cm

the owner of 'World Sound Instrument Shop' located on 2nd floor of Nagwon Musical Instrument Shopping Arcade, 22.8 x 30.5cm

Unhyeongung Palace,designated as Historic Site No. 257 of the City of Seoul, is located in Uni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. There is the palace that King Gojong lived in before he acceded to the throne. The palace was built in 1864 and in 1869 more buildings were added. Unlike the other main palaces Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung, Unhyeongung is simple in design and use of colour for a palace.

Yesterday It was so cold and windy for sketch, but snow-covered traditional buildings harmonized with the surroundings looked very beautiful. I sketched these elegant and lovely buildings at Unhyeongung Palace,thougtless of the time. After sketching at Unhyeongung Palace, on my way home, I dropped in the Nagweon Musical Instruments Arcade and drew some sketches in a melodious atmosphere.