First Sketchwalk of 2017 (Escolta)

    Its has been a while since I have posted. My day job and research related to it is taking up most of my time these days. The best I could come up with if I could afford to practice drawing are figure drawing exercises from Pinterest search, or from QuickPoses, which I squeeze in  before going to sleep as a sort of cool down from my daily grind. But that didn't happen as often as I wished either. So, I just had to really make time to join last Saturday's sketchwalk just to change the daily routine. For most of us, weekend is spent on time cleaning the house, doing groceries, some errands not possible on weekdays or just recharging. I have to exchange some of that time to be able to join. Because this sketching thing makes me happy.

First sketch of the day. Not sure what the name of the building was. This kid assisted me in taking this picture and asked to have a posed picture of him to be taken.

Sketching at Laloma Cemetery

     The La loma Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Manila which opened in 1884 according to Wikipedia.  Until last Friday,  I've never been there and was always curious since I only see the dome of the St Pancratius Chapel from the north cemetery. I might be wrong but I have an impression the the tombs and mausoleums are more organized similar to the Chinese Cemetery than the familiar North Cemetery.
      A good thing about google is we were able to find out where to alight from LRT1. Since La loma are is so big, too much walking will just our drain energy reserved for sketching. Another good coincidence is we were able to meet up with Ian and Kuki, who has their own ride and saves us from walking. Thank you Ian and Kuki! 
    

St Pancratius Chapel

Binondo Sketchwalk

     Last Saturday's sketch walk was planned to be about El Hogar Filipino Building which most of us haven't sketched yet. I've been scouting the place for a while, and there is a good vantage point across Pasig river. 

El Hogar Filipino Building along Muelle de la Industria cor. Juan Luna

April 2015 Sketchwalk at the Manila Zoo

     It's my second time around sketching here when I visited this place last year. There are more animals compared to my previous visit and they looked  a bit better. I guess a lot of urban sketchers are animal lovers since we have a lot sketchers who attended and a lot of new faces too.

The first successful sketch after the warm up

Sketching at the Manila Chinese Cemetery

     April 2 is a holiday, so Amado, Nice, and I agreed to have a sketchwalk on Manila Chinese Cemetery. I've never been there before and compared to the North Cemetery  where I have been already it is more organized and clean. The cemetery is a place where there are lots of interesting subjects to sketch.

Our first stop. Nice and I decided to  sketch this one and Amado a different structure

Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church

     Another good spot for sketching is Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church I accidentally found through Google maps. A good old church from around 1600. From J.P. Rizal just take Trinidad St. until you reach Gonzales St. Just to be safe I asked permission from the guard to sketch on the premises. I wasn't able to see the interior since a wedding ceremony is currently being held.
I wished to go back here to see what the interior looks like. 

Nuestra Señora de Gracia 7.5" x 11" watercolor on paper

Makati Central Fire Station

     Depending on the location, there will be a different experience from the kind people whose curiosity you will attract while you sketch or paint. Generally, here in the Philippines, most people are not used to seeing other people doing art on the street. One could get a mixture of reaction from admiration to some awful comments, or worst like being confronted by a security guard and asked to leave. I'm glad, I haven't experienced the latter, but in this sketching session it was fortunate that my friend knew someone from around the place since the security guards started roaming  the moment we started.

A shot of our work in progress

February 2015 Sketchwalk

     This February the sketchwalk was held around Binondo area, to take advantage of the Chinese New Year celebration. I came early to take advantage of the sunlight and and of course the food! I was hoping to find a good spot to sketch that is related to the New Year celebration but it proved to be quite a challenge. Even if it is already 2 days after the New Year, there is still heavy traffic of people and vehicles.

My first stop for a warm up, Tomas Pinpin cor. Gandara Sts.. A group of people working on machine parts. This has always been one of my favorite subject, people at work. Lamy ink smeared with a waterbrush.

January 2015 Sketchwalk at Quezon Memorial Circle

     This post has been long overdue since I have been busy researching builds for a new PC and taking an exam for a job application. The next few post will be updates on sketches and paintings I failed to upload during the last few weeks.
    For the month of January, the sketchwalk was held at Quezon Memorial Circle. I've had  a hard time looking for a good sketching spot. Though being a famous landmark, it was my first time being there so I'm not familiar with the place.  It took me about 30 minutes going around the area and since its about 3:00 pm already, I felt pressured to sketch something before the sun goes down.

The right spot

SketchWalk at Navotas Fish Port

     A friend I met though Urban Sketchers Philippines happens to be a great watercolor artist and a passionate painter. We've decided to paint around  Navotas, Fish Port area in Manila. The first location we visited that looks like a shipyard has a good sketching spot from every conceivable view. The place seems intimidating at first, but once you start sketching all your worries goes away and the only thing that matters is simply capturing the beautiful scenery in front of you.

This large ship is currently being repaired.

Sketching with fellow artist from Gameloft

     After seeing me doing sketching for a while, fellow artist whom  I have used to worked with contacted me to do sketching together. Initially there is this feeling of discomfort and uneasiness of sketching on location and being seen in public. But after the initial sketch, they have gotten  used to it. The original plan of three hours of sketching became a whole day of sketching!

This is very reminiscent of my first sketchwalk. It seems to be a good place to start with the benches around it and few onlookers.

Sketchwalk at the North (From Vigan to Pagudpod) Part II

Day 3 

     On this day we went further north to to Pagudpod. It was non-stop rain and wind.

First stop, Kabigan falls. We've  walked through  fields and hills to get here while it is raining but it is worth it .

Sketchwalk at the North (From Vigan to Pagudpod)

     I've have never been anywhere really far nor have done any traveling and I know I'm missing a lot. Incidentally, a friend who loves to travel, is going north during the holidays. Going north fits my limited budget plus there are lots of interesting sites to do sketching. We have decided to leave on December 19 since it is the last day of work. 

Our meeting spot is McDonald's in Katipunan. I came early to avoid traffic so while waiting, I did some sketching  there.

December Sketchwalk at Star City, Manila

     Heavy rain poured down on Manila which caused  floods and heavy traffic.  Because of that, most of our fellow sketchers were not able to make it. In spite of that, I'm glad that  the sketchwalk pushed through.

Surprisingly the were lots of people inside Star City 

Sketch of the galleon and the pizza store.

Saturday Sketchwalk at Intramuros And Life Drawing Session

     One of the admins of USk Philippines was invited to sketch with CSB  Architecture students yesterday and she's invited other members to tag along. I still haven't gotten enough sleep from the night before and I have an scheduled life drawing session with another fellow USk member in the afternoon. Still, I decided to attend both. :D
    We were supposed to make eight 10minute sketches around Intramuros but the weather is really bad. So, we were only able to make three.

Sketching the sketchers

The second stop.

November Sketchwalk at the Ayala Triangle Gardens

      For a different experience, Urban Sketchers Philippines decided to do a night sketching at the Ayala Triangle. It would also be my first time sketching/painting a night scene and I wasn't really sure how things would work out. As much as I tried to mentally prepare myself for the challenges ahead, there were still a lot of surprises. First, there was this issue of insects being attracted to the portable lights and landing on our faces! Fortunately, my sketch mate brought some insect repellent lotion. Second, there was also this case of a group of curious passersby asking so many questions. I never thought there would be so much onlookers and some even decided to sit beside us until we were finished. Thirdly, I found out that the gear I brought for the night's session, was too heavy that when I started drawing or painting a stroke, my hands were shaking that I couldn't draw/paint a decent line. But I finished nonetheless and enjoyed the experience.

Everyone else gathering for a group shot of all the works

Urban Sketchers at Fountain Pen Day 2014, SM Aura

     I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the first ever celebration of Fountain Pen Day in the Philippines. I've only used fountain pens recently so, I never knew anything about fountain pens nor the fact that there is special day for it. Now most of my sketching is done using a fountain pen and I love it. If not for the other art materials I have to buy, I would have been collecting pens. :)

USk members' sketches for the Fountain Pen Day event

October SketchWalk

     Harbor Square. Here I bumped with an enthusiastic fellow sketcher whom in search for a good sketching spot, climbed fences with and was later dragged to the paddlers dock, where we met Mrs. Po, who interestingly owned an art gallery and offered to display works by the group. It was an exciting experience!

Marikina Sketch Walk

    I was finally accepted on Urban Sketchers Philippines! The first sketch-walk was in Marikina, around the vicinity of Kapitan Moy and Our Lady of Abandoned Parish. It was very exiting for me as I've got to meet fellow sketchers. It felt like sketching for the first time. It was also my first time using my new sketchbook so I'm still trying to get the feel of how much water, drying time, etc.

Sketches by USk members

Kapitan Moy

Our Lady of Abandoned Parish

     More on Urban Sketchers Philippines blog!

Paco Park Sketchwalk

     A friend tipped me into doing a sketch at Paco park. In Manila. I was raining a little when I arrived and won't let up. Desperate not to waste time and returning without anything, I found myself positioning under a tree hoping that the few leaves will protect me from the continuous drizzle. Then, after about 15 minutes as I lay down the last strokes of color, the sun appeared!

The Paco Park Chapel