More La Cenerentola Sketches

     I was able to join more rehearsal sessions to do sketching. See my previous post here.

sketching the singers

Ad Hoc Sketching with USk Members

     This is a late post of June 12 ad hoc sketch walk with USk Philippines members. In line with the Independence Day theme, we sketched along Plaza Lawton and Manila City Hall were we can find two Andres Bonifacio Monuments.

Our first stop was in Lawton, in front of Andres Bonifacio Statue. Painted using Gouache. It was my first time bringing gouache into an on location sketch. Different way of working.

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

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

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

Five Ways to Sustain the Sketching Habit

Make it easy for you to sketch 
     Always have all the sketching tools within easy reach. For some people, it is a challenge to pick up and set up the tools from whatever storage it is kept in. By the time you have taken them out, you might have just lost the energy. If it within easy reach, it is just easy to sketch or paint on a whim much as like picking up your mobile phone.

Make a portable sketching kit and carry it everywhere
     "An artist is a sketchbook with a person attached to it." I'll never forget this line I have picked up from an article in Artist's Magazine a few years ago. It took me a while though to practice it. Once I have assembled my sketching kit, it is always with me wherever I go. Now I have different configurations for my sketching kit from just pencil and sketchbook combo to a full watercolor sketch kit with an easel to match.

Join a local community such as Urban sketchers or online like Wetcanvas
     I have often heard remarks like "I'm not that good, its embarrassing" whenever encourage them to join Urban Sketchers, or make a post of their works. As always, I would give them a reply "It is fine, it's not a competition, it is a community of friendly people willing to help each other. Everybody has to start from somewhere so no one is judging anybody."
     Participating with a community gives you a sense of commitment to nurture your skill as well as give feedback to others. Regularly posting  your work may give you feedback on areas you need to improve. Just remember to keep an open mind.

Find a friend with the same interest and sketch together
     If it really feels inconvenient to join a community why not sketch with a friend? Sometimes what we need is a little nudge to make our first step. Sketching with a friend could help sustain those steps.

Create a blog
     Blogging would be a nice way to document your progress. You might think it is time consuming but it's not. If you have a Google account, it is as simple as signing up with blogger.com and choosing a template. You can even choose to make your blog private until you are ready to show your work.
 
     Looking back, these are the things I did to be on track. Just pick one and keep adding to the list.
     
     Happy sketching!

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!