the streets and the thousands of colours

August 9, 2010August 9, 20182 Comments

And so, the 1st International Urban Sketching symposium officially began. I liked staying at the Mark Spencer hotel, because most of the non-Portland sketchers were staying there too, and it was nice to meet new people at breakfast. At the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), Gabi Campanario opened proceedings and we set off on our field sketching sessions. You could taste the level of excitement!

My first session was Urban Colour with Jason Das. Our group walked a couple of blocks, and I drew the fire hydrant above (I love fire hydrants, and here they are orange). I was surprised to find that Suzanne Cabrera was sketching with us; I hadn’t realised she’d be at the Symposium! I’ve followed her work for years so it was a pleasure to meet her in person. Jason’s session was quite interactive, which I liked, and made us focus on colour in different ways. It was a particularly grey morning though. While I was sketching, a lady came out of the store in front of which I was positioned and asked if I’d like some work. She wanted to know if I would be interested in painting the big rock she uses to kep the shop door open, in the style of a ladybird (and she said ‘ladybird’, not ladybug, becasue she was British, though she didn’t know I was). Paint a rock like a ladybird? In watercolours with a tiny brush? Not for any money, like, just in case I wanted something to do she said (because I didn’t look busy). I politely declined.

After the first quick sketch, we all did a drawing using a lighter coloured pen than we’d normally use – I used a fairly light blue – and then coloured it. I wasn’t much pleased with my results (partly because I didn’t finish the colour), but it’s all about trying stuff out. I do like drawing street corners though. There it is on the right.

The next exercise was to draw the same scene twice, once with normal colour, and the second with different colour. I liked the idea of this one, and it certainly allowed you to break out of the bounds a little, but I think it worked a little better for others than for me.

The final exercise was a winner, and one which made some people understandably nervous. We were to draw a picture in our own sketchbooks of any scene, and then hand the sketchbook to a partner, who would then colour it in themselves. This was very interesting. First of all, the person I was partnered with, Robin Carlson, originally came from, of all places, Davis! Drawing the linework was a little nervy for me, as I knew it would then be scrutinised by someone else, but once the sketchbooks were swapped it was very liberating! I loved colouring in a different book, it was so liberating. Several people said the same – the hard work was already done! But I was so pleased with how robin had coloured my book – see below. The colours are so vibrant, and really leap out (mine are usually a little muted), and complement each other so well. I particularly like the values on the tree. Thanks Robin! This could be a fun exercise, like an online art exchange, you draw something and hand it over to other online sketchers to add their own colour or tints; this is something worth exploring.

Thus ended session one. There wasn’t a massive amount of time for lunch, before the lectures began…

Symposium blog: http://pdx2010.urbansketchers.org/

urban sketchers of the world

August 4, 2010August 9, 20185 Comments

The Urban Sketchers Correspondents met up at Henry’s Tavern on the night before the Symposium kicked off, and it was an instant whirlwind of sketching minds. Everyone knew everyone, though for many it was the first time we’d met. Five continents were represented right there: Liz (and Borromini Bear) from Australia, Isabel from Mauritania (though she’s Portuguese), Lapin from Barcelona (though he’s French), Gerard from Belgium, Simonetta from Italy, Kumi from Tokyo, Tia from Singapore, and the US contingent of Jason (Brooklyn), Veronica (NYC), Shiho (LA), Matthew (Idaho), Laura (North Carolina), Frank (Seattle), Gabi (Seattle, though he’s Spanish) and me (Davis, though I’m from London).

And I sketched people! Well, I had promised myself that I would try more, and here I didn’t have to worry about it being ok. I wasn’t the only one who doesn’t normally sketch folk on the spot. I certainly need practice and to find a technique I’m comfortable with, so i gave it a try, mostly in my little brown paper book, and picked up a few pointers. Above are Gabi Campanario, the tireless Urban Sketchers founder, Gerard Michel, of whose Liege drawings I am a huge fan (they remind me of my year in Charleroi), and a group of urban sketchers (the one in the hat is Prof. Frank Ching, who told me I’d drawn him looking like a Columbian gangster). I was sketched a few times too; there is Lapin above, sketching me holding my pen in a funny way, “l’incroyable tenu de crayon de pete”, he called it. There’s a name for a new book!

The highlight was probably looking through Gerard Michel‘s jaw-dropping sketchbook. Seeing it online, it is unbelievable just how good it is, but in person right in front of you it is just incredible, and also surreal, work you know so well is right there, right in front of you. I can say that about pretty much all of the sketchbooks I saw that night, certainly. Sufficiently humbled and inspired in equal measure, I went back to the hotel, and spent midnight drawing from my bedroom window.

…portland

August 2, 2010August 9, 2018Leave a comment

When I have my breath back, I will start posting on my (overwhelming) experiences at the 1st International Urban Sketching Symposium in Portland (and how international!!! five continents represented). Above is the result of Barcelona-based illustrator Lapin‘s ‘urban line’ field sketching session down by the Steel Bridge – such incredible talent all around. I flew back brimming with interesting ideas, which will at some point be appearing on this very site (I wrote long pages of new creative ideas).

Symposium blog: http://pdx2010.urbansketchers.org/

Twitter hashtag #uskpdx

do you know the way out of san jose?

July 19, 20102 Comments

After the Tottenham match ended in a 0-0 draw, I cycled down the Alameda (part of El Camino Real, I believe, and an interesting looking road) towards downtown San Jose. I’d never been to San Jose, so was looking forwrad to doing a little afternoon sketching around what is in fact one of California’s largest cities. Wow, was I underwhelmed. Now San Jose isn’t bad, it’s not all run down or shady or full of junkies and hobos and boarded up shops, like a lot of cities, no it wasn’t like that at all. But it’s just that, downtown on a Saturday afternoon, and it was dead, there seemed to be nobody about. There were some interesting buildings, but mostly it was just tech company HQs and convention centers, or at least it felt like that. I headed towards what little bustle there was, but just couldn’t feel any heart, despite signs telling me of all the history here. It was like the city was trying to get people interested, but they were all at the Mall. There were lots of night clubs; I’m sure this place is a lot busier after dark, but something told me I probably wouldn’t want to be here after dark too. I drew a vaguely interesting building at the corner of 2nd Street (hey, we have one of those!), which I think was also some sort of nightclub or bar, called Toons (probably not a hangout for of Newcastle fans). I wasn’t all that into it though, and so decided to leave early, and cycled back to the station. I’m sure that San Jose has other, more charming areas (Santa Clara for example seemed very nice, and I liked the Alameda), but downtown just didn’t do it for me. Still, at least I finally saw another part of my adopted state, and the Amtrak journey down to the South Bay is inspiring.

Before catching my train, I grabbed another sketch, powerlines and a meat sign. It was hot, and I had a long journey back to Davis.

i want to be in that number

July 19, 2010July 19, 2010Leave a comment

The World Cup is over, and it’s a long wait until the Premier League season begins. But that doesn’t mean no footy! And who should come to California for a friendly but my own beloved Tottenham Hotspur FC. They kicked off their US tour with a match against their club partners in the MLS, San Jose Earthquakes, who happen to be my ‘local’ big team. When I say ‘local’ it’s all relative of course – San Jose is almost three hours away by train, and I’d never been before Saturday. When I say ‘big’, it’s all relative… their ground, Buck Shaw Stadium, is located on the Santa Clara University campus, and the Earthquakes recorded their largest attendance there with a whopping 10,712. I was in that number.

Sure, the match ended 0-0, but it was a fun occasion. We had our big names there, those who didn’t go to the World Cup – Bale, Modric, Huddlestone, and the returning Robbie Keane (who missed some sitters). I coudn’t believe how many Tottenham fans there were! A good deal of whom were American, but many were British (with their American kids tagging along; that’ll be me in a few years). And it was like a walking gallery of Spurs football shirt history! I’ve never seen so many different era Spurs shirts, not even at the Lane. All the classics were there, with the exception of the 1986 hummel one, I never saw that. My one wouldn’t fit me now, I was only ten back then. I wore the all-white Kappa shirt. On the field, the players were wearing the new Tottenham shirt for the first time, and it’s a beauty, I’ll be getting that. Surprisingly, here and there were dotted people in bright and obvious red Arsenal shirts; unsurprisingly, each of them were roundly booed as they passed (and some looked genuinely surprised at that fact too). There were lots of other shirts on show from all sorts of clubs and countries, something you also wouldn’t normally see at the Lane. A guy sat near me had the old Wales away shirt from the early 90s, the white Umbro one with little green and red arrows and lines on it. Haven’t seen that in years. Even the Earthquakes fans were well decked out, and I saw kits going from the current black Adidas tops to the old Nike blue ones with white arms.

yeah, that was offside

But enough football-kit geekery. You know I can’t help myself. I enjoyed watching the Earthquakes; it’s America, for sure, and there are cheerleaders and sunburn, but it felt a lot like how football used to be, or still is for small clubs, intimate, friendly, informal. I really enjoyed that. I would go again. I also liked that I cycled to the stadium from San Jose train station. Good job I knew the way.

Oh yes, and some urban sketching. Before the match I drew the Mission Santa Clara de Asis, on the SCU campus right by Buck Shaw.

Come on you Spuuuuuurs!!!!!!! Tottenham play New York Red Bulls on Thursday; I think I’ll watch that one on telly.

summer sessions

July 16, 20103 Comments

Regular listeners will recall that often, in the summer time, it gets quite hot here in Davis. A hundred degrees, pah that’s nothing. It was at least that today, so I didn’t venture out into the oven world to sketch. I stayed in the stairwell, sat on a very dusty step, and looked out of the big window. I have drawn this view before, the UC Davis skyline, the tall water-tower dominating events. However, the stairwell in our building isn’t air-conditioned, so it started to feel very sauna-like after a short while. It gave me a headache. I’m not designed for hot weather, I’m red-headed and freckly. I got this finished during lunchtime though, and in the incredible dry heat the paint dried as soon as it hit the paper.

an urban sketch

June 30, 2010June 30, 20102 Comments

This is Urban, who until his retirement this week was our computer guy at work. I took the opportunity to sketch him at his farewell lunch because I need practice drawing people on the spot, and also because this makes it literally an ‘Urban sketch’. Thought you’d like that. I drew it in my moleskine diary.

Speaking of Urban Sketchers…one month until the Portland Symposium…

the return of the king (hall)

June 20, 20103 Comments

In Summer 2007 I found a pleasant spot by Putah Creek with a nice view of Mrak Hall, and drew it. In the foreground, across the green pea-soup of an early-Summer creek, two small green hillocks. I came back a year later to sketch the same spot; the hillocks were gone, razed to make way for the proposed King Hall law school extension. Fences were up, construction yet to begin. A year later I sketched there again, and the shell was up, the view of Mrak blocked. Another year has passed, and King Hall’s extension is almost complete. I drew the above picture on Friday lunchtime, while trying to avoid the England match, which I was recording to watch later (little did I know it was truly worth avoiding). I think it’s interesting to see how a view has altered over the few years that I’ve lived here.

The drawings from 2007-2009 are below.

pretty girls, pretty boys

June 16, 2010June 16, 20103 Comments

I went sketching on a very warm Tuesday in Sacramento, the capital of California. After stopping by the Streets of London pub to watch Brazil play North Korea, I wandered up J Street to the art store, and sketched two of the magnificent old colourful buildings opposite. This stretch of J Street in Midtown Sac has some great old wooden houses, as colourful as any painted ladies you’d see in San Francisco. These two stand out, one pink, one blue. A girl and a boy. I decided against drawing the whole picture, and even colouring the whole picture, partially due to time restraints, partially due to stylistic choice. I like the result.

station to station

June 14, 2010June 14, 2010Leave a comment

The mercury rose to there or thereabouts, and it felt very, very hot. I got out on my bike, my freckly celtic skin plastered in sunscreen, not sure what I wanted to draw, It’s like going to the library, you know; you think you’ve read all the books you could possibly want to read, and then you realise: hang on, I’ve not read Fahrenheit 451, I’m going to read that! So in what felt like a similar temperature, I sketched the train station. I have in fact drawn this building before though, so that analogy doesn’t really work, but it was like, 2006, and I didn’t really like it. I don’t like drawing this building, attractive and sketchable though it is. Something about the arches puts me off. However, my toddler loves trains and I knew he’d like it (see how he influences my sketching decisions now, it’s like he makes my mind up for me; well, someone has to).

Incidentally, I did read Fahrenheit 451. I didn’t like it. I got to about four pages from the end and never picked it up again, like, I couldn’t care how it finished. I felt a bit like that with the last season of Lost, too. I’m four pages to the end of moleskine #5 too… but this one I can’t wait to finish.