Drawing Attention March 2024

SKETCHING IN PENANG BERLIN, CINCINNATI HONG KONG

UZBEKISTAN

Attention DRAWING

The official zine of Urban Sketchers MARCH 2024

Drawing Attention Mandate

Drawing Attention, the official zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching.

Thanks to this month’s Drawing Attention contributors:

Content P ubliC ation team: Anne Taylor, Jane Wingfield

mailChimP layout: Jane Wingfield

i ssuu layout: Anne Taylor

Writers & Contributors: Cathy

Gutterman, Javier Mas Pinturas, Kristina Matveeva, Mark Leibowitz, Ben Luk, Parka, Anne Taylor, Christina Wald, Scott Wilson, Jane Wingfield

Proofreaders: Leigh Ferst, Maria Skrzypiec

Cover image: Koay Sheng Tat, USk Penang

Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the December edition of Drawing Attention

CirCulation: 14k+ r eadershiP: 16k+ Web: urbansketchers.org

Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Click here to make your tax-deductible contribution via Paypal. © 2024 Urban Sketchers.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication, including accompanying artwork, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Urban Sketchers organization.

Welcome to another issue of Drawing Attention, the zine about urban sketching across the world. Recently I heard from well known sketcher Oliver Hoeller who sent out some thoughts via email under the heading ‘Why bother sketching?’ It’s true, I think people outside the urban sketching community sometimes regard sketching as an odd use of time – maybe a bit indulgent, old-fashioned or even obsessive! I’ve seen eyes glaze over when they hear things like ‘urban sketching has changed my life’. Has that happened to you?

Well, this year, USk is holding not only the Symposium in Buenos Aires but also the first ever International Urban Sketchers Week . The latter is a chance to celebrate what we do by organizing an event in your town or city and using #uskweek2024 to share. Maybe we will get more people understanding why we think urban sketching is so great!?

USk Hong Kong was one of the first chapters to get on the urban sketching journey – you can read about their 10th anniversary celebrations . We also meet USk Penang, who are hosting this year’s AsiaLink Sketchwalk in their fascinating city. Remember, we always welcome your Chapter news; just contact the DA team. We chat with Maria Regina Tuazon, USk’s Communications Director who lives a

truly creative life in Berlin, as well as helping shape the future path of UrbanSketchers as an organization. Christina Wald –prolific illustrator, urban sketcher and now author – shows us how to break down a complex scene into manageable sections for a cool illustrated spread.

Kristina Matveeva shares the extraordinary journey to Uzbekistan that she took with a group of friends from her home town of Budapest. Find out how a humble kitchen utensil can give your sketching the ‘wow’ factor, and let Parka take you through the pros and cons of another sketching tool.

Oliver Hoeller decided that urban sketching is indeed “a meaningful emotional experience” because we select what we sketch (emotion) and commit it to paper so we remember it (meaning). I’d echo his words: “ So, go and sketch. No matter what life throws at you. It is worthwhile, good for you and potentially even others.”

Sincere thanks to the many writers, contributors and proofreaders who worked on this issue. We hope you find inspiration here – and continue to enjoy your sketching wherever you live ! Anne Taylor (NZ), with Jane Wingfield (USA) Content Publication Team drawingattentionurbansketchers.org

ANNETTE MORRIS

International Urban Sketchers Week

We are excited to share with you that we have registered a new worldwide event – International Urban Sketchers Week 2024 , which will be a global celebration of on-location drawing.

Anyone anywhere can take part in International Urban Sketchers Week. From 1- 7 May every year, we will be showcasing the activities of our community and the many different ways that urban sketching brings people together and changes lives around the world.

Organize a #uskweek2024 activity anytime from 1 to 7 May and add it to our website map. Not sure how to get started? Visit our website to get a list of ideas, submit details of your events, download the logo and more!

Join us on social media and use the hashtag #uskweek2024 to share your sketching stories. Let’s show the world what urban sketching really means!

SKETCHERS WEEK w

SYMPOSIUM registration opening

Our biggest news is that Symposium registration opens on 2 March at 12pm GMT-3 Argentina time! You’ll find the schedule, program, FAQ, and guides to Eventbrite here.

Symposium instructors and presenters’ video intros are on YouTube, with playlists linked on the Symposium web page.

The Correspodents’ call is now open and ends 31 March.

So do get in quick, sketchers, to be part of this awesome event.

Welcome to Shilpi

Shilpi Gupta joined USk as the new Secretary at the start of this year. “I’m a scientist, science communicator, author, and an artist who loves experimenting with various mediums. Bringing my passion for curiosity and creativity to Urban Sketchers, I’m excited to aid its global growth and foster inclusivity.

“Sketching, to me, is a powerful way to connect and cultivate happy and empathetic communities.” Shilpi is based in Toronto, Canada.

GENINE CARVALHEIRA

Explore our Global Sketchbook

Hello, fellow Urban Sketchers!

We’ve got some great news to share with you. The Urban Sketchers Global Sketchbook project is on the move, and it’s growing and evolving to capture the incredible stories of our global community of sketchers.

We’re thrilled to introduce our brand new submission guidelines, which now include examples, making it easier for you to ensure that your contributions align with the project’s spirit and find a place in the sketchbook.

So, whether you’re sketching solo or with a group, we’re eager to hear from you! Head over to our contribute page, and together, we’ll keep building an

amazing global sketchbook that tells the stories of our surroundings, the places we live, and where we travel.

Celebrating USk Hong Kong’s 10-year Anniversary

BY BEN LUK

In early December 2023, Urban Sketchers Hong Kong celebrated our 10th year anniversary with a weekend of sketching on the water and by the waterfront. We hired the iconic Star Ferry for a two-hour cruise around Victoria Harbour, followed by waterfront sketching from the observation deck of the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), and a drink & draw at the heart of Causeway Bay. On Sunday, the sketching party continued with a trip to Cheung Chau, a historic island known for its fishing village, pirates, mango mochi, and fat sleepy dogs!

USkHK became an official local chapter in 2014, and the group was originally founded by Alvin Wong, Gary Yeung and me (top right). The group has evolved over the years, and the current admins are Alvin (@alvinwongkc), Ben (@sketcher_ ben), Kelsey (@kelseychan852), Rob (@robsketcherman), Sandy (@sandyartjourney) and Vanessa (@vansketcher). We started looking for ideas on how we should celebrate our anniversary last March.

Since sketchers always move around and sketch on the go, we toyed with the idea of having a party on an iconic mode of transportation in Hong Kong. We needed something big enough to accommodate all our sketchers and hiring the Star Ferry turned out to be a viable option as it could accommodate at least 150 sketchers. We decided to go for the classic Meridian Star which has a maximum capacity of 280 passengers, in case we were joined by overseas sketchers.

Vanessa masterminded the whole event. After she paid the deposit for the hire, there was no turning back! Kelsey organized on-board live music from volunteering performers, and coffee tasting from a local coffee supplier. Rob designed a special logo for the event, which went on all the promotional material, including goodie bags, T-shirts, commemorative stickers and coffee packaging.

ALVIN WONG, GARY YEUNG & BEN LUK

Sandy, our treasurer, looked after our expenditure and acted as liaison with sketching groups in Mainland China, including USk Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Sam Shui. All of the admins contributed his/her own sketch of the Star Ferry in the design of the promotional artwork, and thanks to the generous contribution from our sponsors, we packed and delivered all goodie bags from Kelsey’s office. For me, it was fun to meet and greet many of our local sketchers and visiting sketchers from Mainland China, Singapore and Korea, checking them in and partying with them as a great sequel to Asialink in Suwon.

The experience of sketching from a moving ferry was incredible. Many of us sketched the interior view of the ferry, each other, and the moving skyline. It was the first time for me to see the lower deck, so I seized the opportunity to sketch Mr. Ho, our Captain for the day. Working in the cockpit was a somewhat different experience from the usual five-minute journey between Central and TST, a shopping and nightlife district in Kowloon.

Overall, it has been a valuable learning experience for all of us in the admin team in getting to know how to organize a medium-scale event, something that is bigger than our monthly sketchcrawl but smaller than an Asialink event or a Symposium. We were so privileged to have two vloggers, Parka (@parkablogs) and Alvin Tan (@alvinmarkstudio), shooting videos and interviewing participants at the event throughout the whole weekend.

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PENANG

The ‘hot and spicy’ island

Penang, a spectacular island in the north western corner of Malaysia, is soon to host 400+ sketchers at the Asialink Sketchwalk for four days in August, picking up the baton from South Korea’s Suwon last year. Make sure you get your early-bird tickets this March.

Penang is no stranger to major sketchwalks, having organised several 10 years ago in the capital of George Town. In addition to the walks, this year’s event will include demos, an exhibition, welcoming and closing ceremonies, local food, drinks and sharing sessions. In August the mean temperature will be short-sleeved weather of 28°C (80°F) – a true tropical rainforest climate.

Joshua told me of Penang’s dramatic landscapes, beautiful sandy beaches, the mouth-watering food and how it is packed

SCOTT WILSON SPOKE TO JOSHUA FOO, THE 2024 PRESIDENT OF ASIALINK SKETCHWALK, WHO WILL BE WELCOMING SKETCHERS TO HIS ISLAND HOME IN MALAYSIA FOR THIS YEAR’S EVENT.

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with sketchable colonial architecture.

Visiting sketchers should definitely check out the magnificent range of batik clothing and fabric available. I agree with Josh’s souvenir recommendation; I came home from my visit with batik T shirts and a favourite pair of leather boots bartered for in the India Market, which lasted for years.

Joshua reminded me of the fun way Malaysians often append ‘lah’ at the end of a word to provide emphasis. Other expressions you will hear include ‘apa khabar?’ – how are you? And because it is a foody place, ‘ho ciak’ – yummy. One key word to learn on the plane is ‘terima kasih’, meaning thank you.

How USk Penang got started USk Penang was founded by Ch’ng Kia Kiean and Khoo Cheang Jin (right) back in 2010/11. Many of us know Ch’ng Kia Kiean for his ink stick workshops at Symposiums. Penang was the first of eight Malaysian Chapters and their logo depicts the distinctive shape of the island. A high level of professionalism is obvious in the Penang sketchers’ work.

Joshua says the vibrant music scene is something overseas visitors may be unaware of. He feels one of the best activities is a two to three hour tour around the island.

KHOO CHEANG JIN

CH’NG KIA KIEAN

JOSHUA FOO

FACTS ON PENANG

The capital, George Town, is named after King George III and is a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures. In fact, because George Town is such an exceptional example of a multicultural trading town, it is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Step outside

your accommodation and almost immediately there is something worthy of a sketch.

Francis Light of the British East India Company created the British free port in 1786 as a hub for global trading, largely from China, India and Arab countries. Today it is renown as a powerhouse of electronic manufacturing.

NEIGHBOURHOOD SKETCHING

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A foodie’s heaven

Penang locals love durian (above left), the ‘heaven and hell’ king of fruits which tastes like heaven and smells like hell. Its pungent smell has it banned in many planes, hotels and public places. Its intense flavour miraculously combines sweet, savoury and creamy tastes all at once.

Penang is known for its cheap and ubiquitous ‘hawker food’ sold night and day from food courts. Locals also love to eat Char Kuoy Teow and Cendol. Joshua suggests visitors should try nyonya food, a style that combines Chinese ingredients with various Malay/Indonesian spices and cooking techniques. Team this with a lime-coloured umbra juice and sour plum.

LEE CHIN HUAT

USk Penang

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PENANG ASIALINK SKETCHWALK

A dedicated site is being created for this event, and will be available in March. Until then, check out USk Penang’s Facebook page.

CH’NG KIA KIEAN

JOSHUA FOO

Penang in three words:

“Hot, humid and spicy”, says Joshua.

We love to hear about your chapter’s news, special events, joint meetups, and exhibitions and share them with our readers.

Contact us at:

drawingattention@urbansketchers.org

sketcher spotlight

LET’S MEET MARIA

ON ANY GIVEN WEEK, YOU MIGHT FIND THE USK’S COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR MARIA REGINA TUAZON THROWING SOME SHAPES ON THE DANCE FLOOR, DRUMMING UP A STORM OR MAKING HER OWN WATERCOLOURS. OH, AND SKETCHING IS IN THERE TOO. SHE’S A CREATIVE POWERHOUSE, AS CATHY GUTTERMAN FOUND OUT.

Maria studied mass communications at the University of the Philippines, majoring in film & audio-visual communication. After graduation, she worked in Manila & around the region writing, editing, designing & animating creative promos, branding, and short form content for broadcast channels. She has worked at ABS-CBN, Studio 23, MTV Philippines, Bruce Dunlop & Associates Singapore, and Nickelodeon South East Asia. She currently works at advertising firm VML in Berlin.

Maria was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, and currently lives in Berlin, Germany, but she also has strong ties to Singapore where she had lived for almost 14 years, before relocating to Europe just before COVID started in March 2019.

Her urban sketching journey began in Singapore. Working mostly at her computer day to day, she turned to urban sketching as something to do with her hands. She joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2013 and in 2015 volunteered to help with the international Symposium, being chosen as the local correspondent. It was a dream come true for Maria, and inspired her to volunteer in whatever way she could. She learnt about Symposium communications from Elizabeth Alley and since then she has been supporting the Symposium organization team.

Destination Berlin

When Maria moved to Berlin, her career shifted to advertising. She credits Urban Sketchers with helping her get the job at VML. A few weeks before leaving Singapore, while she was looking for new homes for her beloved books, some USk Singapore sketchers came over, including Shirley Tan. In passing, she mentioned she had a niece in Berlin who posted a call for creatives at an ad agency in Berlin. Maria decided to send Shirley’s niece, Shermaine Heng, a link to her portfolio. Maria was interviewed and worked on an initial project for a couple of months as a freelancer. Later, the agency created a permanent position for her. Maria gratefully acknowledges that this opportunity had been possible because of the connections that opened up being part of Urban Sketchers and its generous, global community.

“Sketching is a practice, a meditation, a companion, a confidant, a learning tool, and it’s like a glue that holds my memories together.”

– Maria Regina Tuazon

BELOW: PHOTO BOMBING WITH SOME CHICAGO SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZING TEAM MEMBERS

Maria Regina Tuazon

MARIA IN AUCKLAND

SCHWERIN CASTLE

Pandemic sketching

Since March 2020 Maria has been mostly working from home. Her sketchbook journal is her daily companion. It constantly reveals to her that there is something new, wonderful, and exciting even in the most mundane. “Sketching is a practice, a meditation, a companion, a confidant, a learning tool, and is like glue that holds my memories together,” she says.

She feels urban sketching allows one to deeply savour the present moment. It is a slow process, but it etches memories in one’s mind, not just on the page. When she looks back at a collection of sketches done over months or years, Maria sees not only the passage of time and how she has changed, but also how her sketching has progressed, giving her a peek into her feelings and what she focused on during that time.

During the pandemic Maria couldn’t join USk Berlin as often as she wanted. After the Deutschlandtreffen (7th Urban Sketchers Germany meeting) last September, she was reunited with the chapter and got to know more sketchers from the region. She enjoyed co-leading one of their sketchwalks and plans to actively participate in more sketchwalks with USk Berlin in the future.

Maria Regina Tuazon

The building challenge

Sketching people has always been Maria’s jam but drawing buildings was scary for her. With observation, practice and the inspiration from the Urban Sketchers community, she improved and got more comfortable drawing architecture. Now she thinks buildings are like people, each with their own personality.

Maria enjoys using graphite and loves direct watercolor. There’s something beautiful about the unpredictability of the medium. It is like co-creating, embracing accidents, and letting go of control. She is always happily surprised. When on the move, though, the easiest way for her to capture anything is with lines, usually pen and ink. Later she may put a wash on it or color it with pencils.

Goals and vision for USk

Stepping into the shoes of USk’s Communication Director has been exciting and filled with purpose. I see my role as not just a transmitter of information but as an advocate for the incredible talents within our community.

My main responsibility is to support the initiatives of the USk Executive Board in the shared goal of raising the artistic, storytelling and educational value of on-location sketching. I aim to be a bridge between our passionate community and the organization by having a common place via USk’s communication platforms to share our world one drawing at a time.

Together with a dedicated team of volunteers working hard in social media, Drawing Attention and our website, our channels hopefully connect and encourage exchanges of creative expression, stories, and information that enable our community to meet, sketch together, learn, and inspire each other in their drawing on-location practice.

We focus on storytelling as it deepens the experience and makes our sketches relatable. Stories add another dimension. They invite others to understand the context even more, our personal connection, emotions and cultural insights. As sketchers, it enriches us as we pay better attention to our thoughts, observations and feelings when we draw.

USk Prompts

Since last year, we have initiated USk Prompts that encourage sketchers to participate from all corners of the world, showing and telling their slice of life from different backgrounds, communities, and walks of life. Having over 440 official chapters globally, our team does its best to represent the diversity of our community. We also aim to highlight the voices of our volunteers and the impact of USk in their lives. The joy of urban sketching is too good not to share.

We collectively celebrate drawing on-location, wherever it is, alone or with others, and share it as much as we can: on the street, online; over a hot or cold drink. This is what brings us all together. Making these inspiring stories accessible to everyone, as much as we can, is the goal.

I see USk as being a worldwide family, in which we each have a hand in drawing an ever more vibrant community.

MARIA REGINA TUAZON

MARIA’S TIPS

IF THERE’S ANY PART OF YOU THAT’S WILLING TO GIVE BACK, JUST SHOW UP WITH READINESS AND YOUR PATH WILL BE GUIDED BY PEOPLE EAGER TO HELP YOU GROW.

I CAN PROMISE THAT YOU WILL START AN EXCITING JOURNEY THAT KEEPS GETTING BETTER!

The beat goes on

Alongside her passion for sketching, Maria loves to drum! She plays with two Brazilian percussion bands in Berlin. One band plays Maracatu and the other, Afro-Brazilian samba. She owns many drums including five frame drums, three darbukas, and two ceramic Egyptian drums.

For more than 10 years, she volunteered for the non-profit organization Temple of Fine Arts in Singapore, where she learned classical Indian dance and music.

AFOJUBÁ BATUQUE BERLIN DRUM GROUP

ANYTHING CAN BE LEARNED. WHAT WE FOCUS ON GROWS. FROM A COMPLETE NEWBIE, I HAVE GROWN MORE CONFIDENT WITH MY SKETCHES. AFTER MANY YEARS OF PRACTICE, THE PROGRESS WILL BE EVIDENT.

Maria Regina Tuazon

DRAWING AT MUSICIANS’ REHEARSAL

“Buildings are like people, each with their own personality” –

Maria Regina Tuazon

26 drawing attention

sketcher spotlight

LEFT: GRINDING INDIGO PIGMENT FOR WATERCOLOURS. MARIA STARTED GRINDING HER OWN WATERCOLORS IN BERLIN AFTER BEING GIFTED A COLLECTION OF RAW PIGMENTS BY HER COLLEAGUE’S 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER, WHO SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME AN URBAN SKETCHER!

SCHWERIN

RIGHT: PANDEMIC SKETCHING ON THE TRAIN

I’VE FOUND THAT THE URBAN THE URBAN SKETCHERS COMMUNITY IS ONE OF THE MOST EMBRACING I HAVE KNOWN. I CAN GROW BECAUSE OF THE ACCEPTANCE I RECEIVED FROM THE VERY START FROM THIS LOVELY CREATIVE TRIBE. THERE’S A PLACE FOR ANY LEVEL AND EVERY VIEW IS UNIQUE, SO MAKE YOUR MARK!

Maria Regina Tuazon

LEDSKETCHWALK, HACKESCHEHOEFE

WELCOME NEW CHAPTERS!

We are excited to announce these new chapters. Welcome to the global family of urban sketchers!

JAVIER MAS PINTURAS

EUROPE

USk Mérida, Spain

USk Versailles, France

USk Annecy, France

USk Leipzig, Germany

ASIA

USk Colombo, Sri Lanka

USk Seongnam, South Korea

Visit your USk events hub

Looking for USk happenings near you? Explore Events on our website. Stay tuned for frequent updates from our local chapter admins.

Calling all USk chapters! Register your events and don’t miss the chance to shine on our global stage.

US

SKETCHER DEMO

Create a multi-layered story

IT’S SOMETIMES HARD TO KNOW WHERE TO START WITH A BUSY SCENE. OVER LUNCH AT FINDLAY MARKET, CINCINNATI, CHRISTINA WALD SHOWS US HOW A LITTLE BIT OF STRUCTURE GOES A LONG WAY WHEN CREATING A MULTIIMAGE COMPOSITION.

Almost every city has a market. Findlay Market has been in business since 1852 and is the only one left of nine public markets that used to operate here. It is a favorite place for local sketchers. The activity around the market stimulates the senses, so how do I distill it into several sketches? For this demo, I went to the market on a busy afternoon with my mom and sketched at a table in the center of the market over lunch. We had a couple of spare chairs at our table and invited people to join us. It was so interesting listening to everyone’s stories. The first woman who sat down told us about her three dogs and about a lucky coin she found a few years ago that had led to finding money since she had acquired it. The latest boon was someone giving her $300 out of the blue!

Christina Wald is a full-time illustrator, urban sketcher, and toy/product designer living in Cincinnati, USA. She has illustrated over 60 books for children and teaches illustration and sequential storytelling at Northern Kentucky University. She has done a lot of nature-related books and illustrations for clients including the San Diego Zoo, Rocky Mountain Elf Foundation and National Geographic. She recently wrote and published a book about sketching called Sketching Here and Everywhere: My sketching obsession. She is now getting into publishing autobiographical travelogues, with her first about her 2023 artist residency in France called Chateau d’Orquevaux Travelogue. Read about her trip to Romania here.

After she left, a couple of women joined us who worked with and at the Cincinnati Museum Center, another place we sketch frequently. One had retired and was visiting with the other who was an archaeologist installing the Pompeii exhibit which is opening this month. She was the curator and traveled around the world with the artifacts. She’d lived in Paris, Cologne, and Japan in connection with the traveling collection. She described it as a dream job.

I have recently been trying to incorporate more writing and narrative into my sketching practice. I love to draw so much but writing takes more effort. When I did my artist residency in July last year at Chateau d’Orquevaux, I tried to journal every day. It took a lot of discipline and I ran out of space in

Christina Wald

my sketchbook but I did it. I found that when I put together the travelogue it needed a great deal of embellishment, though. I had not written enough. That said, a simple line can spark a whole memory. My process

I time myself while sketching depending on the execution. Our outings typically last two hours. To make sure I include everything I want in my sketch in, I divide it into parts: 20 minutes for the ink sketch and then 20 to paint, or 15 minutes to draw a section with five minutes to add tone. Most phones have timers on them. I find that something in one’s brain keeps track of the time. I always instinctively know when the timer is close to going off.

Step 1: Getting started / vignettes

For this exercise, I used a 12” X 9” (305mm X 229mm) paper. Design should be in your mind but I like to develop my page organically.

Think in vignettes rather than filling up every space. Since this page will have several drawings, I start with my lunch on the main area of the page. This is where the eye will go to first; the food here is on everyone’s mind!

2

3

Step 2: A burst of colour

I love the red tables at Findlay. I paint my lunch in vivid color and then I eat it, cold! I am using QoR watercolors over Blackwing pencil.

Step 3: Sketching the Vibe

I changed where I was sitting to get a view down the main aisle. People flow in waves and I sketch in the people, signs, and general shapes. I am using a Blackwing pencil and Tombow pen.

TIPS

DON’T TRY TO DRAW EVERYTHING. IN CROWDED SCENES, I PICK OUT PEOPLE TO DRAW THAT WILL MAKE THE SCENE INTERESTING. THIS WAY, THE DRAWING EVOLVES AND IS MORE SEQUENTIAL THAN SHOWING ONE POINT OF TIME.

CONSIDER NEGATIVE SPACE AND DESIGN ON YOUR PAGE.

Christina Wald

Step 4: Write something

At this point, we had some really interesting discussions that I wanted to record in the sketch so I wrote a paragraph about the exciting new people we met. Take your time when writing. When I rush, I always skip letters and make spelling mistakes.

Step 5: Adding tones

I love using Payne’s Gray to add monochromatic tone to a sketch. I want depth but on this page I decided to make it secondary to the burrito, so kept the colour subtle. I have always loved the giant chicken sculpture on the counter so he gets a bit of spot color.

4 5

6 7

Step 6: Add another vignette

We are seated across from the stand where we ordered our food and, out of the corner of my eye, I have been watching them prepare orders. I do a quick sketch of the woman assembling the various foods and add a banner of type to tie the sketches together.

Step 7: Finishing touches

I add a final bit of color but again keep it generally monochromatic. I also use a bit of opaque Golden White Fluid Acrylic for highlights because the industrial designer in me always needs those hot spots.

TIPS USE A LIMITED PALETTE AND ADD COLOR TO MAKE AN IMPACT. THINK OF THE HIERARCHY OF YOUR VIGNETTES & WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LOOK AT FIRST.

DON’T RUSH TYPE; TAKE YOUR TIME OVER THE WRITING.

TIME YOURSELF TO GET A FINISHED SKETCH IN THE TIME YOU’VE ALLOWED YOURSELF.

Christina Wald

CHRISTINA WALD w

The Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan – an urban sketching odyssey

IN SEPTEMBER 2023, 11 URBAN SKETCHERS FROM THE ART GROUP ‘BUDAPESTNUTYE’ TRAVELLED TO UZBEKISTAN FOR AN EXCITING ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE. BY KRISTINA MATVEEVA WITH DINARA ZEMILEVA & LARYSA ZVIAGINA

Budapestnutye (literally, The Budapest Crazy Ones) is an informal community of urban sketchers who first met at a plein-air art event in Budapest in May 2018 and have been bound by creative friendship ever since. Despite living in different parts of the world, we continue to make art together, whether online or in actual places we visit together.

This year, thanks to an invitation from Zarrina Sayfi, Uzbekistan became our chosen destination. Historically, Uzbekistan has been the place where East and West meet each other on the Silk Road.

We decided that our project would revolve around observing, admiring and sketching in three Uzbek cities: Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Each member of our group had their own artistic preferences, ranging from

pen and ink to watercolour, crayon, and pastel. This resulted in very different interpretations of the same subjects, which made the process fascinating. We spent two to three days in each of the three cities and, as we made a point of staying in the same hotels, our evenings were spent discussing the day’s impressions and planning our next steps.

We resembled a colony of bees as we gathered to share our impressions and ideas or dispersed to pursue our individual creative journeys. At times we followed a leader, flying in perfect unison, or explored new locations. As Olga Gribojedova put it, “We all crosspollinated in this garden of inspiration!” Our unity enabled us to create a shared space that attracted local people and helped us to delve deeper into the history, culture and atmosphere of the places we visited. We made many new friends, including Lola and Dinara Sayfi, Uncle

DINARA

LARYSA

KRISTINA

SAMARKAND

Kristina Matveeva

SKETCH BY OLGA GRIBOJEDOVA FROM SAMARKAND

Aziz, Ivan Grigoriev and later our host Rahmatulla and his family; they all became like family to us. Museum directors helped us discover the hidden meanings behind artefacts, paintings and carpets.

We immersed ourselves in this world, soaring to heavenly heights and

experiencing incredible feelings of joy and wonder. Whether we were able to convey these feelings in our work remains uncertain but we are sure that we will be mentally sifting through the gems of our memories and trying to transfer them to paper for a long time to come.

Quick questions

What did you like as the best local delicacy to eat or drink? Plov (Uzbekistan’s national staple dish with rice, meat and carrot) with achichuk (Uzbek tomato and onion salad), followed by sweet black tea with Uzbek orange lemon (sour-sweet and not acidic).

What was a souvenir or something you treasure from your trip? All our sketches and lengths of colorful ikat fabric that can be used to design clothes or covers for the sketchbooks.

What’s a familiar local phrase? “Rahmat,” which means thank you.

Do you have your own personal highlight from the trip? The fact that people opened their doors to share hidden treasures with us in their homes. In Tashkent, we met Lola Sayfi, owner and art director of Human House Gallery, along with her sister Dina Sayfi, a fashion designer who creates unique products from felt, silk, and leather. We were invited to the home of Uzbek documentary photographer and painter Shavkat Boltaev, participated in a sketching workshop led by painter Ivan Grigoriev, and explored not publicly available archives showcasing Bukhara’s historical gems and museums. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to these individuals who graciously allowed us to immerse ourselves in the everyday life of Uzbekistan.

How would you sum up Uzbekistan in three words? Heartwarming, welcoming, and full of history.

LARYSA ZVIAGINA, BUKHARA

Kristina Matveeva

OLGA SCHLETT, MAXALLA BUXARA

“Our unity enabled us to create a shared space that attracted local people and helped us to delve deeper into the history, culture and atmosphere of the places we visited.”

Kristina Matveeva

ZARRINA SAYFI, BUKHARA

ALINA MILLER, SAMARKAND

OLGA KONONOVA, TASHKENT

SKETCHES OF SAMARKAND

The Uzbekistan travellers were Zarrina Sayfi, Olga Gribojedova, Irina Valentinova, Natalya Krypak, Larysa Zviagina, Anna Gekht, Dinara Zemileva, Alina Miller, Olga Kononova, Olga Schlett, and Kristina Matveeva.

KRISTINA MATVEEVA

COOL GEAR: INSTANT CURVED SPACE

BY MARK LEIBOWITZ

Ilove to get to our sketch location early before the other sketchers start to arrive. We usually start at 10am so it’s not like I’m watching the sun rise, but it’s still a wonderful time, since many people are sleeping late on the first day of the weekend.

It was probably the last day of sketching outdoors for us. You could feel the chill of winter coming soon. The weather was changing and the foliage had gone from wondrous greens to flaming reds and yellows to boring browns. We were sketching in Brooklyn by the Old Stone House, but, as it turned out, I was not the first sketcher to arrive.

I spotted someone sketching away in the early sunshine. Armed with a cup of coffee I went over to see who it was and to chat. It was Danna Feintuch; she had her stool and a drawing board, but there was what seemed like a bright metal ball that she was talking to. My first thought was that she had a big microphone attached to her drawing setup.

As I got closer and called out to her, I realized she had a soup ladle perched above her work! And then I got it. Danna was sketching the curved image of the scene from the reflection on the ladle. She was drawing the Old Stone House and the surrounding area, but it was like a view from a fish-eye lens. She was also drawing on a round paper coaster like you might get served with a beer. So Danna was creating a rounded sketch on a round coaster.

One of our other sketchers, Suzala, had recently finished a series of 100 gouache sketches all done on these coasters, so the whole group was attuned to the idea that the backs of coasters accept paint and ink beautifully. Suzala’s verdict on gouache versus watercolor: watercolor, no contest, as she preferred the light, luminous qualities compared to gouache. I was so enthused about Danna’s setup and how she’d mounted the ladle to her

DANNA

FEINTUCH

drawing board. She explained everything and then showed me a number of curved works she’d done. The sketches were delightful. The cool thing about this technique is that it puts the artist right in the middle of every picture, so they become a series of self-portraits done at different locations but all with this curved look.

What happens when you have 100,000 bright creative sketchers all over the world pushing the boundaries or their art? What you get is lots of really fantastic ideas. Have you got a Cool Gear idea? Send me the details, (markleibowitz810@gmail.com) I’d love to hear about it.

PARKA REVIEWS

BY TEOH YI CHIE

Teoh Yi Chie is an infographics journalist who joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2009. He’s probably better known as Parka from Parkablogs.com, a website that reviews art books and art products.

This month Parka reviews Arrtx Simptap acrylic markers. Check it out!

o ur Manifesto

• We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation

• Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel

• Our drawings are a record of time and place

• We are truthful to the scenes we witness

• We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles

• We support each other and draw together

• We share our drawings online

• We show the world, one drawing at a time.