SKETCHING IN
BERN • CASTELLÓ PORT DOUGLAS TUSCON • NEW JERSEY JOHANNESBURG EDMONTON
DRAWING
Attention
The official zine of Urban Sketchers DECEMBER 2021
Drawing Attention Mandate Drawing Attention, the official monthly 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 Publication Team: Olga Surmacheva, Anne Taylor, Jane Wingfield Mailchimp layout: Jane Wingfield Issuu layout: Anne Taylor Writers: Jim Chapman, Cathy Gutterman, John Roman Proofreader: Leslie Akchurin Contributors: Christian Bühler, Genine Carvalheira, Uma Kelkar, Mário Linhares, Gail Shaw, Miriam Ruiz Rubio, Jane Wingfield, Marlena Wyman Cover Image: Soweto Towers by Cathy Gatland Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the September edition of Drawing Attention Circulation: 14k+ Readership: 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. © 2021 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.
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s we write this, Jane and Olga are turning their thoughts to a wintery Christmas, while Anne is organising a (hopefully sunny) beach meet-up with her local USk group. Friends in Asia will be thinking about what to do at the New Year not this month, but in February or March. While many start layering up for the cold, others are experiencing their hottest, dryest seasons of the year, with the attendant festivals and celebrations. And we’ll see this all though sharing our sketches! Being part of the Urban Sketching community means our perspectives are continually expanding to take in other ways of seeing and doing – surely one of the most valuable aspects of being part of this global ‘family’?
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e are very pleased to see what life is like in Tuscon, Arizona via lively sketches by members of the new USk chapter there. We also warmly welcome new chapters from Scandinavia, Europe and Australia, and catch up on USk Port Douglas/Mossman’s recent Sketchfest. USk Johannesburg gives a stunning insight into their incredibly diverse city, and USk
NYC shares tips on how to run a first rate sketching retreat. USk Edmonton shows how sketching can be used to advocate for heritage in your local area.
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hank you to the many members who responded to our recent Drawing Attention Readership Survey. We are wasting no time acting on your suggestions and are pleased to bring you our first step-by-step painting demo, care of Atlanta sketcher Jim Chapman. Other experts show you how to create curvilinear perspective in your work.
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inally, we hope that December is a happy and creative month for you. We’d like to suggest taking some time to relax with a book from our holiday reading list. Our next issue of DA will be out in March 2022, and we are always keen to hear your feedback on our zine and any other aspect of urban sketching. With best wishes, Jane Wingfield (USA), Olga Surmacheva (USA), and Anne Taylor (NZ) Content Publication Team drawingattention@urbansketchers.org
4 NEWS & EVENTS
10 USK TUSCON
18 USK NYC 34 JIM CHAPMAN
CONTENTS 24 USK
JOHANNESBURG
50 USK EDMONTON 56
36 CURVILINEAR
HOLIDAY READING
ENDNOTES / REVIEW
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usk news & events
PATRICK NG
ERIC NGAN
KRIS MORDECAI
WELCOMING NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS With much excitement, we welcome Singapore resident Patrick Ng as VicePresident of Urban Sketchers starting on 1 January 2022. Patrick is a veteran Urban Sketcher, a long-time community builder, and ink and watercolor artist. We look forward to seeing how the new Executive Board members steer the organization.
COLORFUL CORES WORTH WAITING FOR Discover the cutting edge of color with Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils. Shop 150 colors and a variety of sets today.
We welcome our new Events Director, all the way from New Zealand – Eric Ngan! Eric brings an unmatched enthusiasm for community focus. As a professional events organizer, Eric combines his practiced professional skills with a love of urban sketching and a community-based focus, which will be the fuel that propels community events globally. We welcome Kris Mordecai from the USA as the USk Treasurer starting on 1 Jan 2022. As a member of the Finance Committee, Kris has worked closely with Gail Wong, our outgoing Treasurer and USk veteran over the past few years, and has spearheaded the annual year-end fundraising drive. It gives us great joy to promote from within and bring on new members in leadership roles.
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usk news & events
CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH REGIONAL EVENTS – NEW REGIONAL GRANTS PROGRAM
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rban Sketchers is excited to announce the launch of the USk Regional Events Grant Program. Through this grant, Urban Sketchers will assist USk Chapters in hosting events that are bigger than their regular chapter sketch outings, with help on guidance and mentorship from the Events, Membership, Education and Sponsorship committees; supporting your team and connecting other chapters or USk partners to your event, and providing a monetary grant.
The Program will provide a regional chapter team with up to USD $2,000 to promote urban sketching to your chapter and connect the community of sketchers around your location. Proposals will be accepted up to December 31st, 2021. Read more about this program here.
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• How often do you read DA?
UPDATE FROM GENINE CARVALHEIRA USK VICE PRESIDENT DRAWING ATTENTION READERSHIP SURVEY
Every month / issue 52% Most of the time 16% Half the time/ seldom / never 32%
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BIG thank you to the 197 people who took part in our Drawing Attention survey! Your feedback has given us insights into what you want to see, how often you want to see it and what areas we can improve on. Here are a few highlights.
You told us that Drawing Attention makes you feel connected with other sketchers around the world, inspires you in your own sketching, and keeps you informed about USk as an organization. As well as our dynamic stories from all over the world, we started running personal updates from our Executive Board members a while back and are continuing to do this. There is a strong appetite for Sketcher Spotlights, USk News and Chapter Features, and we hope to bring you more of what you have asked for – urban sketching book and gear reviews – in future issues. It’s clear that DA is a strong prompt for action: you visited the USk website (49%); recommended USk to a friend (44%); attended an event (19%); volunteered (10%), and started a chapter (10%) after reading. You’ll see from this issue that the Executive Board along with the Drawing Attention team have already begun responding to some of your feedback. Demos and ‘how to’ features came out on top of the list of what you’d like to see, so we are pleased to bring you our first ever step-by-step demo, care of Atlanta sketcher Jim Chapman, and a story showing you how to sketch using curvilinear perspective. We will continue to work over the course of the year reflecting on the survey results to help shape Drawing Attention content and delivery. Feel free to contact the DA team at any time. 6 drawing attention
• What does DA do for you?
Makes me feel connected with other sketchers around the world 82.65% Inspires me to try new things in my sketching 64.29% Gives me insight to the USk Organization 59.69% Serves as an information source for education 47.96% Encourages me to support USK financially 11.22% Makes me want to volunteer 9.69%
usk news & events
HAPPY SKETCHERS IN THE SWISS CAPITAL BY CHRISTIAN BÜHLER
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he 3rd Swiss Urban Sketchers Symposium took place in Bern from 9-11 September 2021. Bern, with its picturesque old town, beautiful views, miles of arcades, small alleyways, historical buildings and figure fountains, was the perfect place to go out sketching. Close to 150 participants attended workshops given by 14 instructors on a wide range of topics and techniques. There was a distinctly international feel with many instructors and participants coming from outside Switzerland, mainly from Germany but also some other European countries. The organizers took a risk by planning such an event during a pandemic – luckily there was a relative lull when the Symposium took place. Of course the familiar Covid precautions were adhered to throughout the event and no problems were reported. There were happy faces all around and the feedback was enthusiastic.We are now looking forward to next year’s Symposium, which will take place in Basel. ABOVE RIGHT: SKETCH BY KATHRIN PORTMANN
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SKETCH BY RACHAEL FOSTER
SKETCH BY JACKY ELMS
‘Come and sketch our slice of paradise’ THIS WAS THE INVITATION TO URBAN SKETCHERS FOR THE INAUGURAL PORT DOUGLAS TROPICAL SKETCHFEST HELD IN PORT DOUGLAS AND MOSSMAN, FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND, A UNIQUE AREA AT THE INTERSECTION OF TWO WORLD HERITAGE AREAS. BY GAIL SHAW, EVENT CURATOR
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osted by Urban Sketchers Port Douglas/Mossman, the Tropical Sketchfest (8-11 October) attracted many local members as well as sketchers from across the Daintree River, Townsville, Cairns, and the Atherton Tablelands. It was a perfect weekend all round in this sublime location.
world’s oldest rainforest, the Daintree. We are very fortunate that, due to our remote location, our sketching program has not been interrupted by the Covid 19 pandemic, but vigilance prevailed and Queensland Health Covid-safe plans were in place throughout.
Port Douglas and Mossman are located 16 degrees below the Equator, and this is the only part of the world where two world heritage areas meet: the Great Barrier Reef and the
Sketchfest began with a meet-and-greet evening at the Port Douglas Community Centre, and was officially opened by Nexus Arts president and former Douglas Shire Mayor
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SKETCH BY JACKY ELMS
SKETCHFEST ‘THROWDOWN’ & SUNDAY BARBECUE AT REX SMEAL PARK LEFT: ON THE WAY TO LUNCH AND SKETCHING AT MOSSMAN GORGE
Ms Julia Leu. On Saturday sketchers visited the famous old cane town of Mossman, with its century-old mill and vibrant Saturday morning market. The local Douglas Arts Base hosted a beautiful morning tea. Lunch was at Mossman Gorge, on the magnificent Mossman River. The Mossman Gorge Centre is the gateway to the valley, a key tourist attraction with a suspension bridge giving access to a 2.4km loop walk through the National Park’s rainforest. It is part of the traditional homeland of the indigenous Kuku Yalanji people (Goo-goo Ya-lan-gee). There was also swimming in the pristine waters of Mossman River, widely considered the best swimming hole in Australia.
On Sunday we started at the famous Port Douglas markets, where sketchers were able to choose from a gorgeous range of subjects including the historic Sugar Wharf (pictured above), the beautiful wooden historic church St Mary’s by the Sea, the old Court House and the busy marina. In the afternoon, sketchers enjoyed a barbecue and then the ritual “throwdown”. We hope in future years we’ll be able to invite sketchers from all over the world to come sketch with us in our little slice of paradise in tropical Far North Queensland.
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SKETCH OF GREEN ROOF PROJECT MEMBERS AT OLD PIMA COUNTY COURTHOUSE BUILDING
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DEANA REYNOLDS
LARA TARANTINI
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WELCOME URBAN SKETCHERS TUCSON TUCSON IS THE COUNTY SEAT OF PIMA COUNTY, THE SECOND LARGEST CITY IN ARIZONA, USA. WITH 350 DAYS OF SUNSHINE A YEAR, A THRIVING ART SCENE, AND VIBRANT MULTICULTURAL HERITAGES, IT’S AN IDEAL PLACE FOR URBAN SKETCHING – AND THE HOME OF A BRAND NEW CHAPTER. BY CATHY GUTTERMAN
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rban Sketchers Tucson was originally named after member Tama White’s beloved stuffed penguin OPUS. The name OPUS seemed perfect for Old Pueblo Urban Sketchers, especially as Tucson is also known affectionately as ‘The Old Pueblo’.
connected with Mark Leibowitz, admin for Urban Sketchers NYC, and joined Facebook pages around the country to see how other groups did things. The founders were delighted when USk Tucson was accepted into the international Urban Sketchers organization.
Over the years, Tama went on to other things and Juanita Lehman became the primary administrator. Juanita kept the group together until Covid put a hold on sketching activities. About a year ago, Laurel Vogel arrived in Tucson and was excited to begin sketching with the group. She had helped Phil Gagnon set up the USk Ashland Facebook page and started working to help USk Tucson become an official chapter. Laurel, along with co-admins Deana Reynolds, Diana Jackson, and Jeffrey Harker, changed the group’s name to the more recognizable Urban Sketchers Tucson, and applied for USk membership. It took a few months, but Laurel
USk Tucson generally meets twice a month, usually on Sundays. Occasionally, members create popup sketch meets, which are almost always outdoors due to the pandemic. Tucson has a very large geographical footprint, so the group tries to hold events in all parts of the city. In summer they meet less frequently because so many of their members spend their time in cooler climates. They also tend to sketch in the more mountainous regions of Arizona, where it’s cooler. USk Tucson’s members range from quite experienced artists who show their work in galleries to those who are just starting out, like Laurel’s husband, who started sketching 12 • 2021 11
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this past year. What the group appreciates most about their time with each other is how they can pay attention to the people and spaces around them in an unrushed way – maybe not such an extraordinary thing, but it feels rare these days. Sketcher, Peggy Cobey may have said it best: “I was drawn to Urban Sketching because I liked the focus on working in notebooks and drawing a wide variety of subjects. Beauty can be found in everyday scenes or objects, not just magnificent views. Sketching helps to slow me down and really appreciate the world around me.” There is so much to love about Tucson. Think Old West meets San Francisco. The Tucson sketchers have sketched old west and mining towns (like Tombstone and Bisbee), Spanish missions, and experimental buildings, such as those at the University of Arizona that were built with environmental features like rain collection and other ecological considerations. When they reopen, the group hopes to sketch movie studios like Old Tucson, where John Wayne, James Stewart, and others filmed movies. The influence of Spanish/Mexican/Catholic architecture can be seen all around, but there are also some hyper-modern areas, colorful murals, shrines and chapels everywhere, especially in the Barrios. The group also loves to sketch in the fascinating Sonoran Desert, with its many unusual species of cacti, and the iconic Saguaro. This is a place that attracts artists of all kinds. For other urban sketchers groups who would like to become Official USk Chapters, Laurel says: “Do it! Apply! But be patient and kind. Remember, this is run by volunteers and is not for profit but for connecting to others who like to ‘see the world, one sketch at a time’.” Please follow us on Facebook and we’ll follow you back!
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CORONET CAFÉ BY LAUREL VOGEL
USk Tuscon
ABOVE: EL PRESIDITO, TUBAC BY LINDA LANDON ABOVE RIGHT: OLD TIME ARTISANS BY PAULA KRAUSSE RIGHT: SKETCH BY JULIE KAI BARRETO
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ABOVE: BELFAST FREE LIBRARY, BELFAST, MAINE BY LINDA MATSON BELOW: SAN XAVIER DEL BAC MISSION, TUCSON, AKA THE WHITE DOVE OF THE DESERT.BY LETIZIA STANGHELLINI
ABOVE: OLD TIME ARTISANS BY JULIE KAI BARRETO 14 drawing attention
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CACTUS CAR EVENT BY LAUREL VOGEL
ABOVE: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA BY MARILYN FRENCH-ST GEORGE
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SKETCHES BY JEFFREY HARKER, USK TUSCON
usk news & events
AN UPDATE FROM JAVIER MAS PINTURAS MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR
USK UKRAINE
USK GOTLAND
It is a pleasure to inform you that we have eight new chapters in the USk Community. I am very grateful to see that our family is in continuous growth. You can find all the Official Urban Sketchers Chapters on our Chapter Finder. Thank you all for being part of the USk Community. USk Bologna, Italy Iolanda Blesas: bolognaurbansketchers@gmail.com USK NICE
USk Ljubljana, Slovenia Mitja Bokun: mitja@bokun.si USk Pyriatyn, Ukraine Dariya Oropay: arnare@i.ua
USk Lille, France Hélène Zeyer: helenezeyer@yahoo.fr
USk Gotland, Sweden Janette Bornmarker: uskgotland@gmail.com
USk Rennes, France Katell Merrien: uskrennes@outlook.fr
USk Nice, France
USk Gold Coast, Australia Mark Elms: mark.elms.au@gmail.com
Marianne Heredge: mheredge@gmail.com
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RETREAT 101:
LESSONS FROM USK NYC ON RUNNING AN URBAN SKETCHING TRIP HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ARRANGING A GROUP TRIP BUT PUT PLANS ON HOLD BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO PROCEED? IT TAKES MONTHS TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL GROUP SKETCHING TRIP, SAYS CATHY GUTTERMAN, WHO SHARES HER TRIED AND TRUE METHODS HERE.
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ASHBURY PARK CAROUSEL BY DONNA DAVID
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good first step can be establishing a travel committee and dividing responsibilities, such as researching the location. At the suggestion of Margaret Casagrande, the USk NYC travel committee selected Asbury Park and Ocean Grove in New Jersey as the locale for our recent sketching retreat, from 10-12 October this year. Our group leader was Marianne Milzoff who took charge of the planning process and decision-making. She also served as our go-to person during the trip. I assisted with various organizational tasks along the way.
AT THE OCEAN GROVE STARVING ARTIST CAFÉ: MARIANNE MIZOFF, JENNIFER RANSOM & ANDREW BORLOZ
Undeterred by clouds, wind and rain, our group enjoyed a thoroughly successful retreat. We had a treasure trove of inspiration: sparkling beaches, crashing waves, an oceanfront boardwalk, colorful Victorian houses, gingerbread architectural details, historic buildings, a Tent-City. It was a wonderful opportunity to get away for a few days and be fully engaged in sketching together, with plenty of time for sharing and bonding with our fellow group members. Everyone had a good time and is looking forward to the next trip. RIGHT: OCEAN GROVE WAVES AND ROCKS BY CLAUDIA SCHELLENBERG
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TIPS RESEARCH YOUR DESTINATION: • Is it an interesting location with lots to sketch? The •
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•
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historic resort towns of Ocean Grove and Asbury Park fit the bill. Is it practical and easy to travel to? Our selected location was accessible by train from NYC and less than a 2-hour car ride from Westchester and New Jersey. Is it walkable and safe? Walking distances to our sketching sites ranged from .5 mile to 1.5 miles, and the terrain was flat. Are the accommodations conveniently located and moderately priced? We found a Bed and Breakfast Inn that could accommodate the majority of our group and had a room where we could gather for Show and Tell and socializing. It was also ideally located one block from the beach and a few blocks from the center of town. Note: Bed and Breakfast Inns may not work for everyone. Stairs can be a deterrent for some who may not attend because there is no elevator. Standard hotels offer more amenities. Are eateries located within walking distance for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Do you want to avoid crowds? Consider an offseason locale. Are there indoor options in case of inclement weather?
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OCEAN GROVE TENTS BY MARGARET CASAGRANDE
GET THE WORD OUT EARLY: • Start early to build interest in your trip. We began sending out •
• • • •
‘Save the Date’ notices several months before the trip. As you gather information about transportation, accommodation and itinerary, continue sending announcements about your plans. We notified our members via the NYC Urbans Sketchers newsletter, email distribution lists and Facebook page. Promote the trip whenever possible, especially during sketching events. Circulate a contact list with each attendee’s name, cell phone number and B&B. Share the planned itinerary, plus a list of ideas for inclement weather and maps showing venues, suggested restaurants and points of interest. It was not easy to organize a group dinner for 35 people. The restaurants in Ocean Grove/Asbury Park either did not want to take a reservation or could not accommodate our large group. Our solution was to divide into smaller groups, selecting from our list of restaurants.
DEVELOP YOUR ITINERARY: • In addition to planning your itinerary, compile a list of rainy-day alternatives.
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Because it was raining upon our arrival on the first day in Ocean Grove, we changed our plans and spent the afternoon schmoozing and sketching together at the Starving Artists Café. • It helps to enlist a local person who can provide an initial orientation and introduction to the area. We were fortunate to have Donna David, urban sketcher and resident of Asbury Park, who led us on an ‘Ocean Grove Sampler’ walking tour on our first day and an optional ‘Many Lives of Asbury Park’ bicycle tour on the second day. In addition, Donna created hand-made maps to help us navigate the area. BELOW: SHOP WINDOW BY PATRICIA GAIGNAT
SUSAN CUSHIN
DAILY SCHEDULE: • Keep your days loosely structured.
Don’t plan to do too much in one day. Allow for some down time and flexibility. Each morning, we met in the main B&B and enjoyed breakfast together. Depending on the weather, we decided whether or not to follow the planned itinerary for the day. • We gathered for lunch in small groups, at eateries suggested by Marianne via email. • After lunch, we resumed sketching until 4.30pm and then met at the main B&B for Show and Tell, sharing and socializing.
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PHOTOS: • Take lots of photos to remember your trip. • Enlist volunteer photographers to take various
photos of the group and their sketches, including ‘action’ and candid shots. • Share the photos with your group – it will help bring back memories for the attendees and stimulate interest for your next group trip.
RIGHT: SKETCHING AT THE STARVING ARTISTS CAFÉ BY DINA SCHLESINGER
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t was one of my favorite memories of the trip because we all sketched, laughed, and became instant friends.” – Susan Keene Cushin on sketching together at the Starving Artists Café. 22 drawing attention
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“T
hanks so much … I can hardly wait til next year!!” – Pamela Tucker.
SHARE YOUR CHAPTER’S NEWS WITH OUR READERS OCEAN GROVE AUDITORIUM BY CAROL KREIDER VICTORIAN HOUSE BY BRYL POLIN
Contact us to share your chapter’s news, special events, joint meetups, and exhibitions with our readers. You don’t need to write the story yourself. We will assign a Drawing Attention writer to cover your story! Contact us at: drawingattention@urbansketchers.org
USK INSTAGRAM
USK BLOG
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usk johannesburg USk
URBAN SKETCHING IN THE CITY OF GOLD AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS ‘JOBURG’, SOUTH AFRICA’S LARGEST CITY IS ALSO ONE OF THE 100 LARGEST URBAN AREAS IN THE WORLD. ITS MANY DISTRICTS ARE IN A CONSTANT CYCLE OF DERELICTION AND REJUVENATION, MAKING SKETCHING THERE ENDLESSLY STIMULATING FOR USK JOHANNESBURG. BY CATHY GUTTERMAN
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ounded in 1886, Johannesburg, South Africa is also known as the City of Gold, or ‘eGoli,’ the Zulu name originally used by migrant laborers who worked in the gold mines. Known to locals by the shortened ‘Joburg’, Johannesburg is a sprawling city, stretching for miles and blending with surrounding cities and towns. Some members travel 45 minutes or more to get to meetings, so the group is always delighted when more than five or six people show up to sketch crawls. The original city, with its historic buildings and vibrant communities, is the most interesting venue, but it goes through cycles of dereliction and rejuvenation. The Joburg group organizers must do their research before planning a trip to the city, as some go-to areas have become unsafe, and former no-go areas have been revitalized. For example, in the old fresh produce market district of Newtown, the grain silos we used to sketch have been converted into student flats. When a large shopping center was built next to the highway under which members sketched, the area became less busy, interesting and safe. A new drive to bring Newtown back to life is currently underway. Outside the old center, the city is a mix of houses with high walls and security, busy townships, and informal settlements as you move into more rural areas. The economic hub of Johannesburg is Sandton, with its futuristic buildings and high-end shopping DETAIL FROM A SKETCH BY CATHY GATLAND
USk Johannesburg started in 2010 when John Philip and Cathy Gatland began sketching together. They created the Joburg Sketchers Facebook page and soon attracted sketching companions. In 2011 Cathy attended the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Lisbon, where she experienced the wonderful camaraderie across nationalities and wanted to take that enthusiasm back to Johannesburg. Leonora Venter has been leading the group over the last three years, assisted by admins Lori Bentley, Penny Truluck and Lisa Martens. After a temporary move to the Western Cape, Cathy is back and has joined Leonora in running the group. Membership in USk Johannesburg is fluid. People come to the city for work, but often leave to emigrate or retire. However, there are a few staunch regulars. The group comprises many professionals, including illustrators, designers, architects, educators, IT operators, translators, as well as musicians and artists. When the group returns to sketching on location again, they hope to enlist some young sketchers. Sally Gaule, who lectures at the School of Architecture at Wits University, is encouraging her students to join the group. 12 • 2021 25
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malls, and the crowded Alexandra township next door. Sadly, there are huge disparities between extreme wealth and terrible poverty, and everything in between, conditions that have been made worse by the Covid pandemic and recent political events. A few old suburbs have retained their original character. The Joburg sketchers return here again and again to sketch street events, markets, music festivals and neighborhoods that are full of personality. They also like to sketch at community fundraiser walks and runs, street carnivals and annual events like the Waterkloof Air Force Airshow or Angela’s Picnic, where vintage cars from around the country gather. Jacaranda season, when many of the streets are awash with violet-colored flowers, is a favorite annual time to sketch. Recently, we set a date for the first weekend in November, as this is when the trees come into full bloom. For many years, USk Johannesburg has been documenting the events of their city through reportage. At a protest against an artwork called ‘The Spear,’ which depicted the then president in an insulting manner, Anni Wakerley and Cathy Gatland entered the throng and sketched the protestors. Some observed the sketchers with suspicion at first but 26 drawing attention
SANDTON DRIVE BY ALISTAIR FINDLAY
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were quite agreeable when they saw what the artists were doing. During a countrywide anti-corruption protest in 2017, sketchers went to various hotspots around Johannesburg. Fiver Löcker joined a large crowd at Mary Fitzgerald Square in the city, and Leonora Venter visited the Saxonwold ‘compound’ of the notorious Gupta brothers, which turned out to be the site of the most trouble. Luckily, Leonora left before stun grenades were thrown!
THE FIRST JO’BURG SKETCHCRAWL, AUG 2010
2020 was a challenging year for USk Johannesburg, but they managed to hold a few sketch meets in outdoor venues. After the first hard lockdown, they were very happy to get together again at Delta Park, a huge venue where they could safely spread out. They also met in smaller groups of three or four at the Botanical Gardens in Emmarentia, a market in Norwood, and an outdoor restaurant. Zoom meeting suggestions were not greeted with enthusiasm, so the group took part in many of the UskatHome and USkTalks challenges, as well as other ideas posted on their Whatsapp group. As with other USk Chapters around the world, USk Johannesburg has been anxious to get back to regular meetings and more sociable sketching. As vaccination rates have picked up and 12 • 2021 27
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restrictions lifted, they have started holding monthly gatherings again. The first was a joyful spring visit to the gardens of Glenshiel, an historic mining magnate’s home now housing the head office of St John’s Ambulance. They then went on to Riversands Farm Village, which was less well attended but another beautiful day out for those who managed to get there.
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MELVILLE FESTIVAL BY ALISTAIR FINDLAY
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ANTI CORRUPTION MARCH BY ANNI WAKERLEY 12 • 2021 29
ABOVE: BRAAMFONTEIN BY ANN LUDWIG
RIGHT: VICTORIAN GENTS, NEWTOWNJUNCTION BY PAWEL GRADOWSKI 30 drawing attention
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ABOVE: USK JOHANNESBURG – FIVER LÖCKER ZUMA MUST FALL
“T
he Joburg group organizers must do their research before planning a trip to the city, as some go-to areas have become unsafe, and former no-go areas have been revitalized.
LEFT: FORDSBURG BY JEAN ELPHICK 12 • 2021 31
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HILLBROW FROM MASONIC HALL BY LEONORA VENTER
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KEYES ART MILE ROSEBANK BY LORI BENTLEY
ORIENT HOTEL, FORDSBURG BY PENNY TRULUCK
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GRAND STATION HOTEL, JEPPESTOWN BY NIKKI MILOSAVLJEVIC
STREETOPIA, MELVILLE BY MARLENE CARPENTER
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SKETCHER DEMO
LAUGHTER – AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR SKETCHING IN PUBLIC Painting in public takes some courage; I’ve had passing folks make comments that can seize up the whole process. “My cousin paints, too…now, she’s a real artist,” the man tells me. Humor works both ways, though. It helps us artists survive. Not long ago, I had a woman ask if I actually saw those ‘wild colors’ I was putting into my sketch. “Yes, of course,” I said, “but that’s how things look to those of us that stood too close to microwave ovens when we popped corn as kids.” Then – after a few blank seconds – she and I both cracked up laughing, having bonded in some ancient, existential way. 34 drawing attention
Follow the shadows URBAN SKETCHER AND ART TUTOR JIM CHAPMAN SHOWS HOW YOU CAN KEEP THINGS FRESH IN YOUR WORK BY FOLLOWING THOSE RICH, JUICY SHADOW TONES.
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ecause it’s challenging to sketch outdoors with moving subjects, burrowing insects and often curious people, I have adopted a ‘one-stroke’ style of watercolor that – by focusing on shadows – is fast and suggests detail without actually providing any. I have found it ideal for urban sketching and I’d like to share the technique with you, using this black and white reference image (above). I used a Fabriano Studio pad paper 11” x 14”, tube watercolors and a No. 8 flat brush. The finished sketch may not look so much like my subject, but it sure feels like that moment the cool autumn air and sunshine illuminated him – and that was what caught my attention in the first place. Experiment. Above all, have fun. Your way will be the right way.
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Step 1: Shadows dwell where light doesn’t – It is useful to seek out the shadow areas because they imply where the ‘light-struck’ forms and areas are, and this results in a convincing illusion of space. In fact, creating a shadow silhouette is an excellent start because it lends a frame on which to ‘hang’ the light. In my demo subject, the fellow is light-struck by bright sunlight raking in from about a 10 o’clock position.
Step 2: Choosing your color ‘tribe’ – Once you have an understanding of the structure, it’s easy to fill the shadow areas with color – as long as the colors harmonize. My palette (today) is Viridian, Antwerp Blue, Cadmium Lemon, Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine, Ivory black, Phthalo Green, Cadmium Red Light and Dioxazine Purple. Experiment and find your own color ‘tribe.’
Step 3: How much brushwork? Less brushwork translates to fresher colors, so I let the colors mingle without brushing them together. I switch from ‘warm’ colors to ‘cool’ colors, darker to lighter, and also slide into neutrals. As long as I use my compatible ‘tribe’ of colors, any combination will work.
Step 4: Simply don’t paint what’s light struck – I leave out key light-struck areas, for example on the guy’s face and hat, etc. These light slivers separate shadow shapes and create accent areas. It also allows the mind to ‘fill in’ absent 12 • 2021 35 areas with imagination, creating a sense of mystery.
FISH-EYE PHOTO BY MARTIN ST-AMANT (CC-BY-SA-3.0). COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA CREATIVE COMMONS
Head-Turning Art
Curvilinear Artists capture the Wide-Angles of Human Vision BY JOHN ROMAN
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WE’VE ALL SEEN ‘FISH-EYE’ PHOTOS THAT WRAP A SCENE INTO A SPHERE, BUT FEW KNOW THAT THE ORIGINAL MODEL DATES BACK TO ANCIENT GREECE AROUND 500BC. JOHN ROMAN SCROLLS THROUGH THE HISTORY OF CURVILINEAR DRAWING.
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enturies before modern medical science understood the mechanics of eyesight, artists of the so-called ‘archaic’ period were using principles of optics in the visual art of their time. According to historian Erwin Panofsky, Greek artists had a system for projecting designs onto flat surfaces that corresponds to the way information is received on a curved eye – the first ancient peoples to understand this. They were also aware it’s not possible for us to observe our full 180-degree range of sight without looking up, down, left, and right. They addressed this by adding a series of vertical (or lateral) vanishing points in paintings that were intended to turn the heads of viewers as they examined a work of art. This practice continued into the Roman era and beyond, before it was eventually abandoned for singlepoint perspectives during the Italian Renaissance of the 1400s.
THE RENAISSANCE WINDOW Renaissance artists found plotting ‘straightened’ single-point images more suitable to their flat canvases and fresco walls, and this method has remained with us to the present day. The truth is we’ve all become so accustomed to paintings and drawings being perpendicular and straight-on that most 21st-century artists are not aware that traditional perspective drawings are, in fact, distortions of how we actually see the world.
Contemporary artists like Paul Heaston (USA), Gérard Michel (Belgium), and Lapin (Spain) are but a few of the international creators making us aware of our own ‘wide-angle windows’ in our perceptions of everyday life. By imagining a grid of five vanishing points, superimposed over whatever they depict, curvilinear artists project (or curve) all straight lines to those points. The result is a drawing that closely imitates the way our eyes perceive space.
Over the past several hundred years there have been attempts to reestablish the curvature of human sight to the arts. Artists such as Jan van Eyck, Manet and, closer to our time, M.C. Escher are examples. Though photography brought us fish-eye views in the 1900s, art that corrects or flattens what our eyes perceive continues as standard practice today.
THE WIDE-ANGLE WINDOW In the past decade or so, urban sketchers using a ‘curvilinear’ approach have been showing us what the world looks like through a convex lens, re-discovering what our historic art-ancestors first realized over 2,500 years ago: the 3-dimensional world around us is straight and level, but the arc of the human eye warps our impressions of it.
A DETAIL FROM JAN VAN EYCK’S ARNOLFINI PORTRAIT SHOWS A CURVILINEAR SCENE AS REFLECTED IN A CONVEX MIRROR. (PUBLIC DOMAIN, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS) 12 • 2021 37
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By imagining a grid of five vanishing points, superimposed over whatever they depict, curvilinear artists project (or curve) all straight lines to those points. The result is a drawing that closely imitates the way our eyes perceive space. RIGHT: TATTERED COVER BOOKSTORE BY PAUL HEASTON
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sketcher USk Germany spotlight
CURVILINEAR SKETCHERS Paul Heaston is famous for curvilinear sketches of his personal environs and the places he frequents. No space is
too small, too large, or too mundane for Heaston’s artistic eye. His intricate, freehand drawings put the viewer at ease, and the trademark inclusion of
his hands and sketchbook in each drawing solidly establishes that we’ve been invited into Paul’s mind to share his unique, singular point of view.
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ST MARK’S COFFEEHOUSE BY PAUL HEASTON 12 • 2021 41
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Lapin’s festive panoramic views convey a sense of fun as we accompany him on illustrated journeys to sites in and around his hometown of Barcelona. Lapin is an expert at capturing the distortion of vision in a way that subconsciously seems familiar to us, yet simultaneously entertains and fascinates. The spontaneous line and color treatments in his intricate
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renditions seize the viewer and demand closer inspection. When studying a Lapin sketch, we cannot help but gaze from the left side of the scene to the right side, just as we would do if we were at the actual location. Lapin’s curvilinear work is the essence of what early Greek artists must have been attempting to capture. FONTE DAS 3 BICAS BY LAPIN
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LINCOLN CONTINENTAL BY LAPIN
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LIÈGE, PONT DE FRAGNÉE BY GÉRARD MICHEL
Gérard Michel is a master of technical, curvilinear art. Rendered freehand or methodically, every drawing by Michel, whether of a single object, room setting, or architectural view, is a superb creation of finely-tuned vision, showing enormous skill, refined composition, and exceptional craftsmanship. The sheer volume of urban sketching and curvilinear images Gérard has produced is astounding, a reflection of his love for the medium and his distinctive gift as a visual artist. 12 • 2021 45
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LIÈGE, ÉGLIES ST. JEAN BY GÉRARD MICHEL
A NEW ARTISTIC ERA In the history of art, it’s rare for a new technique or style to open minds to alternative ways of thinking about the world. In the 1800s, the Impressionist movement upset representational art’s long-held seat as the only acceptable approach to painting. Later, the Expressionists went beyond creating scenes and showed how an artist’s emotions could be infused into art. And the Cubists introduced multiple-point-of-view abstractions, changing everything, and fundamentally challenging realism. Today we stand at the threshold of a new era in drawing and painting, one that has its roots in ancient times yet has taken 46 drawing attention
over 2000 years to fully blossom. Artists like Heaston, Lapin and Michel are but a few of today’s visual explorers who are opening our eyes to how we really see what’s around us…and turning artists’ heads toward new ways of communicating their inspirations. This story is an edited version of an article that was originally published in the July/August 2021 issue of Artists Magazine. Re-printed here with permission.
sketcher spotlight
Getting started in curvilinear drawing
Paul Heaston generously shares his tips overleaf...
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featured chapter
featured chapter
URBAN SKETCHERS EDMONTON
THE SENSE OF PLACE & ART SINCE 2011, USK EDMONTON HAS DOCUMENTED ITS HERITAGE BUILDINGS, BRINGING ATTENTION TO BOTH PROTECTED BUILDINGS, AND THOSE FACING DEMOLITION. BY MARLENA WYMAN
FAIRMONT HOTEL MACDONALD BY KAREN WALL 50
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n June 6, 2021, as part of the Edmonton & District Historical Society’s Historic Festival, I featured some of our sketches in a Zoomed co presentation about the University of Alberta’s threatened Ring Houses. After hearing of the plight of these four historic homes on campus, our group sketched them over several months. We learned that originally there were 10 houses in a ring, built between 1911 and 1914 for the first university president and faculty. Six houses were demolished in 1970 to make way for a car parkade, and the four remaining are among the oldest structures on campus. Our Ring House sketches have been shared on social media. Although the demolition of the Ring Houses was delayed temporarily through the efforts of concerned citizens, the future of these historic buildings remains uncertain. Art can be a way of drawing attention to the importance that heritage architecture contributes to the identity and vitality of a city. Although there are new buildings that possess architectural interest, unfortunately many are market-driven development projects lacking in any form of place-making other than undistinguished homogeneity. Whether we get together at our sketch-meets, or sketch on our own as we have been doing during the pandemic, each of us is inspired by something that catches our eye and compels us to draw. Heritage architecture is engrossing to sketch; some might focus on the rich details of a heritage building, others on the elegant proportions of the building as a whole and how it connects to the streetscape. The act of studying the form of a building in order to commit its essence to paper becomes a meditation that captures the building’s emotion and soul through our personal interpretation. We form bonds with the architects and craftsmen who took the care needed to create such
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intricate work, as well as with the developers of the time who understood the importance of fine craftsmanship and quality in construction. The resulting sketches are not simple observations; they make us feel that stories and memories exist behind those walls. Sketching, like all art, can engage and help to activate change. In some cases, Urban Sketchers Edmonton has been able to help halt demolition and, in other cases, sadly not. But through our sketches we have documented both the grand and the modest of Edmonton’s built heritage, while capturing the heart and soul of our city. Marlena Wyman is co-founder of USK Edmonton,
& PAST Historian Laureate for the City of Edmonton.
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USk Edmonton
RIGHT: RING HOUSE 4, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA BY MARLENA WYMAN BELOW: RING HOUSES 2,3 & 4, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA BY JO-ANNE FARLEY
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usk edmonton
RITCHIE JR. HIGH SCHOOL BY MERTS BELMES
LEFT: RING HOUSE 2, UNVERSITY OF ALBERTA BY KAREN DEE 12 • 2021 55
holiday reading 2021
LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL GIFT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON? DIVE INTO THESE NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ON YOUR FAVOURITE TOPIC....
FROM CAIRO TO BEIRUT
BY SUNIL SHINDE
COLOR FIRST INK LATER BY MIKE YOSHIAKI DAIKUBARA
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VOYAGE AUTOUR DE MA CELLULE BY USK PARIS
DUBLIN IN SKETCHES AND STORIES BY RÓISÍN CURÉ
NEWSLETTERS #1 – NOS ATELIERS DE DESSIN SUR LE VIF URBAN SKETCHERS BY BY USK PARIS
ZARAGOZA BY LAPIN
ADDICTIVE – AN ARTIST’S SKETCHBOOK BY ADEBANJI ALADE
AOÛT EN VAL D’AUBOIS BY LAPIN
holiday reading 2021
URBAN SKETCHING HANBOOKS:
UNDERSTANDING LIGHT BY KATIE WOODWARD
PANORAMAS & VERTICAL VISTAS BY MÁRIO LINHARES
DRAWING EXPRESSIVE PEOPLE BY RÓISÍN CURÉ
HOW TO BUILD A PRACTICE FOR SKETCHING ON LOCATION BY SUHITA SHIRODKAR
These books explore the work of reportage master Franklin McMahon (who was featured in a recent USk Talks episode), and are written by Frank’s daughters. MOROCCO BY JOAQUIN GONZALEZ DORAO
THE WORLD IS YOUR STUDIO BY DEBORAH MCMAHON
MAC & IRENE: A WWII SAGA BY MARGOT MCMAHON 12 • 2021 57
endnotes
USK CASTELLÓ ‘DIGS’ DINOSAURS BY MIRIAM RUIZ RUBIO
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inosaurs: Such fascinating animals....rare things to see and draw! Luckily for the Castelló Urban Sketchers, there are some dinosaur archeological sites that were discovered in 2015, not far from our city. The biggest dinosaur in the region is Morelladon Beltranis, a 6m-long herbivore with a dorsal crest who lived 126 million years ago. Now, thanks to its reconstruction, we can see it again. The Morelladon dinosaur and some of his friends traveled from their archeological site in Morella to Castelló Planetarium for the exhibition, where they stayed almost a year. This was a great opportunity for USK Castelló, so we paid them a visit and drew them in our sketchbooks! We drew the dinosaur reconstruction, its skeleton, and other dinosaur fossils. Most of the sketchers found Morelladon the most interesting, but others drew the fossils and one made a collage of the dinosaur and its skeleton. We complied with COVID restrictions and measures, wearing facemasks and keeping safe distances. Overall, it turned out to be a very successful USK meeting, with regular and new sketchers who joined us for the first time. Additionally, the Planetarium center shared our meeting in social media. We will definitely visit more dinosaurs in the future! SKETCH BY MIRIAM RUIZ RUBIO
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review
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 video reviews the Winsor & Newton Sable Brush. Check it out!
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Our 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.
© 2021 Urban Sketchers www.urbansketchers.org
