Drawing Attention September 2024 by Drawing Attention

SKETCHING IN BUENOS AIRES BALI, BARCELONA, CURITIBA

WISCONSIN

Attention DRAWING

The official zine of Urban Sketchers SEPT 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 contributors:

Content PubliCation team: Anne Taylor, Jane Wingfield

mailChimP layout: Jane Wingfield

i ssuu layout: Anne Taylor

Writers & Contributors: Geninbe Cavalheira, Norberto Dorantes, Cathy Gutterman, Annette Morris, Eric Ngan, Chiemi Freund and Dave Spencer, Ronaldo Kurita, Cecilia Novello, Parka, Maria Regina Tuazon, Jane Wingfield

Proofreaders: Leigh Ferst, Mona Kwon

Cover image: Cecilia Novello

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CirCulation: 14k+ readershiP: 16k+

Web: urbansketchers.org

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.

Kia ora everyone – or should that be Hola! Because it’s only a month until the biggest event on the annual USk calendar: the 2024 Buenos Aires Symposium.

We have a flavour of Argentina this time: BA local Cecilia Novello takes us through her top places to visit in this fabulous city, and Norberto Dorantes shares how he captures BA on paper. You’ll find his approach applies just as well in your nearest city.

We meet prolific graphic artist, sketcher, and musician Simon Taylor, whose selfpublished books have been showcasing the urban sketching community in Brazil for many years.

We farewell a stalwart of Drawing Attention, Seattle-based Jane Wingfield who has been volunteering for USk since first meeting Gabi Campanario in 2009. Jane has made a huge contribution in her local community, further afield, and to these pages, and I will sincerely miss working with her. She recently took a well-deserved break in tropical Bali, meeting the super-friendly local

chapter there; she shares her memorable trip with us.

As usual we have news from around the world: we highlight new chapters, welcome two new USk volunteers, and meet the Membership Committee who do so much to support and grow USk chapters globally. And we have reviews on sketching gear from Mark Leibowitz and Parka – it’s always great to see what’s new.

Thank you to the many people who contributed to the September issue, including our eagle-eyed proofreaders Leigh and Mona. Your work and effort is always much appreciated. Please let us know if your chapter is doing something interesting.

Wishing you inspiration in all your creative activities.

Anne Taylor (NZ), with Jane Wingfield (USA) Content Publication Team E: drawingattention@urbansketchers.org

THANK YOU,

JANE!

As we reflect on the journey of Drawing Attention, we want to honor Jane Wingfield for her nearly eight years of service as a writer, MailChimp editor, and coeditor. Jane’s dedication has been instrumental in sharing the stories of sketchers from around the world, helping us discover new talents and celebrate diverse voices.

Jane, your passion and commitment have left a lasting mark on our community. We are deeply grateful for your contributions and look forward to seeing where your creative journey takes you next. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Urban Sketchers. With appreciation, from the Executive Board, and the Urban Sketchers Community.

Genine Cavalheira USk President

JANE WINGFIELD, US k SEATTLE, LOOKS BACK ON NEARLY EIGHT YEARS OF VOLUNTEERING AS A DRAWING ATTENTION, AND MAILCHIMP EDITOR FOR URBAN SKETCHERS.

Looking back at the past seven and a half years working as a writer, MailChimp editor and coeditor of Drawing Attention I feel sweetly nostalgic. A lot has happened in my life since my first involvement with Drawing Attention and looking at the older issues of DA, memories from my personal life unfold alongside the images. Just like sketching, the sensations of place and time have become part of my story.

Being part of the editorial team, I got to think about those in the worldwide community and find sketchers that may not have been previously recognized. Interviewing people from all over the world – Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, Switzerland, Spain, England, Germany, and more has connected me with the worldwide community in a personally meaningful way.

“I

’VE PRODUCED MAILCHIMP NEWSLETTERS

WHILE SAILING THE SALISH SEA AND WHILE TRAVELING IN PORTUGAL. I’VE JOINED TEAM MEETINGS FROM OLYMPIA, WARWICK, NY AND MADRID, SPAIN.” – JANE

Just this past spring I had the unexpected opportunity to visit Bali (see story page 36 ). At first, I couldn’t get any response to messages. Finally, talking to another sketcher who had been there revealed that he had a link to the USk Bali WhatsApp group. He shared it with me and Bingo! I got an immediate response and an overwhelming warm welcome from the group – instant community because of community!

I feel very privileged to have had this opportunity. Some people say volunteering is a way of giving back but I think I receive in more than equal measure. I get tremendous satisfaction and happiness when I meet other

sketchers and can share their work as well as chapter news and worldwide events with the broader community. It has been a lot of work but definitely time well spent.

You may still see some future contributions from me as I continue to meet so many talented sketchers and learn about fun events. Until then, I’ll be falling in love with the world, one sketch at a time!

RIGHT: MADRID MOTORBIKE

BY JANE WINGFIELD

JANE’S URBAN SKETCHING JOURNEY

Idiscovered urban sketching in 2009 when Gabi Campanario invited people to join him at a “sketchcrawl” in Seattle’s Volunteer Park. I immediately knew I was hooked. Since then, I have been sketching nonstop and volunteering with Urban Sketchers in Seattle and internationally. Sketching on location for over 12 years has given me the gumption to pull out my sketchbook and start sketching just about anywhere. Travel sketching is the best! It’s not only inspiring, memorable, and endlessly entertaining, it also provides the best souvenirs!”

WELCOME AMY & FRANCOIS

We’re excited to introduce two new volunteer positions. USk is an organization that’s powered by passionate volunteers like you, and we’re always seeking ways to grow and enhance our global community. We welcome two new volunteer coordinators...

NEW TRANSLATION COORDINATOR:

FRANÇOIS VAUDOUR

François is a former computer scientist living in Le Havre, France, practicing sketching regularly since 2010 with various mediums (ink, watercolor, ballpoint pen). He will be working on translating USk documents to foster inclusivity and communication across linguistic barriers.

“I started Le Havre’s USk chapter and am looking forward to volunteering as a translation coordinator. Translation is important to spread the USk philosophy to non-English speaking people,” he says.

NEW VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: AMY GOWANS

Amy has been on volunteer teams for over 30 years. She often serves as an event host and is currently the registrar for the USk Chicago Seminar. Amy sketches to document her memories of travels, making new friends around the world. Her recent travel journals include sketches from Greece, Mexico, and Croatia.

Amy will be recruiting new volunteers to enrich the USk community, and gathering feedback from volunteers.

TCRAFTSMANSHIP MEETS INNOVATION

The art of brush making

In 1951, siblings Wilma and Arturo Bonazzi began making brushes in Emilia, Italy. Today, Borciani e Bonazzi is a top name in Italian brush making.

he quality of Borciani e Bonazzi craftsmanship combined with the excellence of the materials used ensure the production of superior brushes, which maintain their shape, while retaining hair elasticity. We create brushes keeping in mind the artists who will use them, always thinking about how our brushes can enhance their art.

IL DOPPIO FOR URBAN SKETCHERS

We developed the first brush with a double head: IL DOPPIO. Conceived for urban sketchers, IL DOPPIO is the first travel brush with a double head and two closable capsules, the perfect solution for artists who want to always carry a versatile, precise, practical and functional tool, during journeys and on location.

Il Doppio consists of two heads made of different synthetic fibres, both patented by Borciani e Bonazzi, with extraordinary properties. On one end, a round quill brush with HIDRO® synthetic fibre size 2/0. On the other end, a brush using MKS® Kolinsky Synthetic fibre with nickel plated brass ferrule size 10. The fibre provides performance equivalent to and greater than the natural hair of Kolinsky Sable, while the brass ferrule ensures a perfect seal and compactness of the tip. It has perfect absorbency and return in shape; and it gives a controlled and precise stroke.

A brush is made up of bristles, ferrule and handle, but it contains endless possibilities. It also embodies our passion, the same passion we have put into making brushes every day for more than 70 years.

Meet the Membership Committee

URBAN SKETCHERS IS A VIBRANT, INCLUSIVE AND GROWING WORLDWIDE COMMUNITY.

THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE IS A KEY PART OF IT, SAYS RONALDO KURITA

Ronaldo Kurita, USk Vice President and Membership Director says, “We want to reach out to every region in the world and it’s amazing when we receive a request for a new local chapter to be formed. We oversee the application process for new local chapters, review submissions, ensure applicants meet the organization’s criteria, and maintain membership records. We also provide support and guidance to existing chapter admins. It’s all about community building!”

The Membership committee is made up of volunteers from different parts of the world who act as Regional Coordinators. They cover specific regions and this is important as they are familiar with their region’s language, culture, geography and are in the same time zones. “I feel that despite cultural, linguistic, and geographical differences, all Urban Sketchers chapters are quite similar in their activities and administration,” says Javier Mas Pinturas from USk Seville, Spain and Membership Committee Coordinator.

Pat Ng from USk Singapore says: “As much as the role often has a lot of technical and administrative aspects to it, we are community builders at heart. It’s why I chose to be a part of the Membership team.” Donald Saluling from USk Indonesia is one of Asia Regional Coordinators: “Our team works 24-7. Since we’re representatives from different parts

of the globe. Some of us are active when it’s bedtime on the other side.” Mary Jo Ernst, North America Regional Coordinator adds, “We take sparks of artistic energy and help them become a fire! Every group has a set of requirements to achieve before becoming official.”

Our diverse coordinators contribute to keep our guidelines updated as we face new situations. They know a lot about our organization and what we are looking for. They are authorized to implement our guidelines to local chapters.

Inma Lazo from USk Seville, Spain: “I think our team works to keep alive the spirit of the beginning: the Manifesto that is one of the pillars of our organization. As the USk movement becomes wider, it is an endless effort to introduce to new members the principles on which this community is founded.” According to Farah Irani from USk Pune, India : “Being on the Urban Sketchers Membership Committee is deeply fulfilling. Shaping global sketching communities and mentoring new chapters evoke a profound sense of purpose. Witnessing the growth of sketching communities is inspiring, and the personal connections made worldwide add richness to the experience.”

Margarita Gallo from USk São José dos Campos is Argentinian and currently lives in Brazil. She says: “I’ve recently been added to the Membership Committee as a Latin America Regional Coordinator. I’m enjoying this role because it gives me the opportunity to help new groups become official chapters and gain a spot in our Urban Sketchers global family.”

Leonie Andrews from USk Canberra, Australia: “I never knew that becoming an urban sketcher would help me make friends all over the world and encourage me to travel to so many places I never thought of. It has been such a rich

You can see from the map that we need a Regional Coordinator in Africa. If you are in this region and wish to volunteer, please fill out the expression of interest form on our website.

Check out the guidelines for creating a new chapter here .

experience for me that being part of the organization, on the membership committee, was my way of giving back to people who have given so much to me.

I hope I can help other people to find the joy that I have being part of this group.”

THE MEMBERSHIP REGIONAL CO-ORDINATORS’ MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE:

1. Under the direction and leadership of the VP/Membership Director, help grow our global network of official USk chapters by guiding new urban sketching groups through their application processes.

2. To be a resource to chapter admins in all regions, which could range from journeying with them in their roles as local community builders, answering questions they may have, to troubleshooting issues they may face.

3. One of our tasks as RC is to “Create an atmosphere of Connection, Community, and Camaraderie across our USk world.”

These books were made for walking!

SKETCHERS FROM US k CHIPPEWA VALLEY HAVE CREATED TWO SKETCHBOOKS THAT TRAVEL FAR AND WIDE AND CAN BE SKETCHED IN BY ANYONE. BY CHIEMI

FREUND AND DAVE SPENCER

The

community travel sketchbook

Inspired by International Urban Sketchers Week earlier this year, we launched “The Community Travel Sketchbook”, a sketchbook that travels to coffee shops, libraries and museums in the Chippewa Valley, Western Wisconsin, USA, to be sketched in by community members and visitors. The hope is that this visual documentation of the community will spread the joy of urban sketching in this region as it collects travel souvenirs left by random folks.

Anyone is welcome to leave their mark. It stays at one place for a couple of weeks then travels on to its next destination. This unique sketchbook has been invited to an Urban Sketchers Postcard Sketch exhibition in Michigan called “ Wish You Were Here,” where it will be displayed alongside postcard art from around the world. Gallery visitors are welcome to sketch in the book, as well.

The Urban Sketchers USA Travel Sketchbook

Building on the idea above, one of our admins Drew suggested a sketchbook that would travel beyond the valley, and so a nationwide project “Urban Sketchers U.S.A. Travel Sketchbook” was born. This sketchbook travels among USk chapters in America, who add their sketches.

While there is no time limit in this project, the sketchbook does have a finite number of pages – 120 pages for approximately 90 official chapters. So, each chapter is encouraged to

Follow the travels of USk Chippewa Valley’s community travel sketchbook here. f

creatively share one page to one spread page, and most importantly, to make it fun! Where it travels next is up to the group who has the book at the time. If you are a participating chapter, this is a great opportunity to interact with your neighboring chapters and communicate each other to make its trip successful.

Why is this project not digitized? Because chapters are already sharing sketches of where they live online so

there is no point of doing the same in this project. The main goal of this project is to have the experience of one special sketchbook traveling the nation, being physically sketched “together.” Having a sketch collection at the end will be an exciting byproduct of its journey. This project will take some years to complete, so please be patient. The book will only get more interesting as it travels the nation.

Follow the journey of the “Urban Sketchers U.S.A. Travel Sketchbook” here.

LEFT: MEMBERS OF US k CHIPPEWA VALLEY

JOE MAURER

JULIE MAJKOWSKI

7th annual meeting of USk Catalunya in Sabadell, Barcelona

BY ELOI PONS MARZAL

On April 13th, more than 700 urban sketchers held the 7th annual meeting of USk Catalunya in Sabadell (Barcelona). Every year a group of sketchers from Catalonia, a region located in eastern Spain, organizes the annual meeting in their city and, this year, the members of the collective Dibuixant Sabadell, a group more than 10 years old, organized it in our city, Sabadell. Urban Sketchers Catalunya is formed by all the groups of sketchers of Catalonia (including official groups such as USk Girona, USk Lleida, USk Terrassa or USk Terres de l’Ebre) and nearby territories (such as USk Maestrat, USk Castelló or USk Mallorca. The official group USk Barcelona also supports and coordinates this event every year.

Sabadell 2024 followed the meeting in Ultramort, Vic, Terrassa, Lleida, Girona and Reus. We started in 2016 with some 50 attendees in the small rural town of Ultramort and in each edition we have had about 700 urban sketchers attending, a success in a region as small as ours. Sketchers from groups from all over Catalonia and many other parts of Spain and Europe came. Until now, the meeting has been free for urban sketchers and companions, and is possible thanks to the work of an important group of volunteers from each organizing city and USk Catalunya, as well as the generous support of numerous companies and local institutions.

In Sabadell, we started with a drink’n’draw in the afternoon.

On Saturday, April 13, we had our headquarters in the Sabadell Art Museum where we started the day at 9 am with gifts of art materials for the attendees, a coffee and welcome cakes. After greeting us and chatting with many friends, each one went to

draw around the city center of Sabadell, at the points that the organization advised. Exceptional spaces were opened for us in the city, with tourist visits for the companions. At noon, we stopped to take a group photo, and had lunch at various restaurants in the city. At 4pm, we started drawing again and had a demo of urban sketching with watercolors and mixed media that we streamed through social networks. At 6pm we finished the day with some singing and the group photo of the afternoon.

We want to thank everyone who attended and made it possible to celebrate this day full of drawing, with a very friendly and social atmosphere. We invite everyone to come to the 8th edition that will be held in 2025 in the coastal city of Mataró, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea which will be organized by Dibuixem Maresme group. We are waiting for you!

El passat 13 abril més de 700 dibuixants urbans van celebrar a Sabadell (Barcelona) la 7a Trobada anual Usk Catalunya. Cada any un grup de sketchers de Catalunya, regió situada a l’est d’Espanya, organitza la trobada anual a la seva ciutat i, enguany, els membres del col·lectiu Dibuixant Sabadell, un grup amb més de 10 anys d’antiguitat, ho vam organitzar a la nostra ciutat, Sabadell. Urban Sketchers

Catalunya està format per l’agrupació de tots els grups sketchers de Catalunya (incloent grups oficials com USk Girona, USk Lleida, USk Terrassa o USk Terres de l’ Ebre) i de territoris propers (com USk Maestrat, USk Castelló o USk Mallorca), però evidentment, el grup oficial USk Barcelona també dona suport i coordina tots els anys l’organització d’aquest esdeveniment.

La de Sabadell 2024 ha estat la 7a edició de la Trobada USk Catalunya després d’Ultramort, Vic, Terrassa, Lleida, Girona i Reus. Vam començar el 2016 amb una cinquantena d’assistents al petit poble rural d’Ultramort i a cada edició hem estat més assistents fins als més de 700 urbansketchers que ens ajuntem actualment, tot un èxit per a una regió tan petita com la nostra. Acudeixen dibuixants de grups de tota Catalunya i moltes altres parts d’Espanya i Europa.

Cal dir que la trobada, fins ara, ha estat gratuïta per als dibuixants i acompanyants, i és possible gràcies la feina un grup important de voluntaris de cada ciutat organitzadora I USk Catalunya, a més del suport generós de nombroses empreses i institucions locals. A Sabadell, vam començar amb un drinkanddraw la vesprada prèvia a la trobada per escalfar motors. El dissabte 13 abril vam tenir la seu al Museu Art

de Sabadell on vam iniciar el dia a les 9h del matí amb obsequis pels assistents (donats per abundants marques de material artístic), un cafè i pastes de benvinguda. Després de saludar-nos i xerrar amb molts coneguts cadascú va anar a dibuixar pel centre de Sabadell, als punts que l’organització vam aconsellar. Vam gaudir de l’obertura excepcional espais de la ciutat pels dibuixants, visites turístiques pels acompanyants, etc. A migdia vam fer una parada per fer una foto de grup, uns parlaments i anar a dinar a diversos restaurants de la ciutat.

A les 16h vam reprendre la jornada tornant a dibuixar i amb una demo urbansketching amb aquarel·la i mixmedia que vam retransmetre en streaming a través de les xarxes socials. A les 18h vam acabar la jornada amb una cantada de cançons populars i la foto de grup de la tarda. Volem donar les gràcies a tothom qui va assistir i va fer possible celebrar la VIIa Trobada Urban Sketchers de Catalunya, una jornada plena de dibuix i amb un caràcter molt amical i social.

Convidem a tothom a venir a la VIII edició que se celebrarà el 2025 a la ciutat costanera de Mataró, a la vora de la mar Mediterrània i que organitzarà el grup Dibuixem Maresme. Us hi esperem!

PHOTOS: BERTA TIANA, JUDIT VIÑALS, TONI RIBAS, XAVI PACHECO

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.

A GLOBAL EVENTS CALENDAR

Do you know about our Club Express Calendar page? This is where chapter admins can list their local events, which will show up within in the events on our Explore Events tab on the website. Just log in and start!....

BA Symposium 2024

CELEBRATIONS FOR THE 2022 WORLD CUP BY CECILIA NOVELLO

Top 10 things to do in Buenos Aires

WITH THE 2024 USK SYMPOSIUM JUST AROUND THE CORNER, ORGANIZING TEAM MEMBER

CECILIA NOVELLO SHARES HER TOP TIPS FOR EXPLORING THIS BEAUTIFUL, VIBRANT CAPITAL CITY.

BA SYMPOSIUM w

HISTORIC CENTER

Known for housing the most emblematic monuments, including the Obelisk, the Casa Rosada, the Cabildo, the Cathedral, the Manzana de las Luces, and Buenos Aires Museum. You’ll be surprised by the secrets they keep, revealing our city’s history. Walk along Avenida de Mayo and the Cathedral, London City, the Banco de la Nación Argentina, Casa de la Cultura (former Palacio La Prensa), the Palacio Barolo, the Café Tortoni, until you get to the National Congress.

Buenos Aires Museum is a great place to start your route through the historic center. You’ll find an excellent gateway to our city –dynamic, technological, reflective and inclusive. Explore contemporary life and imagine what the Buenos Aires of the future will be like.

1 2

SAN TELMO & PUERTO MADERO NEIGHBORHOODS

These neighbourhoods show history alongside modernity. San Telmo’s market is full of history and curiosities – antiques, black and white family portraits, toys from the last century, vintage clothes and jewelry.

Puerto Madero is one of the most modern neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, an attractive gastronomic hub and fascinating to walk around day and night. There are headquarters of large multinational companies, hotels and luxury high-rise residences, such as the famous Alvear Tower, the tallest residential tower in Argentina, at 239 meters high. The names of its streets pay tribute to the great women of Argentine history, and it is famous for Santiago Calatrava’s Women’s Bridge that enabled pedestrians to cross Dam 3, a popular postcard view in Buenos Aires. 4

MUSIC & DANCE

The city offers an extraordinary tango and milonga circuit that unfolds in the different neighborhoods of the City, in old lounges, cafes or neighborhood clubs. Every night, in our city, options await you to go dancing to the rhythm of the 2x4. In some places you can also join classes.

CORRIENTES STREET

Visit Corrientes Street, the street that never sleeps – a place that pulses with culture. Theaters, cafes, pizza shops,

steakhouses, tango, jazz, record stores, bookstores are open until late at night. Enjoy a play, eat a pizza at a famous spot such as “Güerrin”, “Los immortales” or “Las Cuartetas”; have a chocolate with “churros” at “La Guiralda”; travel through the aromas of coffee, tea and spices at the notable bar “El Gato Negro”; and taste one of the best artisanal ice creams at “Heladería Cadore.”

Enjoy a panoramic view of Buenos Aires from rooftop bars in Puerto Madero, ROOFTOP BARS

TANGO CALLEJERO Y BANDONEON

Recoleta, Palermo and the downtown area, while savouring the best drinks and gastronomy.

RECOLETA CEMETERY

See numerous and imposing mausoleums and vaults, belonging to many of the main protagonists of Argentine history, reflecting an era when Argentina was an emerging economic power and the main families of the city competed to build splendid pantheons. Many of the vaults and mausoleums are the work of important architects and are adorned with marble and sculptures. More than 90 vaults have been declared National Historic Monuments.

LA BOCA NEIGHBORHOOD

Feel the football spirit of “La bombonera” stadium, where you can reserve a ticket to see a soccer game. Live the folklore of the neighborhood and our national game

You can book a guided tour for the El museo de la pasión boquens, located under one of the stands. It has all the objects and technology necessary to know and measure the main achievements of the La Boca club. You can also walk through the colorful neighborhood starting from Caminito Street; learn about the back room of the artists of the Colón Fábrica, where scenery, costumes and art for the great Colon Theater are created. Vis-

Walk along a radius close to Corrientes Street, you will find two must-sees in Buenos Aires: The Colón Theater, one of the most important lyrical theaters in the world, and the Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore, a magical space that combines a bookstore, theater, cafe and art gallery.

CELEBRATIONS FOR THE 2022 WORLD CUP

it the Quinquela Martin Museum; eat a “choripan”, “milanesa” or pizza with a cold beer; and visit a typical 20th century “conventillo” in which several immigrants lived together, marking a large part of our diverse culture.

8 GREEN AREAS

Buenos Aires offers a city full of parks and squares. Don’t miss The Costanera

Sur Ecological Reserve; Bosques de Palermo (including the Buenos Aires Planetarium and Rose Garden); Botanical Garden; Carlos Thays Park; Japanese Garden, among others.

BY CECILIA NOVELLO

9 MARKETS AND FAIRS

Get to know the markets where you can enjoy the best cuisine in Buenos Aires around several neighborhoods of the city. Here you can eat typical Argentine food such as roast meat, “empanadas”, “guiso de lentejas”, “sandwiches de milanesa”, pizza, pastries, as well as delica-

cies from other parts of the world, since Buenos Aires is a city full of cultural diversity. In addition to the gastronomic route, you can visit the fairs and shopping trips, there you can buy antiques, crafts, books, art objects, among others. Check out great fairs and shopping trips and gastronomy markets.

NORBERTO DORANTES

SAN TELMO OPEN MARKET BY

10 NOTABLE CAFES

Buenos Aires offers a very vast circuit of notable cafes, which have been meeting points for great musicians, the debate spaces for important writers or gathering places for actors and politicians over the decades. Many of them are an official part of the city’s cultural heritage, such as the famous Café Tortoni, El Federal, El Gato Negro, 36 Billares, Los Galgos, La Poesia, The New Brighton, La Giralda, Las Violetas, Café Margót, Los Angelitos, and La Ideal. Learn about these wonderful bars and cafes here.

THE BA BONUS TRACK

Buenos Aires is inexhaustible and we cannot frame it in 10 recommendations. This is why we share this link with more magical places to visit.

We suggest you draw a route map of your own circuits in your sketchbook, because each person who visits us has the opportunity to draw their own map and enjoy Buenos Aires’ unique perspective. Everyone is welcome in Buenos Aires!

ARRIVING IN BA

USk has compiled this essential guide to traveling to and around Buenos Aires, covering weather, transport, money, internet connection and more.

Read the BA Symposium 2024 Programme here. You can register for a Workshop Pass or a Sketch Pass here.

ABOVE: CENTRO DE EXPOSICIONES BY CECILIA NOVELLO

BA Symposium 2024

Meet Ignacio Olano, the USk Buenos Aires Symposium local sketch correspondent all the way from the tango capital. With two decades of teaching architecture history in Buenos Aires and leading immersive city tours to read architectural spaces on location, Ignacio brings a unique perspective to the Symposium. By analyzing Buenos Aires’ architectural fabric through both emotional and analytical lenses, he offers a deep understanding of the city’s built environment which is invaluable for his reportage of the Symposium, our team of correspondents, and anyone he happens to draw or walk with.

He is a seasoned architect, professor, urban sketcher, and author of various articles in architectural magazines, based on his travel notebooks. Watch out for his posts from the 12th International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Buenos Aires from October 9-12, 2024!

ABOVE: OBELISCO MELANCOLIC BY CECILIA NOVELLO

IGNACIO OLANO

LEFT: OBELISCO BY NORBERTO DORANTES

ABOVE: AV.9 DE JULIO-ANALIA CORREA

SKETCHER DEMO

Norberto Dorantes is originally from Mexico but has lived in Argentina for many years. He often uses thumbnail line drawings to capture the space and atmosphere of cityscapes, choosing watersoluble ink to create tone.

Sketching “lightly” in the city

NORBERTO DORANTES SHARES HIS WAY OF SKETCHING THE BUENOS AIRES CITYSCAPE – AN APPROACH THAT WILL WORK JUST AS WELL IN ANY OTHER METROPOLIS.

When I think about going for a walk and sketching Buenos Aires, I can’t miss some important things. First of all, bring my headphones to listen to Gustavo Cerati singing Ciudad de la Furia (a classic of national rock). Not everything is tango! Second, I must expect the unexpected. Listen to different accents, from Latin America, from Africa, from Europe. Lots of people late at night, walking along Corrientes Avenue. This was precisely the theme I was thinking about on this beautiful but intense avenue.

Some other things to note while sketching in Buenos Aires:

COLOR: Buenos Aires is a gray city. Most of its buildings are between white, gray and a worn, yellowish tone (except the neighborhood of La Boca). The presence of color is in the sky, in the trees and plants, and in the lights of the city. I generally choose to work with a very limited color palette. Sometimes just a few touches.

NORBERTO DORANTES

SCALE: There is a large concentration of buildings of about 10 floors, but they are not just any type of building. Classical buildings of various styles coexist with modern and contemporary – and there is no lack of balconies! I entertain myself generating those black points of the shadows, inventing some gesture that represents that depth, while trying not to fall into the rigidity of measuring perfectly and counting exactly the number of balconies or how many cornices there are. As in this sketch, I prefer to suggest rather than copy.

2 3

MOVEMENT: If you draw any avenue of the Microcentro Porteno (the city’s commercial center) remember that everything happens very fast. There is a lot of speed. People pass continuously; there are cars and noise. I suggest trying to register that intensity with fast, strong features. Let the eye understand that there is a dynamic line at that height of the street. I like to draw people, but when I draw an iconic avenue like this, my focus is on creating the mood and not necessarily getting lost in the details.

TENSION: I like to think of the buildings as bodies, and imagine the tension between them: how close and dominating or how far apart and ignoring each other? There is tension between them, like a dialogue (see above). I suggest looking at the color space of the sky as a form. See how the streets are connected, record the wires, light fixtures, and so on.

TOOLS: I generally go out drawing with various pens, pencils, etc. but I end up using my favorite pen (M-tip) that I use to make thin and thick lines. I carry an A5 notebook and a small set of three watercolor colors along with a brush and water.

NORBERTO’S TIPS

• I NEED TO FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE AND THE SKETCHING MUST BE VERY FLUID.

• I LIKE TO STAND IN A CORNER AND DRAW FROM THERE.

• I SUGGEST YOU WALK LIGHTLY IN THE STREETS OF BUENOS AIRES!

sketcher spotlight

Sketching the Rhythm of LIFE

PUT JOY, FREEDOM AND RHYTHM INTO YOUR SKETCHING –THAT’S THE ADVICE OF GRAPHIC DESIGNER, ARTIST, MUSICIAN AND INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER SIMON TAYLOR , OF CURITIBA, BRAZIL. HE TELLS CATHY GUTTERMAN WHY URBAN SKETCHING IS A QUIET REVOLUTION OF THE BEST SORT.

Simon has been a visual artist from an early age. He doesn’t remember a day in his life when he didn’t draw. Although he had no academic training, Simon started working professionally in 1996, when he became a cartoonist and illustrator for the newspaper Folha da Imprensa (Press News). The hectic day-to-day life of a newspaper made him a quick drawer, without much time for “inspiration,” because a newspaper obliges you to produce results quickly. The newspaper goes to print with or without your drawing, so your artwork better be there!

Even today Simon has no difficulty creating. His style is very free and based mainly on lines. He sees himself as a designer who uses watercolor accents; he is not a watercolorist. He enjoys mixing materials, such as colored pencils and oil pastels, on paper or canvas. The human figure and architecture are his favorite themes. Because he worked in the newspaper industry Simon also engaged in graphic design. In 2007 he created his own graphic design, illustration and layout company Ctrl S Comunicação. In the last year and a half, he has been dedicating himself more and more to the visual arts and is an artist at Galeria R. Krieger, an art gallery in Curitiba.

Also in 2013, Simon took a design course where he met someone who invited him to join a new urban sketching group that would be drawing a different part

CURITIBA –SIMON’S HOMETOWN

Simon Taylor was born and raised in Curitiba, the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil. “Curitiba” means “Land of Abundant Pines.” The very beautiful Araucaria, commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, is found here; it bears fruit called pinhão (pine nuts) which are very popular with tourists.

A city of varied cultural heritage, Curitiba is strongly influenced by Italian, German, Polish, and Ukrainian immigrants, from which most of the population is descended. There is also a large Japanese and Arabic colony. The city’s variety of architectural styles, ancient and modern, make the urban landscape very interesting. Buildings in neoclassical, colonial, Byzantine, and Asian architectural styles illustrate Curitiba’s diversity and cultural mix.

of the city on location every week. Simon fell in love with urban sketching on the first day and never stopped! He used his characteristically free style and approach, which employs humor and rhythm. When other sketchers commented that he made “caricatures of trees, houses, cars, etc.,” he realized that he had become an “urban cartoonist.” He decided to name the style “Caricature of Architecture!”

USK CURITIBA

When Simon began urban sketching, the group was called “Croquis Urbanos.”

In 2015, Simon and four friends founded the USk Curitiba Chapter because he wanted to participate in the wonderful global community and put his city in contact with other artists from all over the world. In 2016, Curitiba hosted the first USk National Meeting of Urban Sketchers Brazil. It was a huge success with 300 sketchers from all parts of Brazil.

Simon is still an organizer of USk Curitiba and is responsible for most of the group’s activities. He served as USk national coordinator from 2019 to 2020. He is now preparing a book project that will celebrate 10 years of USk Curitiba, the only group in Brazil that holds weekly meetings. At the time of this writing, they are preparing for meeting number 365.

IT’S THE WEEKEND: “DRAW WITH JOY!”

Simon’s work as a professional designer means he draws for other people on weekdays. But on Saturdays, with his fellow urban sketchers, he can draw with great joy and in the freest way possible, without worrying about whether the drawing will be “good” or not, but living in the moment, expressing himself and getting to know better the city where he lives. Thanks to Urban Sketchers, he has discovered that, in fact, “We don’t know the city we live in. We just pass through it. But when we stop for two hours to observe and draw her, then we really get to know her.”

Simon’s passion for drawing has always been accompanied by a passion for music. Since the age of 13 he has been a bass player, guitarist, and a singer in bands. Currently he is in a band that only plays Beatles music. He recommends drawing with rhythm for everyone.

Simon intends to participate in the USk Symposium in Buenos Aires in October 2024. He has already drawn in the capital of Argentina and guarantees that it’s one of the most beautiful cities that you will ever see. Be sure to say hello to him if you go.

‘THE BEATLES’

THE BRISTOL 500 BUILDING

“PARA MIM, O USK É UMA PEQUENA REVOLUÇÃO. Se pensarmos na velocidade desenfreada do mundo moderno e toda a tecnologia nem sempre boa, o fato de paramos por duas horas toda semana para praticar o desenhos de observação junto aos amigos, conhecendo melhor a cidade e praticando uma atividade manual, é algo tão bonito e tão forte, que realmente considero uma revolução silenciosa em nossas vidas. Longa vida ao USk!”

“FOR ME, USK IS A SMALL REVOLUTION. If we think about the unbridled speed of the modern world and all the technology that is not always good, the fact that we stopped for two hours every week to practice observational drawings with friends, getting to know the city better, and practicing a manual activity, is so beautiful and so strong. It is nothing less than a silent revolution in our lives!

Long live USk!”

SIMON’S WEBSITE w

LEFT: USk CURITIBA AT BATEL’S HOUSE

BOOKS BY SIMON

In 2013, Simon launched his first book, Meus Cases de Sucesso (My Success Cases), a work that combines surrealist drawings, humor, art, and social criticism. The title is a pun on an expression widely used in the advertising market. His book is a humorous critique of our times’ obsession with success at any cost, and the inhuman efforts people make to achieve it.

Sketchers do Brasil (Sketchers from Brazil), which was organized and designed by Simon and four other members of USk Curitiba, was launched during the 2014 Symposium. This book profiled the urban sketchers movement in Brazil and featured 51 sketchers from all over Brazil. While the team wanted to continue with more books, the logistics of printing another book edition were prohibitive.

Simon then had the idea to produce a series of virtual books about urban sketchers from different regions of Brazil. He created 25 digital books about the main USk groups in Brazil; view them here.

Simon has published several independent publications of his sketches: Caricatura da Arquitetura (Architecture Caricature) (2017), Caricatura da Arquitetura 2: The Drawing and the City (2019), Curitiba em Traço (Curitiba in Dash) (2023) and Curitiba em Traço, 2nd edition (2024).

SIMON’S INSTAGRAM

Sketching in the “Island of the Gods”

JANE WINGFIELD

EXPERIENCED LEGENDARY BALINESE HOSPITALITY AND TROPICAL SCENERY WHEN SHE MET UP WITH US k BALI SKETCHERS. featured chapter

Baliis a land of enchantment. A land of broad-leaved tropical flora and delicate flowers, sharp cliffs plunging to turquoise waters, rice fields and monkey forests. Intricately carved temple pillars sit aside thatched roofed dwellings. Balinese Hindu rituals are integral to the culture. From banten, the daily offering baskets set outside homes and businesses, to elaborate temple ceremonies and traditional clothing – kebayas for women; udeng headdress and sarong for men – a sense of gratitude and respect is pervasive.

Contrast that with heat and humidity that wilts by 8am., and traffic that can make your toes curl. Motor bikes and scooters dominate and can carry several riders. They swerve between cars, small trucks, dogs, and a few brave pedestrians. Surprisingly it all works – no road rage, not even much horn honking. I attribute that to the Balinese culture which nurtures warm, generous, gentle people who extend their hospitality freely. And that’s what I found the morning joined USk Bali in Sanur, a beach town adjoining the capital of Denpasar.

present were the two sketchers who started the group Rudy Ao (@rudyao) a fashion designer, and Neli Yo (@neligunawan). Prior to 2012, they lived in Singapore and had often seen the

local USk group there. Rudy was curious and attended their exhibitions, held in a spot next to his office, but he never joined them while in Singapore. It wasn’t until he moved to Bali in 2012 that he decided to start a group in Denpasar.

I arrived at the garden and former home and office of Madi Wijaya, an Australian landscape architect and artist who lived in Bali from 1979 until his death in 2017. I stepped into the lush tropical gardens where a group of urban sketchers embraced me with typical Balinese hospitality. Among those

Being an architect and professor, he first got a group of his students together. Later he invited others to join and taught watercolor classes. Rudy’s wife, Neli, brought people from the fashion industry to join the group. They were both admins from 2012 to 2016.

Krishna Adithya (@krishna.arts) took over the group in 2016 and focused on building the local community of sketchers.

THE FAMOUS GREEN SCHOOL BY WIGUS HEDI

He is a very outgoing and helpful extrovert, an excellent PR guy who organizes the group outings on short notice, produces reels, and manages Instagram. He has just stepped down to make way for two new admins, Adhitya Gunawan @ aditya-Gunawan and architect, Wigus Hedi @artchdaily_sketch, sketchers with bright futures and fresh enthusiasm. Krishna introduced them as “the future of USk Bali.”

USk Bali call their meetups “volumes” and have had 196 volumes in 12 years. They meet all over Bali, and the day after we met in Sanur the group was going to Ubud for the culmination of a week-long royal burial. Markets are also a favorite spot to sketch, and Bali has plenty: fish markets, vegetable markets, a banana market, a bird market, fabric markets and more.

Temples are another favorite spot, and you can find them everywhere. Some are not open to the public, but most welcome visitors, including sketchers. Because it’s hard to manage big groups, the group will often announce a meeting only two or three days in advance, posting on Instagram and their WhatsApp group. If you go to Bali, be sure to follow @USk.bali to find announcements.

KRISHNA ADITHYA SKETCHING

We had a throwdown and everyone talked about their sketches. I heard a lot of “bagus” and “keren”, roughly translated as “good” and “cool.” We lunched at the garden café where I had my favorite, mie gorem — fried noodles, vegetables, and trimmings. It also comes as nasi gorem with rice instead of noodles, and both can be found on most menus.

“Terima Kasih banyak” to USk Bali for a wonderful day of sketching and sharing!

“Kind people are my kinda people”

Favorite Bali t-shirt:

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: RUDY AO, ADHITYA GUNAWAN, WIGUS HEDI, KRISHNA ADITHYA

RICEFIELD HOUSE BY JANE WINGFIELD

BOATS BY ADHITYA GUNAWAN

SKETCH BY RUDY AO

WATER TEMPLE BY JANE WINGFIELD

WISH YOU WERE HERE :

URBAN SKETCHERS GLOBAL EXHIBITION

Mary Jo Ernst, USk West Michigan member and North American Regional Team Leader writes about the exhibition of original, postcard-sized drawings created by Urban Sketchers members from all around the world. The exhibition runs from 13 September to 2 November 2024.

US k CÁCERES

US k VISAKHAPATNAM

ASIA

USk Brunei

WELCOME NEW CHAPTERS!

We are excited to announce these 10 new chapters. Welcome to the global family of urban sketchers! JAVIER MAS PINTURAS

USk Johor Bahru, Malaysia

USk Kathmandu, Nepal

USk Kolhapur, India

USk Kollam, India

USk Pohang, South Korea

USk Tokyo, Japan

USk Visakhapatnam, India

NORTH AMERICA

USk Kingston, Canada

USk Halifax, Canada

USk Greenville, U.S.

USk Mid-Michigan, U.S.

USk Salem, U.S.

EUROPE

USk Aarhus, Denmark

USk Aachen, Germany

USk Chartres, France

USk Cuenca, Spain

USk Gothenburg, Sweden

USk Lviv, Ukraine

USk Warsaw, Poland

OCEANIA

USk Fleurieu, Australia

USk Geelong, Australia

SOUTH AMERICA

USk Cáceres, Brazil

USk Córdoba, Argentina

COOL GEAR: ALL THAT GLITTERS

BY MARK LEIBOWITZ

I’ve been writing about cool art supplies for a couple of years. It might seem like I go from one wonderful discovery to the next. Of course that’s not really the experience artists have when they try new supplies. It’s also not my experience. The reality of buying and trying new art supplies is that it’s surprising how often we’re disappointed. So, rather than write about some new cool gear, I’m going to write about the products that, in my opinion, didn’t make it.

At our last sketch event I asked everyone what were the odds for success when buying new art products? How often

does the product meet our expectations? The conversation took on a life of its own, but the feeling I got was that most of the time we end up disappointed. Maybe it’s the great likelihood of failure that makes it almost seem magical when a new product exceeds our expectations? I think the intermittent rewards keep us coming back for more.

PAPERCLIP PEN HOLDER :

What you see is what you get. It’s a clever idea. Simple, inexpensive and highly portable. Clip it to the side of your sketchbook and you have a handy pen/pencil holder. Hardly anything to get excited about. It’s an idea I rejected for the column.

RUSSIAN SAUCE :

For starters, I loved the name. The description, or at least my understanding of the description, sounded great. What I imagined was that Russian Sauce was something like liquid charcoal. You’d be able to paint with it, it’s water activated, but you’d get the same effects as you would with charcoal. An intriguing idea.

I bought a set from Jack Richeson. (I assume they changed the product name, for marketing purposes, to Assorted Sauces.) The reality was it was awkward to work with, looked blotchy and didn’t give pleasing results. Yes, water melted the sauce marks, but it didn’t blend well and the original chalk marks could still be seen. I considered it a failure for my purposes. To my eye it looked nothing like charcoal. Maybe my strategy and expectations were all wrong? If you’ve had a different experience with Russian Sauce, I’d love to hear about it.

METAL NIBBED PENCILS:

Advertised as “always sharp”. The point looks like graphite but it’s not. The metal absolutely makes a mark on untreated paper and, yes, the point is absolutely always sharp. The

mark it makes is very pale and there is little variation in the mark making. You can’t really shade effectively with it, and you can’t erase. I’d place the value at about a 4H. I used it a few times to create a pencil underdrawing. It worked, but didn’t fit any real need.

I think there’s a sad truth we all learn: it isn’t the art supplies that enable the artist to make beautiful work – it’s the artist. If you’ve made a great discovery, reach out to me:

markleibowitz810@gmail.com.

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 the Etchr Nano Satchel. 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.