Weekend's Sketch at Chinatown, Semarang -Indonesia

These three sketches I did last weekend in Chinatown. After I upload my first Chinatown scene on USK, Gunawan my only USK sketch's partner ( so far ) also interested to do the same. So we decided to come back on the same spot to find some other interesting objects.

The woman carrying shopping stuff on her back is a very common view in a traditional market here. If you can not carry your own shopping stuff you could easily hire her to do the job up to a parking area for 30 cent (3000 rupiah). There is also 'becak' (three wheels pushbike) . It is very nice to go on this non poluted vehicle with a very friendly driver that can be a chatting mate on the way back home.

If you are thirsty after shopping. There is a small food and drink corner as you see on the first sketch above. You may eat 'jackfruit rice' or just have a very freshing Ice Tea.... offcourse it is very cheap price. Its only about 15 cent(1500 rupiah) for ice tea and 60 cent (6000 rupiah)for the meal...

Visit to Wai

I visited Wai, a sleepy temple town, at 80 km. from pune.It has some old building still left fot artists like us to paint and sketch. Wai is known to have brick structures with lots of wooden work in it.I was there for some work, but could takeout an hour to sketchpaint also.posting some here along with actual photos too.

Cox Radio building, San Antonio

I have a bit of an obsession with nondescript, undistinguished mid-rise office buildings, and San Antonio has tons of them dotting the suburban landscape where I live. I admit I often draw them because they're nearby, and they're also usually close to strip malls with free parking, allowing me to draw from my shady car, which is preferable to sitting on a stool over hot asphalt. These places don't speak to San Antonio's unique character like its historic neighborhoods do, but they nonetheless have a bleak austerity that I find compelling, even if they're interchangeable with just about any other suburb in the USA.

by Paul Heaston

In the Heights - Stage

"In the Heights" takes place in the neighborhood I lived in for ten years while I struggled to make my way as an artist in NYC. The view of the George Washington Bridge and all the mom and pop shops on Broadway are all very familiar. What is new, is the vibrant score which is a mix of rap, hip hop, salsa and meringue. The sound in the Bob isn't the best, so I had some trouble hearing lyrics, but the rhythm, beat and dancing same through loud and clear. What impressed me most about the production was the lighting done by Howell Binkley. He managed to catch the early morning way the sunlight would illuminate the tops of the buildings with a warm orange glow. At the end of the first act there was a fourth of July fireworks display that was masterfully crafted using lighting and sound.
To do this sketch I sat in the back row of the balcony, in nose bleed territory. I had a book light but became concerned that it was far to bright. Instead I sketched clandestinely in the darkness. An usher stood behind me the entire time I was working. This sketch should never have been created, but I am so glad that it was. The title "In The Heights could also refer to the fact that I did this sketch from the last seat in the last row of the balcony, nose bleed territory!
The show hits so many universal themes, like yearning to break free, living up to parents expectations, finding one's place in the world and finally discovering a place where you belong, finding home. I lived in Washington Heights for ten years yet never called it home. This show made me feel nostalgic about that time and neighborhood. The show is about hope and believing you might someday be able to change the world. I love the idea that the work of a graffiti artist could cement the thoughts of Usnavi, who yearned to get away, making him realize he was already home. On the final note of the final number the whole cast stood united singing "Home" in glorious harmony. That note left me feeling a warm glow, and I left the theater humming the tunes on the whole drive home. This really was a fun show that for me hit all the right notes.
-Analog Artist Digital World

Parc du Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania

Village of R'Gueiba

I just came back from a short visit to the fishing village of R'Gueiba, one of the 7 villages inside the perimeter of the National Park of the Banc d'Arguin.

 I'm illustrating a children's book to be used in the villages schools about the biodiversity of their surroundings.

Women's meeting with Antonio Araujo

I was invited by Antonio Araujo a Portuguese ornithologue that has been working for the last 10 years with the Park on the area of conservation and preservation.

 I was to photograph and sketch the landscapes and plants I should include in the illustrations while he and his team had some meetings with the local people. Above he's discussing with the village women that work on the transformation of the fish ( roe, dry fish and fish oil). 

Fire Island and wood platforms for nesting.

On the last day of the visit we went to Fire Island a really small place but used by spoonbills to nest. The  rise of the sea levels and the change of direction of the predominant wind has been putting this area in danger and last year wooden platforms were introduced to protect the nests from the high tides. We found that birds had already built their nests as the breeding season is starting soon.

 Sand bags were introduced in some areas to protect the sparse vegetation from being submersed by the tide and that has created new sand banks and growth of the plants.

Children of R'Gueiba

The last thing we did was to ask the local children which of the illustrations I had done they preferred. The teacher had them all outside the class and called them one by one to have a look at the two examples and choose. Great field trip and now back to work. More images on my blog.

Parque de Doñana, Andalucía, Spain

Algunos dibujos hechos para el parque de Doñana, un espacio magnífico en Huelva, Andalucía.

Después se publicaron en forma de cuaderno de apuntes.

GITONE STUDIO, HONG KONG

We are always looking for new things to do on weekend in Hong Kong beside shopping and eating out. While exploring the Quarry Bay Park, we came across a interesting pottery/painting studio called GITONE Arts and Dining. http://www.gitone.hk

Started in 1992, the owner , Terrence Lee, whom is a artist teaches pottery and painting. The place also served for private dining in the evening.

Epcot Center

Epcot Center at Walt Disney World is one of my favorite parks. I love how I can experience such a variety of cultures in one day. Here are a few drawings I completed there over the years!-Danielle

Italy

Canada

wright you are

Celeste Turner Wright Hall, UC Davis. Named after a former head of the English department, it's a colourful building where they teach drama. I have a degree in drama so I always feel the connection. Two of Arneson's 'eggheads' are outside. I drew it this week in warmish sunny March weather.

by Pete Scully

Folk dances in Tel Aviv

I wanted to share some more sketches from the last weekend. I think we have in Israel kind of unique phenomenon called "folk dances". As Israeli people are mostly immigrates that came here from different parts of the world, from Russia to Morocco and so on, so these dances has strange and authentic style, a mix of rhythms and influences. Almost everyone knows to dance some of them, lot of people go to dancing classes and know all of them very well. Every Saturday in the middle of the Tel Aviv promenade people dance. It looks really great – people walking by the promenade, stopping around the dancing crowd, joining for some dances and continuing their trip. I think it's beautiful. I tried to capture some of this atmosphere in my sketch, but it's really hard. So I uploaded a short video here. I want to learn to how to dance like them!

Málaga, mounting the easter rostrum

Plaza de la Constitución is the core of the city. It is not very big and not particularly beautiful, but it has a nice human scale and, despite the size of Málaga, you might probably bump into somebody you know... As such, all easter processions with their religious images pass through this place.
However, and due to that fact, this square is temporary occupied by a huge and horrendous steel rostrum in which some people seat to watch these processions pass. Therefore the urban space is dilapidated during this period. I hope something more harmonious could be made up for next Easter. Too late for this year's, as you see in the drawing the mounting has already started.

In this other sketch I finished about three months ago you can see another view of the same square.

Martin Elsaesser Buildings in Stuttgart

After a visit in the DAM (German Architectural Museum in Frankfurt) with a fabulous exhibit about Martin Elsaesser, I have started to discover more and more his buildings in Stuttgart.

I am starting with his last building before his death. The Gustav-Siegle-Haus, a place for music, arts and education, was built by Theodor Fischer from 1910 to 1912, but it has been destroyed during the second world war in 1944. So Martin Elsaesser, one of Fischer's former students, rebuilt it from original plans. Gérard Michel also drew it when he visited me in Stuttgart.



The Stuttgart covered market hall was built from 1911 to 1914. It was nearly the first modern building in the still medievally shaped centre of Stuttgart.




This job was a kind of breakthrough for Elsaesser - in the 1920s he secured the deal for Frankfurt's great market hall (Großmarkthalle) and many more buildings in this town.

by Florian Afflerbach

around Istanbul

This lady runs the most delicious breakfast stand at the organic farmer's market in Bomonti. She's been there every Saturday I've gone, no matter the weather, with a beautiful smile and friendly welcome.

A slightly springy day on Istiklâl Caddesi. The buildings on either side of the large pedestrian street are simply exquisite.

I was lucky to get a seat on this jam-packed minibus— I could sit and draw this man, who seemed to be having a fun conversation with the driver.

This lady is always at the Yeniköy Spor Kulübü— I've drawn her several times in the past. She is almost always at the same table, every day, frowning over the newspaper in her pearl necklace and faux-fur coat.

Hanging OUT

Yoohoo! Hello sketching world. Long time no see, I've been busy putting together what will be my first individual art show. Very excited here! Anyway, this sketch above
shows a couple of my close friends hanging out on my boyfriend's birthday at a steak house. I will never understand why they put tv screens in restaurants, everyone ends up just looking up at the damn screens and to me, it kind of defeats the purpose of getting together to eat. :)



On this one we're just talking nonsense on my friend's balcony. Good times!

Ronald Searle interview

I thought this might be of interest for some of us around here - Ronald Searle the great cartoonist, illustrator and artist gives his first tv interview since 35 years. He talks about reportage, millions of lines, and bubbles - enjoy..

Lok