Évora Sketchers

sábado, 30 de novembro de 2019

77º Encontro ÉSk | Malagueira, Évora

E olha, o encontro na Malagueira até ficou compostinho, pensava que iam aparecer apenas um ou dois 'gatos pingados' como se diz aqui por estas bandas...estava um pouco frio e a chuva ameaçava a aparecer. Mas, pelo contrário, apareceu gente, gente que já não víamos há muito tempo, gente nova e até um cão...este ultimo não desenhou mas deu o ar da sua graça.
E aqui ficam as fotos desta manhã a desenhar o bairro desenhado pelo Siza :)

Fotografia: Teresa Engana.

77º Encontro ÉSk | Malagueira, Évora

Sketching along the pista #3

Having a spare day in Évora I was pleased to make contact with members of the local USk group, Évora Sketchers. The email reply I received was very encouraging: ‘Good news: I have some yes ... The first to be available will be José ... Later, 2 or 3 more will appear’. And they did! Thanks to Luís, José, Cristina, Joanna, and João for sharing their time and local knowledge, and for making this a memorable day. Sketching with other sketchers always gives the occasion a spontaneous edge and supercharges my nervous energy!

With this sketch of the main square in Évora, Praça do Giraldo, I started with very loose almost abstract blotches of watercolour and only applied ink after the paint had dried, something I have been encouraged to do since sketching in Porto earlier this year with my colleague from Seattle, Eleanor Doughty (a big shout out to @herbcoil).

This method—the reverse of my usual technique—certainly encourages risk taking and while the results are unpredictable the process is always an exciting and creative journey.

sexta-feira, 29 de novembro de 2019

Sketching along the pista #2

Cycling from Arraiolos to Évora along the Ecopista is a great way to start an adventure: a smooth, well-graded cycle path along the former railway track. The railway opened in 1907 (opened further north to Mora in 1908) and closed in 1990. Along the way are several old railway buildings and I presume my subject was a small station or railway cottage. Whatever, it was great spot for a picnic lunch with figs from the old tree out the back sweeter than any from the supermercado.

I used wax crayons as a ‘resist’, that is, the waxy crayon resists the water-based paint causing the latter to do deliciously unpredictable things. I used orange crayon along the top of the front wall and then white to give a general effect of decrepitude. Pleasingly (and coincidentally I should add) it gave the impression of speed, as though I was racing past on the bike. The brown pencil was a quick under-drawing while I was balancing on a rock eating figs, juggling my implements, and savouring a snatched moment of bliss.

quarta-feira, 27 de novembro de 2019

Sketching along the pista #1

I recently cycled through Alentejo, from Arraiolos to Estremoz taking a large loop to the south and east, sketching as I travelled. With the encouragement of Luís Ança and the Évora Sketchers I plan to post a selection 0f my sketches. Coming from Australia, I have no wish to tell my Portuguese friends about their own places, so I will instead comment on my approach to sketching in this special region.

First up was Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Castelo. This is such a picturesque subject that I could easily have sketched from ten or a dozen different vantage points within the castle walls, and I chose a sunny spot highlighting the (west) front while also showing the bell turret and various side appendages. My fude nib was great for enhancing the irregularity that age has bestowed on this lovely church, and I used grey ink to slightly soften the effect and allow selected highlights in watercolour to punch through.

Stay tuned.

Richard Aitken

Melbourne, Australia

sábado, 23 de novembro de 2019

Parabéns para mim!

E chego ao centésimo post neste blog!
Vamos comemorar com música!!!
Palmers, banda das Caldas da Rainha a tocar no bar da S.O.I.R. Joaquim António Aguiar. Provando assim ser possível desenhar concertos energéticos em salas apertadas no meio do público. Difícil mas possível!
p.s. a simpática banda gostou e autografou o boneco.