Évora Sketchers

terça-feira, 24 de dezembro de 2019

Sketching along the pista #13

My cycling trip ended with the ride from Vila Viçosa to Estremoz. Such a wealth of sketching possibilities and on my free morning I chose to sit in Praça Luís de Camões where the surrounding buildings seemed like spectators in an amphitheatre observing Portuguese history. Just like me. Again, I tried to capture the scene using a minimum of line and colour yet extracting the maximum character.

This will be my last post until I return. 2020 maybe? 2021? It was such a joy to meet and sketch with the Évora Sketchers and it has been a pleasure to share the results. Feliz natal. Abraços a todos.

Sketching along the pista #12

Sketching alongside a colleague from the worldwide Urban Sketchers community always highlights the joy of our shared passion. Working in near silence for an hour and a half with José in Vila Viçosa produced two very contrasting works, but this is the magic of urban sketching. We discussed this alchemy later over a drink, marvelling at the individuality and vitality of our chosen pursuit.

Sevilla-based sketcher Inma Serrano (@inmaserranito), whose workshop I took at the 2018 USk Porto Symposium, has long been an inspiration for me. Here I had in mind her quirky perspective effects, and bold yet simple use of line and colour. This row of houses in Rua dos Combatents da Grande Guerra seemed ideal to produce a work of whimsy and charm. Gracias Inma, obrigado José.

segunda-feira, 23 de dezembro de 2019

Sketching along the pista #11

Sketching on the run, a hot day with many kilometres still to cycle, leads to some shortcuts. Near the township of Terena, Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Boa Nova provided an outstanding cultural monument to visit, a shady place for lunch, and a great subject for a sketch.

I experimented with different techniques for the stonework: some with a wax crayon resist, others using pen and white marker. I ran out of time to complete the sketch, so used the unfinished portion as a journal page, blocking out the space with my hieroglyphic script.