September Catch up

The road home - 2014 USK Symposium

sketching before the closing ceremony - 2014 USK Symposium

A small sketch while having coffee with new friend before the closing ceremonies.

Sunday boat tour - 2014 USK Symposium

The day after the symposium ended 12 of us decided to rent a boat and take a tour of the bay. We spent 6 hours on the water, swimming ( well i didn't but most of the other enjoyed. I don't like being cold :) ) stopping at beaches and sketching. What a great way to wind down after a busy week.

 

 

Bounding Boxes: Space and People as Characters - 2014 USK Symposium

I took William Cordero's workshop Bounding Boxes: Space and people as characters. First I have to say holy crap, Williams' work is even more outstanding in person. I love the way his choice of line and sketches tell the story of a space. I'm still bummed that I didn't win the silent auction for his sketch :) HIs was a great workshop and like the other has given me a new way to look at how I sketch a scene. Check out his work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamcordero/

 

Sketching Tour - 2014 USK symposium

I took the sketch tour with Richard Inke on the second day of the symposium and could not be happier that i did. I never would have known how interesting the town is and how it cam to be so well preserved in time. Check out the notes in my sketch if you'd like to learn more

Black and White Party: Sketching with Dry Twig and Chinese Ink - 2014 USK symposium

I went to the Dry Twig Demo with Ch’ng Kiah Kiean and am still in awe of what this man can sketch with a carved twig and ink.

such an interesting technique that I plan to explore.

see his work here: http://www.kiahkiean.com/

The Sketched Reportage - 2014 USK Symposium

This is from The Sketched Reportage with Simonetta Capecchi. She is a master at detailing and documenting events and processes. For this workshop we went to a local Paraty Cachaça distillery to learn about and document how the drink is made. Such a wonderful trip and workshop. Such a great new set of tools I have for future reportage opportunities. see Simonetta's work here: http://inviaggiocoltaccuino.blogspot.com/

 

Never Fear the People! 2014 USk Symposium

These were from Suhita Shirodkar's workshop Never Fear the People, which I regularly do. She had us jump right in and start. Sketching quickly and without looking down too much did take out the fear of having a completed figure. I still fear people but have a strong desire to keep at it and do think differently at how adding people to a sketch when it is fitting brings life to the scene.  A few post later you can see how I used my many hours at the airport :) see Suhita's work here: https://sketchaway.wordpress.com/author/makingamess/

 

 

 

 

The Joy of the Movement- 2014 USK symposium

The Joy of the Movement-USK Paraty 2014

I took Behzad Bagheri's workshop The Joy of the Movement and it was fantastic! Such a different way of thinking and sketching. Definitely something I'd like to put into practice. The first two spread were working from our imagination and the third we laid down our color and then found our subject to fit. (see the notes on the pages for the step by step) See his work here: http://behzadbagheri.blogspot.com/

 

2014 Urban Sketching symposium in Paraty Brazil

 

This year I attended the 5th International Urban Sketching Symposium in Paraty Brazil. It was another fantastic symposium  (a HUGE thanks to all those who planned and organized the event, you did an amazing job), set in a wonderful historic town on the water between Rio and Sao Paulo. I really enjoyed this years location and felt the size of Paraty kept all of us closer together.  Walking down the street you would undoubtedly find a symposium participant eating, having coffee and sketching. It reminded much of the symposium in Santo Domingo.

 

I've come home reenergized and inspired by both the workshops I attended and by the work of all the people I met and reconnected with. It is am amazing experience to look through someone's sketchbook in person. To feel the life they have poured into it. 

 

 I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people and am again amazed at the connections made. So many people from different countries, cultures, lifestyles, some who might not speak the same language, yet we are all brought together with the same passion.

 

Even as I write about it I feel that these words don't come close to the feeling I get from this experience. One person described it as a family reunion and I think that might be the best analogy I have heard. Each year it feel like coming home and seeing my family once again.

 

It was such a pleasure to meet all of you and I look forward to keeping in contact and hopefully seeing you at the "family reunion"

 

Below are the sketches from the beginning of my journey. 

 

waiting in the airport/ on the plane

 on the bus to Paraty from Sao Paulo

 on the bus and waiting in line at registration

sketch from the first sketch crawl on registration night          

 

 

and a few photos of Paraty...