122-3548-9 – Lounges on the way to Iraq

Image | July 16, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here are the sketches I did on the way to Erbil, Iraq for work. The first is at the PAGS (Philippine Airport and Ground Services) lounge. I was surprised to be bumped up to business class – the travel agent had offered an upgrade with a hefty extra cost and I said no thanks, but somehow I ended up in business class anyway. So although I always feel a little uncomfortable with luxury and being waited on, I took advantage of the free coffee and breakfast before leaving Manila.

The second sketch is of the Al-Mourjan business lounge in Doha. The PAGS lounge was much better – here there was only free coffee and no food. This sketch ended up almost abstract. By this point I was pretty tired, so that’s my excuse.

Tue-7-Jul-2026

122-3546 – Meal out

Image | July 14, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

On this day we had our lunch out after having done some shopping (I got some new glasses) in the morning. This elderly couple looked as though they were dressed up for a day out…they probably looked over at us and saw another elderly couple (staring at them, and not dressed up!).

Sat-4-Jul-2026

122-3545 – Waiting

Image | July 13, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

This quick sketch was done at St Luke’s Medical Center when I went for a consultation on the results of some tests. Thankfully all is as well as can be expected for a man of my age.

Fri-3-Jul-2026

122-3542 – Powerplant and disclosure day

Image | July 7, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

By coincidence I ended up at the Powerplant mall again (after having met my friend there the day before) – because it had a showing of the movie “Disclosure Day” – one of the few still showing it because we were late in deciding to go and see it. What a rollercoaster ride! The movie started a bit slow but Spielberg knows how to keep you riveted to your seat and the two-plus hours zipped by. The ending was a bit disappointing but I can see that it would be impossible to find a satisfying way to wrap it up. I sketched this while we sat and had dinner at the Roti Shop before the movie.

Sun-28-Jun-2026

122-3539-41 – Poblacion Barangay, Museo ng Makati and people

Image | July 6, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here are the other sketches I did when I joined Urban Sketchers Manila at the Rosas ng Sampiro festival in Poblacion Barangay of Makati City. This is an annual cultural and street-dancing celebration by local schools, that honours the city’s patroness, the Virgen dela Rosa de Macati (an 18th-century statue at the Saints Peter and Paul Parish, apparently brought from Mexico via galleon in 1718).

I first drew a group of fellow sketchers and then went up to the balcony of the Barangay Hall where I sketched the view and the crowds of people. The costumes and performances were fantastic, but they moved so fast that I couldn’t capture them in a drawing.

Sat-27-Jun-2026

122-3537-8 – Powerplant outside Dunkin’ and people at The Grid

Image | July 5, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

These are the first two sketches I did when I joined Urban Sketchers Manila at the Rosas ng Sampiro festival in the Makati Poblacion Barangay (more about that in the next post). I first met up with my friend @the_uban_sketcher at the Powerplant Mall (it’s built on the site of a former power plant) and did the first sketch where we met up. After that we went for lunch at The Grid – which is a high end (meaning over-priced) foodcourt – but at least I could get some vegetarian food there.

Sat-27-Jun-2026

122-3535 – Cafe BBC coffee

Image | July 3, 2026July 3, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

This is the last sketch I did at the Día de Manila event, from inside the Museo de Intramuros. Afterwards, to close out our sketch-walk, @the_uban_sketcher and I went into the courtyard to have coffee there. The people serving the coffee were very nice and took a photo of us to post on their social media account. I am sorry to say though, that the coffee was pretty tasteless and not nice at all!

Sun-21-Jun-2026

122-3534 – San Ignacio and the Jesuits

Image | July 2, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here is another of my sketches from the sketchwalk for Día de Manila. This is San Ignacio de Loyola who founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1534. I gather that he is often shown holding a book because reading changed his life and he wrote some major spiritual texts. I think one of the cherubs in my sketch (which are supposed to stand for innocence and purity), looks like Robin (from Batman and Robin) because he seems to have a mask on.

Sun-21-Jun-2026

122-3532-3 – Altar piece and Sto. Domingo de Guzman

Image | July 1, 2026July 1, 2026 | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here are some more of my sketches from the Urban Sketchers Manila sketchwalk for Día de Manila. The first is of an altar piece – about which I could find nothing online or it in-situ. The next thing I sketched had a catalogue code on it saying: Wood IA-M-ECLE: 15 – 430 – which means it is wooden sculpture, part of the Intramuros Administration Museum ecclesiastical collection and the 430th object registered in a 2015 batch. I was hoping for more information! Online I found out that Sto. Domingo de Guzman was a Castilian priest who founded the Dominicans and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists.

Sun-21-Jun-2026