On this day I went to St. Luke’s Medical Center BGC for an eye test and consultation (so that eventually I could get a glaucoma test…there is history of it in my family). On my way home I walked through Bonifacio High Street and stopped at Seattle’s Best for a coffee. Instead of sketching the view out the window I sketched what I bought…there were a lot of ingredients in that cookie but it was delicious!
Sat-11-Apr-2026
I sketched this in Starbucks in a Robinson’s mall after a morning spent in the bank, dropping off my wife in Muntinlupa and picking up my hard drive in Las Piñas. We stopped as traffic was dreadful and the car was getting hot (with the AC not working well) and needed a coffee refuel – especially as we had picked up our youngest daughter from the airport at 2:30am the same day!
Thu-11-Dec-2025
On this particular morning I thought I should start my day in a positive way. I watched a YouTube video by Koosje Koene who said that drawing has helped her be present, feel truly awake and aware. That is what I needed – plus the #Usk Global prompt for November 1 was “morning view”. I know this is not an urban sketch but this was my view!
Sat-1-Nov-2025
I kept this from our long drive back from San Narciso. For most of the drive there seemed to a McDonalds every few miles – many more than the local equivalent junk food outlets of Jollibee. God help the dietary health of the Filipino people. Whenever I think of McDonald’s I member the documentary “Super Sized Me” – here is an article about that.
Tue-23-Sep-2025
I sketched this sitting outside Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Serendra. It’s the first sketch in a new but old, (because it’s been left unused for decades) Daler Rowney sketchbook with 150 gsm cartridge paper, given to me by my brother-in-law. I used sketchbooks like this in Australia and Cambodia in the 1990s. It takes a bit of getting used to the paper – but it’s nice and thin and challenging. I like cheaper paper – its less intimidating. This is Hotel 101 in the Fort Bonifacio – an exercise in ugliness and painted the gloomiest of greys.
Sat-12-Jul-2025
This day I had an early morning start accompanying my wife to the Ashrey Diagnostic Center in McKinley. We were not impressed with their service – they said walk in at 6am is OK, but then most of their lab technicians were not there. So instead, after some blood tests (done not very well…they even had to come to our house later in the day to get more blood and failed at that too!), we went for breakfast nearby.
Wed-2-Jul-2025
This is my first sketch done in the UK on our holiday. When we arrived we decided to wait to collect our hire car (so that we could drop it off at an appropriate time of day in 3 weeks), even though the arrival process in UK was smooth and fast. We felt freezing cold when we finally ventured out to get the car (despite it being springtime). At Caffè Nero, where I sketched this, everyone seemed to be wearing black overcoats!
Thu-15-May-2025
Last month I tried to sell some sketches at the #ArtInThePark art fair in Makati, with #UskManila. Unfortunately nobody was interested in buying sketches of bridges! However I had a nice time that day hanging out with my sketching friends including, Reuel (@the_uban_sketcher). My first sketch was done when the two of us decided to escape from the heat and had a coffee in Starbucks.
Then I sketched the #UrbanSketchersManila kiosk where we had our stuff set up and the musicians (soulful mood strings) who were set up in the middle of the park.
Later we went for something to eat at McDonalds with Gili (@nalegili) where I sketched some of the other diners. So despite the lack of sales on my part (I think the UskManila kiosk did well otherwise), I had a lovely day!
Sun-23-Mar-2025
On the day I sketched this we went out for morning little walk and stopped at the #Brewhilde coffee shop for breakfast – I had waffles with syrup and jam…sweetness overload! I have sketched there multiple times before – see 87-2702 on 19 May and 90-2769 on 6 July last year. This time I just decided to sketch the wheelie-bin surrounded by greenery.
Sat-8-Feb-2025