I finally got a few moments in the clinic to sketch this last Monday. Most of the time I was hurried from one test and one room to another, but after all the tests they told me to wait a couple of hours for the health certificate to be prepared. This sketch is kind of unfinished but I think it gives an impression of how crowded it was in the waiting area.
Mon-21-Jan-2019
Here is my drawing of Santa Cruz Church in old Manila done on the Philippine Urban Sketchers March sketch-walk yesterday. We found a small shady spot next to the fountain in the traffic island to sketch from – it’s a pity though that everywhere you look are birds nests of cables!
Sat-17-Mar-2018
Yesterday we joined the March sketch-walk of Philippines Urban Sketchers at Plaza Sta. Cruz in old Manila. The plaza is a busy commercial area, bustling with noisy traffic and hawkers. It was also roasting hot. This is my first drawing – as always the sketchers attracted a lot of attention, which I always welcome and enjoy.
Sat-17-Mar-2018
This is the last drawing I did on our sketch-walk last Saturday – a quick view of the City Hall and the Andres Bonifacio memorial.
Sat-24-Feb-2018
Here is another one from the sketchwalk I joined on Saturday. This is a memorial to Andres Bonifacio, I think depicting various events in his life. I was told the different flags show how the current Philippines flag evolved. The KKK on one flag refers to the Katipunan a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in 1892.
Sat-24-Feb-2018
On Saturday I joined Urban Sketchers Philippines for our monthly sketch-walk at Manila City hall. This is my first effort – the tower is part of the City Hall building designed by Antonio Toledo during the 1930s and is the largest clock tower in the Philippines. To the left is a bit of the Andres Bonifacio Shrine (or monument). I cycled all the way there and back (32k in total), so was pretty tired out by the end of the day!
Sat-24-Feb-2018
Today I joined an Urban Sketchers ad hoc sketch-walk at Fort Santiago (a citadel built in colonial times in Intramuros, which the Spanish also used to imprison the Philippines national hero José Rizal), where an Anthology Architecture and Design Festival was being held. However the lady at reception woudn’t let us in because we didn’t have an invitation, so instead my wife and I headed off to the nearby Cathedral and I sketched this…and fumed a little. Later a fellow urban sketcher – Janeil – made sure we could get in to the festival and I did a second sketch inside the fort (which I’ll post separately).
Sun-11-Feb-2018
Yesterday we decided to have a day out and see some exhibitions, so we visited the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design and then Cultural Center of the Philippines. In between we found a nice spot for lunch overlooking a marina in Manila bay. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any local vegetarian food, so we had to make do with Starbucks.
Sun-13-Jan-2018