After getting overheated in the courtyard of San Augustin we went into their little coffee shop to cool down in the AC and chat. Naturally, as we chatted, we sketched – my sketch is of some random guy enjoying his coke. My last sketch at Manila Art Sihan was a very quick one done in the tented event space of some dancers getting ready to perform on stage. I left this sketch at the Urban Sketchers Manila booth and told the dancers they could come and collect it if they wanted.
Sat-26-Sep-2026
I think Gatwick is one of the most boring airports in the world. Even getting from the security to the departure area is a maze of perfumeries and then the departure area is like sitting in a shopping mall – without a window in sight. Then they only announce the gate an hour before the flight leaves, and you rush to the gate… to find you have to sit in an even more poky and overcrowded space. At least I managed to amuse myself by sketching this guy.
Sun-20-Sep-2026
I sketched this one on my last day in the UK (yes it was a very brief stopover). After packing my bags my daughters and I went for a walk in Hove Park which I have never been to before. Apparently the park covers about 40 acres and has lots of sports and play facilities – people are so lucky to have this. They also have a nice little cafe where we had a coffee and snack – and where I sketched this….very quickly!
Sun-20-Sep-2026
Finally I have finished posting all my sketches from our holiday. This is the first sketch I did when we got back home and spent a good long week adjusting to the different time zone… in more ways than one. Having busted my watch in Kotor I am back to using my old analogue Pulsar watch!
Thu-20-Aug-2026
I sketched this at the Whitworth (Art Gallery) cafe after going to see an exhibition called “Beneath the Great Wave: Hokusai and Hiroshige”, highlighting the famous woodblock landscape works of Edo-period Japanese masters Katsushika Hokusai Utagawa Hiroshige. In my sketch I only managed to capture part of two people and a tree before they moved, but often I find that half-finished sketches turn out better!
Thu-6-Aug-2026
After our long walk into Brighton we stopped at the little cafe in the Pavilion gardens for lunch and I sketched these random people. I think this sketch works better than most of my usual efforts, because I restrained my urge to colour everything and left some parts white!
Tue-28-Jul-2026
On this day we timed our visit to my mum a bit more carefully – arriving earlier and leaving later. I sketched this while we chatted to her. Afterwards our daughter worked at my sisters house while we reminisced.
Wed-22-Jul-2026
Here is the sketch I did on our first full day in the UK (in Suffolk), which started with a visit to my mum. Usually she sits in this huge chair (which can be wheeled about) but for some reason on this day she was in a wheelchair, so I sketched our daughter sitting on the “throne”. This is not even a close likeness…and we joked that it looks more like Millie Bobby Brown.
Tue-21-Jul-2026
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