SketchingMyLife

94-2659-60 – National Museum of Natural History and Manila Doctors

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Here are two sketches I did while waiting for procedures during our annual health check up at Manila Doctors Hospital. The building in my first sketch (viewed from the window of the hospital) was initially built as the Agriculture and Commerce Building in 1940 (it was designed by Filipino Architect Antonio Toledo in the late 1930s). American forces bombed the building in 1945 and it was reconstructed in 1949. It was then repurposed from the Department of Tourism to a museum in 2013.

The second sketch was done during the inevitable endless hanging around in waiting areas – and was done at two different times in two different waiting areas, hence the skewed perspective.

Sat-5-Oct-2024

94-2848 – Beer time

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Perhaps I should have focussed on drawing the beer bottle in this sketch. Instead I wanted to include the shadow and then ended up doodling in the background. This is the beer I used to drink when I lived in Cambodia…I much prefer beer from a bottle as I always feel as beer in cans has a metallic taste. Anyway that’s why I bought this – there was no SML in a bottle.

Mon-23-Sep-2024

94-2847 – In with the new

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Here is a quick sketch of a new bike pump I bought. For years I have been using one made by Men On Bikes (MOB) – the blue one in this sketch – but it broke again and I couldn’t find a replacement part – so I bought a new one made by RockBros. It’s very small (my sketch makes it look larger than it really is) but does the job very well. I guess the title of this sketch also makes sense in that this is the first page in a new sketchbook (still using Daler-Rowney Aquafine paper).

Sun-22-Sep-2024

93-2846 – No water

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After the last sketch I posted when I used my dip pen, I thought I’d have another go using it, but avoid the ink running by only using watercolour pencils and not wetting them afterwards. My subject is just some random cleaning stuff I found in our house. Somehow I wasn’t satisfied with this effort as it just feels too “scratchy”!

Sat-21-Sep-2024

93-2844 – New perch

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Here is another sketch of our cat, Captain Haddock. Recently I reassembled our cat condo and we fixed this cushion onto the highest spot (my wife added a drawstring to the cushion made by our daughter). This makes it more stable and it has now become Haddock’s favourite snoozing spot. According to animal behaviour experts, many cats prefer to sleep in places that have good vantage points, as this gives them an aerial advantage for spotting any potential dangers (or watch potential prey) without being seen.

Tue-17-Sep-2024

93-2843 – Doorway

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Here is an evening sketch of a view I have drawn many times before. The (minor) difference is that our doors are now painted a more cheery colour that the dark brown of before. The day I sketched this we finally persuaded the contractor (after much nagging), to come back and correct some defects… to be honest they still did the work in a rather slapdash way.

Mon-16-Sep-2024

93-2837 – White cap

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As I sketched this my nose was running and I was sneezing repeatedly – yes I caught a cold again. Goodness knows from where or whom I got it from. My colds are always exacerbated by my dust mite allergy …so it’s not a fun time. But at least I had the energy to draw this – I was given this cap when we joined the Kawit heritage tour.

Mon-9-Sep-2024

93-2835 – The sewing machine is out

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

When I sketched this I had just watched a “draw tip Tuesday” video which focussed on contrast – I always find these videos inspiring. Meanwhile my wife has been making cushion covers for her office kneeling stool from some old fabric we bought in Syria. In this sketch I tried to get the cosy atmosphere and light from the small strip-light above her desk, but struggled with keeping the brush (an unbranded water-brush given to me by a friend) clean – my Faber Castell one is definitely the best…if only the nylon tip wasn’t so ragged.

Sat-7-Sep-2024

93-2834 – Veggies for lunch

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Here is another sketch of one of my favourite subjects – just some random veggies from the fridge. As is often the case with my sketches, I just started drawing on the left and then ran out of space on the right – but I don’t really care. Somehow the courgette also seems to be floating a bit.

Wed-4-Sep-2024