Here is another sketch done in a crowd – this time waiting in a corridor for my wife’s medical records to be released. I sketched the heads on the left first, followed by a bundle of legs below them – I’m not sure if they meet up properly!
Wed-6-Aug-2025
At the HistoEx even with #UskManila, I wanted to sketch the historical #Renacimiento re-enactors as I had before in Luneta Art Fair (see sketches No. 99-2981-4), but only managed these doodles while I was jostled by the crowd. for my second sketch, fed up with being elbowed in the crowd, I stood outside of the exhibition area, looking in, to sketch. This crowd were watching a talk…I’m not sure what it was about, as I was busy drawing!
Sun-3-Aug-2025
After sketching at the presidential car museum a group of us went on to the HistoEx (History to Experience) 2025 event at Gateway Mall. We started by finding somewhere to eat and picked this place where they at least had (vegetarian) pizza I could eat. Naturally we spent a lot of time chatting plus drew some sketches of each other on the paper table cloth! The one of me, included in this post, is by @allan.retarmar.
Sun-3-Aug-2025
After going to Bahay Modernismo with #UskQuezonCityI spend a nice long while sketching at the Presidential Car Museum. I have sketched there many times before (see sketches No. 1030 and No. 2587 to start with), but it’s always a bit of a struggle because the lighting is low – so you are never sure what colours or what values you are using until you step outside! This car is a 1960 Rolls-Royce Phantom V used by Imelda Marcos (mother of the current president of the Philippines and wife of Ferdinand the 10th president, who’s dictatorship was marked by cronyism, corruption, and human rights abuses – while his family amassed great personal wealth at the expense of the country).
Sun-3-Aug-2025
Here is the first sketch that I did with #UskQuezonCity at Bahay Modernismo. This is a recently opened heritage museum at Quezon Memorial Circle which “aims to safeguard mid-century Filipino architecture and culture”, with the rooms filled with vintage furniture and classic products. We had 45 minutes inside but 30 minutes of what was the tour. This was sketched in the living room space.
Sun-3-Aug-2025
I sketched this as I waited for my wife to come back from her operation in PGH. The doc gave me a scare when I was called down to the OR. But it turned out it was just so she could tell me that everything went well! Now it’s just recovery time. After I did this sketch I realised the chair actually folds out into another bed…for a second watcher! Somehow I keep extending my sketches onto the next page…maybe I should switch to a square format sketchbook?
Wed-16-Jul-2025
I sketched this the day my wife went in for an operation at Philippine General Hospital (PGH). We had checked in the previous day and then had a sleepless night with doctors and nurses continually coming into the room to take her vitals, check she has taken her preparatory meds and put her on a drip. I was the official ‘watcher’ – that is a person who stays with a patient in hospital to provide support and assistance – mostly because hospitals don’t seem to have sufficient resources to constantly monitor patients.
Wed-16-Jul-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
Sometimes I feel a bit stuck for subjects and motivation for sketching – so my solution is often to turn to the #DrawTipTuesday advice of @KoosjeKoene, which is alway a good source of ideas and encouragement. This sketch is of some baked beans I made, plus a left-over baked potato.
Thu-10-Jul-2025