sketchwalk

83-2593 – PhilTrust Building

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This is the second sketch I did with #UskManila in Binondo last Saturday. As I was sketching this the Lunar New Year parade came by with people on floats throwing little envelops of cash and sweets (candy) into the crowd. Naturally this was accompanied by a few dancing dragons and a lot of deafening drumming! The building in the middle of this sketch (partly hidden by the Filipino-Chinese friendship Arch with the tiled roof and the New Chinatown Arch at the top) was completed in 1914 and was first the headquarters of a hardware company, Uy-Chaco and Sons. It was designed by an American architect, Samuel E. Rowell.

Sat-10-Feb-2024

83-2592 – La Madre Filipina (Jones Bridge)

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After sketching at the Gomburza monument last Saturday with #UskManila we went into Binondo to watch the Lunar New Year celebrations. There was supposed to be some kind of photo-walk starting at the junction of Escolta Street and Jones bridge, so we hung out there for a while and I did this sketch standing in the crowd. The Jones Bridge was most recently restored in 2019 (the first version was built in 1919) and four statues collectively called La Madre Filipina (the Philippine Motherland) guard it, representing different aspects of nationhood (gratitude, democracy, progress and justice). According to Google maps the one I sketched is “progress”.

Sat-10-Feb-2024

82-2590 and 83-2591 – Gomburza

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Racing the sun

Last Saturday I had a lovely day out with #UskManila starting with an ad-hoc sketch-walk at the Gomburza monument, which honours three priests (Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora – Gomburza derives from their names), who were executed by the Spanish authorities on charges of subversion arising from the Cavite mutiny, in 1872. To get the best view of the monument I had to huddle next to my sketching friend Edgardo Granada, sketching quickly, before getting scorched. I had more time to sketch the view from the back. It took me two sketches (and reading the blurb on a sign) to realise that there are three figures in the sculpture (which is by Solomon Saprid).

Three priests

Sat-3-Feb-2024

82-2585 -Smoking figure, Pasinaya

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After joining #UskManila at Pasinaya 2024 last weekend, I stayed in the area and sketched this. This giant yellow mythical figure (or monster?) which seemed to be made from bamboo or rattan, was sitting under a tree near where our activities were taking place. It also seemed to be smoking a giant cigar. I have no idea what this figure represents or was left over from…maybe someone will be able to tell me.

Sat-3-Feb-2024

82-2580 – Arroceros Forest Park

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For my last sketch with #UskManila last Saturday, I should have really sketched the “forest” (my fellow sketchers did some brilliant sketches of the trees and undergrowth). Instead I picked the signboard…I am not sure why…maybe because it was what I saw in front of me when I sat on a bench.

Sat-24-Jan-2024

82-2579 – Ayala bridge

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Here is the second sketch I did with #UskManila at the Arroceros Urban Forest Park last Saturday. Having already sketched one bridge, I thought I would have a go at another one, though I couldn’t get very close and the building on the right ended up being the focus. According to Wikipedia the current bridge was built in 1908 (and reconstructed in the 1930s) and was the first steel bridge in the Philippines. I think one of my favourite subjects is water and reflections…and my lovely new #RosemaryAndCo dagger brush does a lot of the work for me!

Sat-24-Jan-2024

82-2578 – M L Quezon bridge

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Here is the first sketch I did with #UskManila at the Arroceros Urban Forest Park last Saturday. The park is described in Wikipedia as Manila’s last lung, being the city’s only nature park. It’s also right next to Pasig river so I decided to sketch this bridge, which was built in 1939 and is supposedly inspired by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This sketch took me quite a long time and started to get really complicated when I tried to draw in the arches in the background.

Sat-24-Jan-2024

82-2573 – Flag-less poles

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Here is the second sketch I did with #UskQuezonCity at the Tandang Sora shrine last weekend. For this one I decided to sketch the buildings outside the compound. Like in my last one my choice of scene depended on finding a shady spot to sit.

Sun-21-Jan-2024

82-2572 – Flames at shrine

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Here is my first sketch done with #UskQuezonCity at the Tandang Sora shrine on the weekend. We were there to celebrate the 212th anniversary of her birth. I sketched the same place back in October last year and learnt then that she offered shelter and medical aid to the Filipino revolutionaries. This time I had to hunt for a shady spot and ended up sketching the monument from a slightly awkward angle.

Sun-21-Jan-2024