SketchWalker

95-2867-9 – Museo el Deposito

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Underground reservoir

Here are the sketches I did with #UskQuezonCity at our #SketchWalk at the Museo el Deposito in San Juan. The museum tells the story of the Carriedo water works with the underground reservoir (designed by Spanish engineer Genaro Palacios) originally being fed by the Marikina River and serving fountains and hydrants in Manila. The underground chamber was also used as an armoury during American and Japanese rule. My first sketch was done in the underground reservoir area.

Katipuneros waiting for battle

Next door is the Museo ng Katipunan (Museum of the Katipunan) which honors the revolutionary society called the Katipunan with a permanent exhibition. In front are some life-sized figures (some of which I sketched), commemorating those who fought in the Battle of San Juan del Monte (the first major battle of the Philippine Revolution).

Museo el Deposito

My last sketch was of the Museum itself with what I think is the San Juan city hall in the background (the circular sign is the official seal of the city).

Sun-13-Oct-2024

95-2866 – What we did on Saturday

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Here are a couple of half-page sketches of our day last Saturday. The first was done at Manila Doctors Hospital (where we went to pick up our annual health checkup results). After my first consultation it was raining heavily so we had some lunch in Café France. The second sketch is of the last samosa of the bag full we bought from @assadminimart along UN Avenue, after the rain stopped. We also bought a load of spices, dried pulses and dried fruit. It’s a fantastic shop for all that kind of thing (they have a branch in Makati and Pasig)…and the samosas are heavenly!

Sat-12-Oct-2024

94-2853 – APEC sculpture garden

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Here is the second sketch I did with #UskManila when I joined a #Sketchwalk at PICC. After having sketched the main building I thought I’d do some quick sketches of the sculpture garden that is in front (that was opened in 1996). I did the ink work on the spot and added the colour at home. I’ve sketched here before (see the Russian Bear from last year – No.2472). These ones are (from the top left): Singapore (Harmony by Sun Yu-Li); New Zealand (Untitled Growth Pattern by Szirmay Marté); Thailand (Growth by Vasun Harimao); and Australia (Trade Winds by Allan Geiger, Giovanna Ianniello and Gerard Murphy).

Sat-28-Sep-2024

93-2842 – Coffee sketch Sunday

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This sketch was done on the BGC (Bonifacio Global City) high-street, after we had done our weekly shop at Market Market! (the nearest big shopping mall to us)…boy was it crowded in the supermarket. After shopping we went for wander to find a place to have a coffee and do a sketch. I actually had a green tea smoothie – mostly sugar and not much tea I think – but yummy!

Sun-15-Sep-2024

93-2836 – Going to Venice again

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Taguig City (where we live) is definitely not a walkable green city by any stretch of the imagination. The day I sketched this we wanted to go for a nice walk in a park…but it seems there are no parks at all in the city. We ended up driving to the McKinley Hill area, only to find that “McKinley Park” is actually a tiny leftover strip of land – a road reservation. Nevertheless we had a wander around the area and eventually went into Venice Grand Canal Mall for a coffee at Cibo (how you pronounce that I don’t know), where I sketched this view out of the window.

Sun-8-Sep-2024

93-2835 – The sewing machine is out

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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

93-2832 – The Lilith Reyes-Perez collection

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These are the last two sketches I did on the Kawit Heritage Tour with #UskManila – at the ancestral home of Emilio Aguinaldo. In the museum on the ground floor they have an exhibition of Terno’s (in Spain ‘terno’ refers to a matching set of blouse and skirt, but in the Philippines this has come to mean a more of a gown with big rigid butterfly sleeves). The second sketch is of the ‘independence balcony’ added to the house in the 1920’s. The Carabao supporting the balcony is the national animal of the Philippines and we were told by the guide that it symbolises the Filipino character – calm, patient and hardworking but strong and fierce when provoked.

Sat-31-Aug-2024

93-2831 – St. Mary Magdalene Church, Kawit

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My next sketch on the Kawit Heritage Tour with #UskManila was of the bell tower at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Mary Magdalene. This Roman Catholic church is one of the oldest in the Philippines, with construction started in 1737. Our guide told us that when the Spanish arrived in the area in 1624, Kawit became a red-light district and to counter this reputation, the Archbishop of Manila dedicated the church to Saint Mary Magdalene (supposedly a prostitute turned repentant sinner – although these days the idea of her being a prostitute is considered untrue and just served to disempower women).

Sat-31-Aug-2024