Here is the last sketch I did with #UskQuezonCity at the Tandang Sora shrine last weekend. I managed to find a shady spot and sketch the building in which a little exhibition and gallery space is housed. Eventually nearly all of us sketchers ended up sitting in the shade of this building…and you can just about pick them out in my sketch.
Sun-21-Jan-2024
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
We do our vegetable shopping at the local wet market, just a short walk away – and I usually buy from the same stall. When I was there the other day and was looking at the pumpkins and squashes, one of the sellers called out “butternut!” and pointed to this. I actually wanted a butternut squash for a meal I was cooking, so I bought it…I’m not sure it really is a butternut squash though…the flesh seemed too pale when I cut it open. Who cares anyway…it tasted great and was fun to sketch!
Fri-19-Jan-2024
Here is another Christmas present I got in December. It’s a cuddly toy monkey that hangs from it’s arms and with a pouch inside for a roll of tissue paper. You then pull the tissues out of the monkey’s backside…this just makes me smile every time I look at it!
Thu-18-Jan-2024
Last week we had to take our (rather tired) car in for it’s annual registration where they do a cursory road worthiness and emissions test…they don’t really look very closely and seem more focussed on processing vehicles as quickly as possible. The mechanic did call me over and point out an oil leak, shining his lamp under the engine. I had no idea what he was pointing out…and the car passed anyway. I did this sketch while they were doing other tests…don’t look too closely at my sketch either, as the perspective is a bit off!
Wed-17-Jan-2024
Here is another sketch of a Christmas present I was given – this was from my sister. For a change I started this sketch with Derwent Watercolour Pencils and added ink lines and shading afterwards. This is also my first sketch in a newly made sketchbook – which I partly made as a sample for the sketchbook binding workshop I did last December. It’s made with super-cheap Corona 250gsm watercolour paper which absorbs the ink rather too quickly (like blotting paper) and will only take a few washes of watercolour before it starts to pill.
Mon-15-Jan-2024
It is my habit to sketch the presents I receive each Christmas (to say thank you), so here is another one (the brushes I sketched the other day was the first). This is a metal can – like a coke tin – with a ‘bench’ hand towel inside. Not sure what I will use the can for…but the towel will be useful when I go out running.
Sun-14-Jan-2024
These little vignette sketches are a summary of my day last Saturday, when we went to the Market Market! mall with our eldest daughter, before she headed back to the UK. She wanted to go to Chicken Bacolod first as they have a dish which she loves. Then she and I had a dental check up (a lot more affordable here than in the UK) and in the evening we just chilled watching TV.
Sat-13-Jan-2024
Here is a quick evening sketch of a bottle of Smirnoff Mule. I don’t drink the stuff, but it’s supposed to be inspired by the Moscow Mule cocktail and contains vodka, ginger beer and lime. To me it just tastes like a fizzy soft drink – I guess that’s why they call drinks like this alcopops.
Fri-12-Jan-2024