Going back from our holiday in Moalboal we had intended to take the v-hire van back to Cebu City but when we got to the terminal they had all left! Instead we took the Ceres bus which was rather slow. Added to this floods near the city meant at one point we thought we’d miss our flight. Luckily my wife had the sense to get us off the bus early so we could take a taxi, which got us there on schedule.
Sat-10-Jan-2026
Here are my sketches done on our trip from the Camotes Islands to Moalboal. We left the resort at 5am in the dark and rain and sheltered (partly) in a sari-sari store at first. There were at least three sweetcorn sellers at the port, so I started with a very quick sketch of them.Then the sun came up and people gathered at the landing jetty to bundle onto the ferry.
On the ferry back to Danao everyone seemed to be taking the opportunity to have a nap, as the ferry left at about 7am. It was congested with people and motorbikes, with the space starting off chilly (some morning drizzle) and gradually getting hotter and more humid, with the added smell of diesel fumes. Later my wife told me that the person next to her (behind me) was sick in a plastic bag…poor soul…thank goodness my cold meant I couldn’t smell it!
Lastly I did another wobbly van sketch. This time going from the south bus terminal in Cebu to Moalboal. The journey took a good few hours but I stopped this early as I felt icky. I finished off colouring the glorious orange corduroy covering the seats, at our resort in Moalboal.
Mon-5-Jan-2026
Here is my first series of sketches for 2026, done on the way to the Camotes Islands and Moalboal in Cebu. We arrived at terminal three in plenty of time…finding that Cebu Pacific (the airline), waited until the last moment to announce the gat…so we had a coffee at the Airport Cafe and while we waited. As always the airport was heaving with people and very few places to sit…so people sit on the floor or any perch they can find.
From the airport in Mactan we took a taxi to Danao Port to catch a ferry to the Camotes Islands. Loads of people were patiently waiting outside the building that contains the ticket office…then when they opened the shutters there was a small stampede to the ticketing office, where queuing in order seemed to be optional only. Thank goodness that my wife took advantage of being senior and got to the front quickly.
On the ferry to the Camotes Islands I sketched people that have “ants in their pants”. They didn’t stay in one place and in the end the figure on the left was made up from two different people!
Thu-1-Jan-2026
Here are a couple of sketches I did while I had hours to kill in Erbil Airport. I was sketching to stay awake. Sleepiness is my excuse for struggling with the white on grey ceiling pattern, in the first one, which I fought to correct after I mucked it up. One sketch was not enough for the hours I had to kill, so I did the second one at the gate.
Fri-22-Aug-2025
Here are some sketches of brief moments in between hectic days of meetings making trips out with colleagues. As I drew these my head was spinning with all the information gathered but also some fantastic moments. One working day ended with a visit to farmers in Baghera and their vineyard overloaded with beautiful grapes and being fed to bursting with fresh figs. What an honour that was and what wonderful generous people!
It was a pity I didn’t have time on this trip to wander and explore Duhok. Our hotel was in an urban hinterland of highways and car showrooms…so going out to sketch wouldn’t have been fun…never mind the heat!
Tue-19-Thu-21-Aug-2025
Here is another sketch done on the way to Erbil – my four hour stop in Doha gave me plenty of time to sketch. I did this one while I talked to my wife on the phone.
Sat-16-Aug-2025
Here is a sketch done on my way to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq – at the airport in Manila. As always I am a little trepidatious about visiting a new country with only limited understanding of the culture and situation – so sketching is a good way to take my mind off it and relax. When choosing a subject to sketch my eye is always attracted to bright colours…this little noodle shop being no exception!
Sat-16-Aug-2025
I had just enough time to do a quick sketch on our way back home – and I could’t help but think what a pleasant clean and spacious airport it was in South Korea – we certainly experienced the opposite when we arrived at NAIA terminal 1.
Sun-15-Jun-2025
Here is my last sketch in Canada – and the first sketch in a new Sketchbook (still using Umae hot press paper). I missed sketching the day before this as we were too busy with shopping, visiting the Esker Gallery and packing. With a midday flight it was an easy start to the day, but WestJet still insist that each bag weighs 23k or less, despite us having far less weight overall…so again we were those unfortunate people you see frantically repackaging in front of the check-in desk! That grey blob on the plane, splashed onto my painting from another sketch!
Sat-14-Jun-2025