uskmanila

119-3469-70 – Origami carabao and hornbill

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Origami carabao

Here is my second batch of sketches done with UskManila at Dia del Libro. After lunch I decided to go and sketch in the children’s play area of the Ayala Triangle gardens. These playground animals, which you can climb inside of, appear to be sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and each has some information about the animal. The sign for the carabao says it is “a symbol of hard work, perseverance and teamwork in Filipino culture”. The sign next to the hornbill says that this (endangered) species “lives only in Mindanao and nowhere else in the world! It helps the forest by spreading seeds, which grow into new trees”. These sketches were done in a new sketchbook made the Umae hot press watercolour paper.

Origami hornbill

Sat-25-Apr-2026

118-3467-8 – Dia del Libro and Al at lunch

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Dia del Libro

I have joined UskManila at Dia del Libro for several years now (see sketches 103-3088, 86-2677 and 1079 – the latter from 2019 – for example). Here are my first two sketches from this year – the second one being done at lunch time when a group of us ate at Bacolod Chicken Inasal (which surprisingly has quite a few veggie options). Dia del Libro is World Book day (which was actually April 23), as declared by UNESCO in 1995. It also marks the death of Cervantes and Shakespeare, and is a cultural festival celebrating literature and language.

Al at lunch

Sat-25-Apr-2026

114-3367 – Breaking golden rules

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This was my sketch at the PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, also known as the University of the City of Manila) CASBE (College of Architecture and Sustainable Built Environment) event I participated in on 21 January with UskMnl (Urban Sketchers Manila)…lots of acronyms there! I made a little presentation about the rules I try to remind myself of when sketching – but promptly broke several doing this. I tried to draw too much (I could have just focussed on the bus, given that we only had about 45 minutes to sketch); I sat in an area that was only briefly shady (with noon approaching the shade disappeared and it was not comfortable); and lastly I added a little colour from a photo later (which I try to avoid doing). Never mind though – I had fun meeting with the architecture students…even while I waited afterwards for the lunch they kindly provided (they didn’t know I am a vegetarian but still ordered me a solo pizza, which took a while to arrive). After all, for me, having fun is a key part of sketching. I also got completely lost on the way there and arrived late but they hadn’t yet started…so that was to my advantage!

Wed-21-Jan-2026

112-3312 – St. Scholastica’s College Chapel

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St. Scholastica’s College Chapel

This is the second sketch I did with Urban Sketchers Manila for our Christmas sketch call and pot-luck. This chapel was built between 1914 to 1936 (and was restored 1949) and survived bombing during the Battle of Manila in February 1945, in World War II, when Japanese forces destroyed much of the city. According to Wikipedia, in 2024 the Chapel, was designated as an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines. This sketch was done in a new sketchbook made with Cass Art hot pressed 300 gsm watercolour paper.

Me by my daughter

After the sketchwalk we gathered at Quatro Arts (a nice little art supplies shop with good affordable materials) for our pot-luck lunch. The second sketch (of me) was done by my daughter.

Sat-13-Dec-2025

111-3311 – Urban scene

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You can’t get much more urban than this first sketch done with #UskManila friends for our Christmas sketch call and pot-luck (I brought along homemade mini quiches). This building is near Becky’s Kitchen (a nice old bakeshop in a heritage building on Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila) and houses the “Benilde Hub of Innovation for Inclusion” (Benilde HFI) – part of the College of Saint Benilde. The building was designed by Javier Design Studio Manila (JDSM) – certainly an eye catching design. The building may look a bit unclear to someone who doesn’t know HFI, but all the same, I remember being there and having a great time sketching with my daughter! Plus I really love to sketch scenes like this.

Sat-13-Dec-2025

110-3283 – Palm trees at DLSU-D

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Earlier in the month I went to DLSU-D again (see earlier sketches No.108-3233 and 108-3234) to pick up the paintings we’d put into the Guhit Cavite Exhibition and took the opportunity to drop some hard drives at the repair shop in Las Piñas and drop my wife in Muntinlupa on the way. I also managed to do just one sketch with a fellow sketcher, Rodel Salazar, before I drove back home. In this one I was interested in the way each palm tree trunk seemed to be a different colour.

Wed-12-Nov-2025

107-3198 – Burgoo lunch

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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

103-3088 – Día Del Libro

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With this sketch I am on to my 103rd sketchbook – this one using my go-to paper at the moment (Umae hot press 300gsm). This is the third sketch I did on World Book Day (Día Del Libro) with #UskMnl in Ayala Triangle Gardens. The building is the Makati Stock Exchange (which I have sketched before – see sketch No.1080). Instead of doing my usual thing and carefully starting with ink, I decided to be more spontaneous, start with the paint and be a bit more splashy.

Sat-26-Apr-2025

102-3087 – Waiting to eat

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Here is the second sketch I did on World Book Day with #UskMnl in Ayala Triangle Gardens. I did this sketch of a restaurant sign that I could see, while waiting at Bacolod Chicken Inasal and drinking my “mais and banana kon-yelo”.

Sat-26-Apr-2025