Here is my sketch for Day 11 of #Sketchtober. The prompt was “bike” but instead of sketching my bike I thought I’d sketch some of the kit I take with me when I go out for a cycle. This includes hand sanitiser, a front and back light which clip on to the bike frame, bicycle clips (which these days feel like a very old-fashioned thing) and deodorant to freshen up a bit when I arrive at my destination, all sweaty and hot.
Thu-19-Oct-2023
This sketch has been hanging around in my sketchbook waiting for me to finish it for ages! I did the ink work when we went into Makati in September to get our printer repaired (it is now busted again). This sculpture is one of several on the traffic island outside Glorietta 3 (they call it a park), near the UCC Park Cafe. There are several other sculptures (I assume by the same artist) in the area. With a Google search I could only find out that Abueva was known as the “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture”, nothing about this actual piece of work.
Fri-8-Sep-2023
I usually post one sketch at a time, but I have such a backlog of stuff to post, here are all the sketches I did on Sunday when I joined #UskQuezonCity. Quezon City launched the Katipunan Freedom Trail as a bike run on Sunday (according to one website 500 cyclists joined – but we didn’t see any) and we just tagged along in a jeepney sketching at each of the 5 historical sites, where important events took place during the revolution to overthrow Spanish rule in the 1890’s.
The first site was the Andres Bonifacio National Monument. He founded the Katipunan society in 1892. Nothing says Metro Manila more than an important historical site, overwhelmed by a giant ugly mall.
The second site was the Apolonio Samson Marker – he was a farmer and a lieutenant who led a group of Katipuneros (revolutionaries) in Novaliches. The marker is in front of the Barangay hall and in my sketch is a bit dwarfed by the amazing birds nest of cables.
The third site was the Cry of Pugad Lawin. This place marks the moment when Bonifacio gave a speech and convinced the people joining a clandestine meeting to destroy their ‘cedulas’ (community tax certificates) as a symbol of their defiance towards the Spanish, raising the cry of ‘revolt!’. I am not sure who made the sculpture that occupies the site.
Our last visit was to the Shrine of Tandang Sora. I learnt that her real name was Melchora Aquino – and that she became known as Sora (from Chora) and that Tandang means elder. She was a key figure in the Filipino revolution who offered shelter and medical aid to the Katipunan revolutionaries.
Sun-22-Oct-2023
Here is my last sketch from our #PistaSaUskQC (Urban Sketchers Festival) event on the weekend. I did a little composition talk on Sunday morning and pointed out this view as an example of layering and having objects in the foreground, middle-ground and background, to get depth (in a scene without much perspective). I thought I’d better have a go at sketching it too…I’m not sure it really worked as the red jumps into the foreground!
Sun-15-Oct-2023
Here is another sketch going back to the #Sketchtober2023 prompts (Day 9 – ‘Pet’). We have two Siamese cats (I think they are seal points) – named after Tintin characters. Captain Haddock is the oldest (they are brothers)…he’s kind of lethargic and never stops eating. The other is General Tapioca – I’ve rarely sketched him as he is a bit more skittish and doesn’t stay in one place for long…and when he does he is hiding somewhere!
Wed-11-Oct-2023
I did this sketch on the second day of our #PistaSaUskQC (Urban Sketchers Festival) event on the weekend, after doing a little composition talk. I had thought it was overcast and not too hot – I was wrong, it was sweltering, so I drew this as quickly as I could. The statue of Manuel Quezon (president of the Philippines from 1935-44), by Jose “Al” Rabino Giroy – was put up in 2017, and replaced another by Tolentino.
Sun-15-Oct-2023
Here is the third sketch I did during our #PistaSaUskQC (Urban Sketchers Festival) event on the weekend. In the afternoon my sketching friend @ReuelGarzon was slated to do a sketching demonstration – so I joined him in front of our booth. What caught my eye for this sketch was the sweeping curve of the tents (though I didn’t manage to capture this as well as I wanted), contrasting against the green trees. It’s also a bit more splashy than usual, because I forgot to bring my smaller squirrel brush!
Sat-14-Oct-2023
This is the second sketch I did during our #PistaSaUskQC (Urban Sketchers Festival) event on the weekend. I was a bit more satisfied with this one – but don’t look too closely at the young woman on the left, as it looks like I only sketched half a person!
Sat-14-Oct-2023
Here is my first sketch from the #PistaSaUskQC (Urban Sketchers Festival) event on the weekend. We were in Quezon Memorial Circle to celebrate the 84th year of the founding of Quezon City and had a little booth set up. We had a sketching demo in the afternoon but before that got a bit soaked in the rain. I did this one in a bit of a rush…the ice cream seller didn’t stay in one place very long…and I wasn’t very satisfied with the result.
Sata-14-Oct-2023