Trip2012: Day 7- Symposium Day 1

August 4, 2012 | Leave your thoughts

Day 1: 3rd international Urban Sketchers Symposium in Santo Domingo.
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This year I was honoured to be one of the instructors – teaching a workshop with Frank Ching called “Architecture- Personal Viewpoints”. It was quite a different experience to teach 3 out of the 5 workshops… I LOVED it. I found it a much richer experience as I was part of nearly 45 people’s work rather than being totally focused on my own sketching. I got so much out of what everyone did during our workshops – thanks – you all are great! It was more tiring teaching than just sketching so my sketches from meal times, talks etc are my ultra loose reflex sketching type. Still I am quite surprised as I scan how many pages I managed to fill up.
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Lots of goodies given or swapped with me, books by Lapin, Freekhand, a book on Borromini from Miguel, special tea from Shari, emergency Earl Grey tea from Jessie (I was running low) and two colours of water colour pencils that I needed (Thanks Jessie so much for sending me that email before you left home and then bringing them for me!!!)


Nervous energy as I sketch the opening…

BTW, this year I managed to draw and note ALL my maps at the time… with only a little colour to add now back at home. A sign that this trip was not as crazy as other years?


Pages from our first workshop – I used my sketchbook to explain concepts as I was talking to different people. I think and explain with my pen a lot especially at work… in fact, these are one of the first times I have done ‘work design-type sketches’ in my sketchbook. This is in a way, the traditional way to use a sketchbook as a working book for another work. By changing the pen as I talked to different people, without really designing my page, I have ended up with pages that I really like. I can remember many of the people I did these sketches for.

The afternoon I did Eduardo Bajzek’s wonderful workshop “Straight to Colours” using markers. Like many architects I used to use markers at work for colouring and in fact, during the late 90s used to take markers with me on trips to sketch! But this workshop was quite different from the colouring in that I am used to use them for. Lots and lots of fun.
Oh- btw, a special tea infuser gift from a friend in Australia that came via Shiho – thanks!


Right at the end of the workshop I felt the urge to do a Liz-sketch of the church but it was late, the light was fading and I was hungry. I was so exhausted and hungry that I didn’t sketch at all during dinner up at Quintana…. 3 longs tables in the Plaza.

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