Urban Workshop and Sketchwalks Last April 16 & 17

Design Week Philippines happens twice a year, and for the first edition this year on April 16 and 17, Urban Sketchers Philippines was invited to the first designated Design District: the Spanish-era Walled City of Intramuros, Manila. This coincided with Intramuros Pasyal Weekend, usually organized monthly by Viva Manila, where part of Gen. Luna Street in Intramuros becomes a pedestrian zone for the two afternoons.

Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), Design Week Philippines is an assembly of some of local artist groups and cultural activities.

Eileen Bondoc Escueta provides some tips to workshop participants on the first day.

Participants of two workshops reached more than 40 people total, mostly students and those who were joining us for the sketchwalks for the first time.

The UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site of San Agustin Church is one of the best examples of Spanish-era structures.

The sketchwalks after the workshops yielded some impressive sketch results. However, it was reminder that the activity of sketching need not be to impress. Sketching or drawing - in a world where a camera or a smartphone can instantly take a picture of the scene - is an activity of discovery, expression, and a tool for observing places, people or things.

Sketching is an effective way to observe and appreciate our built heritage.

A booth for Urban Sketchers Philippines was provided along Gen. Luna Street to let us join in the monthly weekend market. A brief public workshop on sketching basics, and a 2-hour sketchwalk of Intramuros were also held for the two afternoons.

The booth provided gave some information to the public about what Urban Sketchers is all about.

It is always interesting to see the sketch results with varied styles - we may draw the same subject, but we always draw differently.

Sketch results for the first day.

The 1-hour workshop gave the most essential principles of how eye-hand coordination works, and eventually also included the basics of different sketch media used. The workshop placed emphasis on how practicing as much as you can can yield better proficiency - like any other skill like driving or riding a bicycle.

Janeil Arlegui gives sketching advice for the second day workshop.

A brief exercise in sketching before going out to the sketchwalk.

Temperatures of the two days were pretty high - as maximum 38 degrees Celsius. Best to use shaded areas as vantage views for sketching for a few minutes.

Intramuros offers some picturesque scenes that are just asking for sketchers to sketch.

Resident children were encouraged to draw what they saw.

The 2nd day's sketch results.

The best part about the Urban Sketchers is that we are made up of people with different backgrounds, most surprisingly people who don't  use drawing as a source of their career. Ordinary people who are using sketching as a way to see, not just to look. It is an enjoyable way of heightening one's perceptual senses. The sketchbooks become visual diaries that can be shared and kept as reminders of the experiences.

Old and new Urban Sketchers Philippines participants show off their sketches.

In another event organized by CITEM, we also had some opportunity to see the exposition of FAME Manila held at the Metro Manila World Trade Center, April 21-24.

Post-Design Week: Manila FAME, Philippines export exposition (April 21-24) showcases the best Philippines furniture, crafts, and new innovations.

Traditional cloth weaving method was even showcased during the exposition.

We thank CITEM Philippines for inviting us as being a part of Design Week.

Binondo Sketchwalk

Last Saturday's sketchwalk was planned to be about El Hogar Filipino Building which most of us haven't sketched yet. I've been scouting the place for a while, and there is a good vantage point across Pasig River.

El Hogar Filipino Building along Muelle de la Industria cor. Juan Luna

Sketchers at full concentration

Meg's sketch. So much detail for a tiny space!

Patts' sketch

  

El Hogar.

It was lunch time when we finished sketching, some of us had to leave early because of prior engagement so we were not able to have a group shot of our finished works. We just proceeded to the nearest food store. On our way to Quick Snack, we passed by the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arc which sparked another interest for sketching. The three of us who were able to stay after lunch returned to the spot.

A view a little further to the right seems better, but may be too dangerous :D

Nadja's sketch

Ched's sketch

Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch

An attempt to get a shot of all the sketches before going home

On our way home, we could still see a lot of good subjects to sketch, but most of us were tired from the heat and the weight of our gear. Definitely we are planning to go back. 

Sign Up for Urban Sketchers PH's On-Location Sketching Workshops!

Urban Sketchers Philippines, in partnership with the National Museum and the LJC Group, will be conducting a series of workshops on on-location sketching starting September 19!

Urban Sketchers Philippines the joins National Museum and the LJC Group of Restaurants in celebrating 100 years of Emilio Aguilar Cruz, an artist, writer, journalist, and father of restaurateur Larry J. Cruz. Emilio Aguilar Cruz was known for his outdoor paintings and landscapes done with the Dimasalang group of artists.

Interested participants can sign up for Line Sketching, Basic Watercolor Painting, and Advanced Quick Sketching and Coloring. With these lessons, participants will learn how to draw what they see, ultimately showing the world, one drawing at a time. The lessons will be conducted by notable members of Urban Sketchers Philippines: Cesar Ramirez Jr., Carlo Martinez, Eileen Bondoc Escueta, and Janeil B. Arlegui.

The workshops will be held at the National Museum in Manila. The culminating activity for all participants will be held at Abe's Farm in Magalang, Pampanga, so it's going to be very fun and exciting indeed. The workshop fee is Php3000 (3 sessions, snacks and materials included). Please see the poster above for more details and registration information.

Independence Day sketchwalk in Manila

On June 12, Urban Sketchers Philippines commemorated the 117th Philippine Independence Day with a sketchwalk in Plaza Lawton and the Kartilya ng Katipunan Shrine near the Manila City Hall.

The sketchers met up at the Bonifacio monument at Plaza Lawton. The monument is a tribute to one of the country's heroes Andres Bonifacio, who was often called "the Father of the Philippine Revolution". We then walked to the Kartilya ng Katipunan Shrine.

The Kartilya ng Katipunan ("Primer of the Katipunan" in English) served as the guidebook--or manifesto--for the new members of the Katipunan, a revolutionary society founded in 1892. The first edition of the Kartilya was written by Bonifacio, one of the group's founding members. The shrine dedicated to the Kartilya depicted the principles laid out in the primer.

The Philippine sketchers in front of the Bonifacio monument. The building behind us is the Manila Post Office Building.

The day's sketches.

NiceNice and Ryfka Rodriguez

Constancio de Guzman

Manuel Jiongco

Lauren Villarama and Janeil Arlegui

Manuel Jiongco, Nigel Feliciano, and Cynthia Feliciano

Nigel and aunt Cynthia draw the Bonifacio monument.

Janeil and Greg Peralta, who joined the sketchwalk for the first time.

Aurelio Castro III sketching Mang Mose, who lives at the plaza.

Ige Trinidad

 

Janice Medina and Bianca Ejercito joined the sketchwalk, their first time doing so. :)

Honesto Sarte

Kim Alviar aka Izzy

It was also Jordan Racca's first time to join the sketchwalk.

Sketchers at the Kartilya ng Katipunan Shrine

Louri Bundac, another newbie, documents like a pro. 

Ar Arcon

Sketching in the tropics requires umbrellas and hats!

At around noon the heat became unbearable, so we started packing up but not before the customary show & tell!

Sketching was a really great way to spend the Independence Day holiday! 'Til next!

*Photos in this post by Ige Trinidad.