Wordslye

I chose to fly to Porto/Portugal in July for the 9th Urban Sketching symposium (Usk).

I told myself this could be a good idea to meet friends again and to meet Internet friends for the first time in real life, … but I hadn’t actually contemplated very much that this would also be an opportunity to make new friends, and new friends were made … plenty!

I came back feeling like a “real” Urban Sketcher, whatever that means. At least I feel I’m doing the right thing now.

I went to Porto with a rather complete set of tools, watercolours, aquabrush, pens, pencils (graphite and coloured), but ended up finding myself very very very comfortable with a fountain pen or a fine liner. The line monster got me. Colour was removed from the menu for me and I was completely happy, slowing down and just making lines, lines, lines. Then all of a sudden, I was writing on my drawings. Something I’d been quite frightened about up until then.

This change happened after spending hours and hours with fellow sketchers, listening, watching and exchanging ideas. I heard about the contents of a few workshops (as I had no workshop pass) and was influenced by peoples’ styles and just let go of what wasn’t working for me: colour.

(Note on Workshops: actually I’m quite happy I didn’t take any, I’ve had so many in my time, I believe it is nearly 20 by now and I enjoyed listening to my fellow sketchers talking about their new found knowledge.)

Before I left for the Smyposium, I asked Bernard Hornblower who had been to the last symposium in Chicago if he had any recommendations.

Here is the list of recommendations/tips and my remarks on them (based on my first hand xp):

1. Bernard said, “Take your stool” -> Stuart says, “good to have it, especially if it’s light and can basically fit into your rucksack (get yourself a rucksack!). And you can always lend it someone who has no stool.”
2. Bernard said, “Stick to the people you know” -> Stuart says, “Yes, I think I understand where this is coming from, but I didn’t stick to them and I made fabulous friends while I was there. It was like 9 days of partying.”
3. Bernard said, “Get up early and draw in public, there may be teachers around. Get out at 6:30am” -> Stuart, “What? I was out all night, and I stayed in my hotel until 9am, where I practiced gesture drawing … I may have missed somethings at the venue though, but more about that below.”
4. Bernard said, “Sketch walks are ok, even if 500 people may be taking part.” -> Stuart says, “Well, actually, they’re not that exciting. OK, I made a few friends and it was interesting to watch a few people draw/paint, but basically they weren’t all they were cooked up to be, not for me anyhow.”
5. Bernard said, “Go to the venue in the mornings and get yourself watercolour on paper, every day.” -> Stuart says, “Honestly, it was too early for me, and I’m not a big freebie fan. And watercolour was left at my hotel early in my symposium career.”
6. Bernard said, “You can get brushes at special prices at the symposium.” -> Stuart says, “OK, yes, a gorgeous brush is a gorgeous brush, but I’m not a real colour guy, and I don’t like carrying water pots around with me.”
7. Bernard said, “Get your hands on the journals fast (at the stalls) because they’ll be sold out fast.” -> Stuart says, “Damn, I was a bit lazy there, I should have bought myself an A4 Leuchtturm1917, probably special price, but somehow, I wasn’t in the mood to buy stuff at the symposium.”
8. Bernard said, “There will be water and snacks at the evening events” -> Stuart says, “Ok, yes, snacks, nothing else, ok, the water was laced with port wine, that was interesting.”
9. Bernard said, “Decide fast if the evening events are good for you.” -> Stuart says, “I basically stuck to my inner circles and never went to a drink and draw. And I’m quite happy about it, I enjoyed the chatting and banter, I think I wasn’t at the symposium to draw actually.”
10. Bernard said, “Take your favourite tools.” -> Stuart says, “Yep, and those were the G-Tech Pilot 0.4 (which I lost somewhere in Germany later), Lamy Safari F nib with Rohrer&Klingler ink (one cartridge full, and that was enough), Stabilo pen68 felt tip pens and 2 coloured pencils.”
11. Bernard said, “No headphones needed.” -> Stuart says, “Correct! But it is still perhaps good to hide away a bit if you want to get some drawing done. Especially if every body knows you after making “hundreds” of new friends. “
12. Bernard said, “Prepare and do some research on the town.” -> Stuart says, “Well, I bought a book, read a few pages, took it with me and never looked at it again. But I did watch a few tourist/travel guide youtube videos. Basically, I’d say I don’t need to do too much research.”
13. Bernard said, “Take natural colours. Colours to depict the sky and water well.” -> Stuart says, “Well, colours … not really my thing, everything goes wrong when I try colours.”
14. Bernard said, “There is free water at the venue.” -> Stuart says, “Well, a bottle of water cost 12 Cent in the supermarket next to my hotel. So I didn’t bother looking at the venue.”
15. Bernard said, “Consider taking one sketchbook, you can always buy a new one.” -> Stuart says, “Yes, I need to remember that one. One sketchbook is by far enough. You get freebie sketchbooks, even after the goody bag, if you come to the venues in the mornings, they will be handing out sketchbooks. Need to remember that.”

And here is what I drew in Porto and how I’ve continued in Bonn:
View from my hotel window.

I set up a Facebook event before the symposium started

Out in Porto at lunch time with my “Birmingham” connection.

Second Facebook event I set up, only a handful of sketchers came this time, but all the cosier!

After waiting (with fellow sketchers) for hours before going up to register for the symposium, I sat between friends and drew a bit of Porto. Line is starting to prevail.

First sketchwalk on the first day of the symposium. Met some wonderful people here.

Sketching with some of my most cherished drawing “heros”. Now I think I understand, there is no olymp, we are all equals. I love it.

Chilling for 2 hours in the British cemetry (this drawing took me 2 hours). Wonderful things happened at the cemetry. I made new friends, wonderful friends.

Having some quality time on my own and later with a friend in an expensive hotel cafe. And drawing a panorama view of Porto’s sister town Gaia.

Second sketch crawl I went to, where I joined up with new people again. Writing starts to appear in me sketches.

Sktchy app meetup on last day at very last sketch crawl. Such a happy but also sad event (symposium finishing slowly). I lent a friend my stool. He enjoyed the change.

Last day, spent with a friend, drawing and writing.

Back in Bonn and copying photos and tiles from Porto.

Off for a bit of Urban Sketching in Bonn on Wednesday.

And again. On Friday.

And meeting with fellow drawers on Monday.

And going to life drawing on Tuesday.