Makati Skyline

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pen, Black Fineliner on Moleskine Sketchbook; 2 hours

Looking closely at the sketch, one will notice that only one color is applied to the buildings: shaded areas were colored grey, while the highlights were left uncolored.  I did this on purpose to emphasize the contrast between the light and shadows.

Capturing Binondo Church in Pen

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pen, Black Fineliner; 75 minutes

It was a hot and sunny day.  Sketching by the window from which Binondo Church is visible in the second floor of the nearby McDonalds would have been perfect, if not for the tree blocking the view.  I had to wait until 3:30 pm when it felt "cooler" to sketch from Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz.
   

Fire Station with Chinese-Style Roof in Binondo

On the way to my weekly Saturday trip to Ongpin, I deliberately stopped just before crossing San Fernando Bridge to sketch the often unnoticed fire station located on the right.  I have been wanting to sketch the structure since it caught my attention due to its Chinese-style roof two weeks ago, but have not find the time to do so until today.

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pen, Black Fineliner; 2 hours

I started with a light pencil sketch of the major parts of the structure.  Close attention was given to the distance between the levels of the structure, making sure that the whole picture will be depicted in proportion and that I do not allot too much space to one part leaving no space to another.

Thanks to the nearby Citibank branch which provided me with a wall to lean against and kept me dry from the drizzle, though my view from where I was standing was partially blocked from time to time by parking cars and trucks.  I had to move to another position to complete the details.    

Christmas is Nearing!

Have you noticed the Christmas decorations put up in the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) stations?  The parols particularly caught my attention.  If you look at them closely, you will notice that they are made of recycled materials.  Creative, isn't it?

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pen, Black Fineliner; 15 minutes

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pen, Black Fineliner; 15 minutes

My First Sketch On Location

I learned about urban sketching - drawing on location - while browsing in Amazon.com for art books.  I find urban sketching a very unique and personal way of recording one's experiences and surroundings.  For this reason, I decided to try it out.  Here is my first sketch on location.

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Brush Pen, Black Fineliner; 90 minutes

Photograph of the subject I sketched: a building in Paseo de Roxas Street, Makati City

Initially, I planned to start with a pencil draft and redraw the pencil outlines with a pen later on.  In an attempt to perfect the lines and shapes, I found myself constantly erasing and redrawing lines.  Realizing that I would never finish my drawing in this manner, I finally convinced myself to draw with pen directly.  This technique had one advantage: it allowed me to disregard the mistakes made (there's no way of erasing them anyway) and pushed me to continue with my work.              

I think it would be better if I had included the poles in front of the building in my drawing.  The decreasing height of the poles as they extend to the right will put the drawing in perspective.  Also, I should have drawn a passing vehicle to add life to the drawing. 

I was sitting on a flagpole stand while doing this sketch.  Even though I was fortunate to find a shaded place to stay at, I was continually bugged by insect bites.  I think environmental factors are also part of the challenges many urban sketchers face.