Walled City Revisited

a fine Saturday morning it was and thank God for a good weather for another monthly sketchcrawl session with my Urban Sketchers group. Intramuros, then was our venue. we REvisited some spots within the "walled city" and we're able to sketch at least three statues present: Statue of King Carlos IV of Spain in Plaza de Roma, Statue of Queen Isabela II at the entrance of Puerta Isabela II and Statue of Philip II of Spain

it was also a surprise that day to be reunited with my mentor, Architect Pinoy, as he joined us in our activity. i hope to see him again in our next sessions.

 

who says, you can't sketch at the office?

coffee break. lunch break. meeting. dead hours. when the urge to sketch strikes, no one can stop me from doing so! now here's some few tries :)

Revisiting the Old Congress House

it was a fine Saturday morning, when our group get to see each other again as we conduct our monthly sketchcrawl session. this time, we'll be at the the museum. indoor sketching was our theme then. 

it's a great time that i had the chance to REvisit one of the declared national historical landmarks in Manila [i was in high school since i last visited the place]

the museum was formerly intended to be the home of the National Library of the Philippines [according the famous urban planner, Daniel Burnham], it is currently home of the National Art Gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines [1997]. Designed by Architects Juan Arellano and Antonio Toledo in 1918, the Neo-Classical structure was damaged during the Word War II but was reconstructed in 1949 to be the home of the National Assembly/Congress of the Philippines [bicameral, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives].

at present, the building is undergoing renovations. we also had the opportunity to see some of the phases of construction, of how renovation is done. i just hope that the Team who's in-charge of the project would make a thorough study so it won't compromise the design and preserve its architectural value.

more of these at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2401719240143.2138668.1165948020&type=1

moments with Coffee

i'm not really a fan of any coffee shops like Starbucks, Figaro, Seattle's Best and the like. but i do love coffee, a huge fan, i must say. i can consume two to three tumblers of coffee in a day. i even drink on a hot afternoon siesta :)

more and more people [nowadays, i think] are getting hooked up staying at coffee shops. tried doing so, and i find out why: free wi-fi access and the warm-serene ambiance they have. for most, they do have this some sort of feeling whenever they stay at coffee shops [i remember BOB ONG's article about that -- I only go to Starbucks [or any coffee shops] when I have lots of cash to burn and whenever I feel like I wanna be sosyal for a day. It brings out the social climber in me.] well, there are some coffee houses where a lot of people stay, noise and the annoying cigarette smoke best describes the area so i guess it's not appropriate to say [at all times] that coffee shops are quiet places where you can stay and relax.

here's some of my sketches during my goofing off moments in one of the coffee shops i visit:

 

Let's Talk PORTRAITS

as i write this post, i still can't track when was the first time i attempted doing portraits of people. looking at their profiles, different characteristics [external], i was hooked by the idea of how they'll be executed in a drawing using certain medium/s [pen+ink, oil/acrylic, chalk pastel, charcoal pencil, etc.]

one of the best Filipino visual artists [and one of my faves, too], Fernando Amorsolo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Amorsolo) is a great example of an artist who can do great portraits. he mastered the play of light+shadow and the intricate details in fabric of his subjects. i've seen a lot of his works and i wish to try oil/acrylic paint in doing portraits :) [i tried imitating Amorsolo way back my fifth and sixth grade until my early years in high school, chalk pastels were my medium then. it was also during those times that i joined art competitions].

like all [or should i say most] of the artists do, mood [a state or quality of feeling at a particular time] plays an important role and affects the output of their work. and here are some of my portraits. i used pen and ink [Staedtler pencils and some UniPin fine line markers]. i was told by a co-artist to focus first on a certain medium before trying other ones and other styles as well -- and that's what i'm doing now :)

A Glimpse of Pasig

i've always wanted to sketch [or at least take pictures] of my hometown. and here they are: (1) the Mutya ng Pasig Revolving Tower-- an avant-garde structure built in 1960's, part of the commercial complex consisting of public market, parks+playground, etc. today the tower still stands, but was left abandoned. i do hope that our city government will pursue their plans of restoring that distinctive landmark; (2) the Pasig City Hall, our city's seat of governance [reminiscent to Washington D.C.'s White House]; and (3) the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, one of the oldest structures in the city build around 1400's. it recently underwent renovations, although i'm not convinced and not satisfied with the restoration they made for the cathedral.

related links:

http://strangero19.multiply.com/photos/album/12/a_glimpse_of_PASIG#

http://strangero19.multiply.com/photos/album/21/a_glimpse_of_pasig_part_two

Old Sketchbook Revisited

here are some of my works from my old sketchbook when i was in college..