Drawing Attention July 2020 by Drawing Attention

DRAWING

Attention

The official zine of Urban Sketchers JULY 2020

Drawing Attention Mandate Drawing Attention, the official monthly zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching.

Thanks to this month’s Drawing Attention contributors: Managing Editor: Patricia Chow Mailchimp layout: Jane Wingfield Issuu layout: Anne Taylor Social Media Designer: Suzala Writers: Meagan Burns, Jane Wingfield French copy editor: Sophie Navas Spanish copy editor: Rosario Muñoz Gajardo Proofreader: Leslie Akchurin Contributors: Parka, Richard Alomar, Elizabeth Alley, Mat Let, Mauricio López, Keesung Song, Barbara Weeks, Alex Zonis cover image: Mat Let Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the June edition of Drawing Attention. Circulation: 13k+ Readership: 16k+ Web: urbansketchers.org Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Click here to make your tax-deductible contribution via Paypal. © 2020 Urban Sketchers. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication, including accompanying artwork, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Urban Sketchers organization.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear USk Community, In the coming weeks and months many Urban Sketchers will start to resume on location sketching. Others may be under the first or second wave, so please stay safe. Let’s remember to take the appropriate precautions. The USk community has been deeply affected by the global pandemic and social unrest in the world. We are all united in listening, watching and telling the stories of this very challenging time. Throughout all this we clearly see the value of the work we do in sharing the world one drawing at a time, and the effect that has on sketchers and non-sketchers alike. We are aware of the importance of on location drawing and will continue to provide the time and resources needed to promote our mission. To that end we will start the USk Strategic Planning process in July. The outcome will be a detailed roadmap to guide the organization from 2021-2024. Do you

have any ideas for USk? What do you like the most and least about USk? What will USk look like in 2024? What new directions should USk take? Your thoughts and suggestions matter to us, so feel free to email me at president@urbansketchers.org to share your ideas. In this edition of Drawing Attention you’ll see Urban Sketchers assuming leadership roles in the organization. So let’s all welcome Genine Carvalheira, Rob Sketcherman, Noga Grosman and Javier Mas Pinturas to the USk team! Please stay safe, engaged and sketching! Sketching together (one way or another), Feel free to contact us at president@urbansketchers.org. We ask that you stay safe, engaged and sketching! Sketching together (one way or another), Richard Alomar USk President

MANAGING EDITOR’S MESSAGE Greetings, Sketchers! I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and healthy. This month we welcome a great new group of volunteers to USk, including new USk Vice President Genine Carvalheira, our featured USk Board member this month. We also hear from popular urban sketching instructor Mat Let, who reports on Paris after quarantine, in English and in French, introducing our first bilingual article. USk Chicago and USk Suwon also report on what is happening in their cities. For our Spanish-speaking sketchers,

previous USk Talks guest Mauricio López tells us about USk Quito and his urban sketching journey and invites us all to Ecuador. As always, a tremendous thank you to our fabulous Drawing Attention team for their efforts in putting together this issue. If you’d like to join us as a writer or foreign language editor, send me an email at drawingattention@urbansketchers.org! I hope you enjoy our latest issue! Patricia Chow Managing Editor, Drawing Attention

CONTENTS 4 USK NEWS & EVENTS 8

GENINE CARVALHEIRA

34 USK SUWON

MAURICIO ARTURO LÓPEZ

40 USK CHICAGO

26 MAT LET

47 USK SINGAPORE

53 ENDNOTES | REVIEWS HOW TO READ DRAWING ATTENTION AS AN E-ZINE FOR EASIER READING ON ISSUU.COM SELECT FULL SCREEN.

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JULY 2020 3

USk News & Events

USK WELCOMES NEW VOLUNTEERS

PLACE YOUR AD HERE

and reach

16,000+

artists & art lovers For more information about ad placement, sizes and costs for corporate sponsors, email Raylie at raylie@verizon.net

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Urban Sketchers would like to welcome Genine Carvalheira to the role of USk Vice President. Genine has been a part of the Urban Sketchers community since 2010, and attended her first USk Symposium in Lisbon in 2011. Genine currently splits her time between Rochester, New York, USA, and Toronto, Canada. However, she is extremely excited about her upcoming move to Bogota, Colombia. She hopes to meet the USk community there and to start drawing her beautiful new country. You can contact Genine at: vicepresident@urbansketchers.org.

Noga Rose Grosman has taken on the role of USk Social Media Director. Noga is a cofounder of the USk Orlando chapter, and has been USk Social Media Coordinator since 2010. You can contact Noga at: socialmedia@urbansketchers.org.

USk News & Events

Art by: Dan Hogman

SHARE YOUR MEMORIES It is a pity that the promising Urban Sketchers Symposium didn’t take place this year. Fortunately we still have many beautiful memories that we have created together in Amsterdam and that we can cherish until we can meet again. What is your fondest memory from that iconic (and warm!) week in Amsterdam? Draw and share before July 31, use the hashtag #royaltalensathome on Instagram for a chance to

WIN 5x

win a Van Gogh Water Colour Metal Set with 48 colours. Royal Talens is looking forward to your creations and wishes everyone a lot of fun. Hopefully see you next year! @RoyalTalens

www.royaltalens.com

Closing date of the competition: July 31, 2020

JULY 2020 5

USk News & Events

USK WELCOMES NEW VOLUNTEERS We all know Rob Sketcherman from his moving reportage sketches of Hong Kong, as the host of USk Talks, a USk instructor, an administrator of the USk Hong Kong chapter, and as an incredibly generous and enthusiastic sketcher.

Welcome to Javier Mas Pinturas, who will lead the USk Membership Committee in supporting USk chapters and help emerging groups around the globe become official USk chapters. Javier is one of the USk Sevilla administrators, USk Regional Leader for Spain, and also serves on the USk Social Media Team. He has attended several USk Symposiums, where he met his best sketcher friends from different countries, and looks forward to helping USk! You can contact Javier at: membership@urbansketchers.org.

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We are happy to announce that he will join current board members Elizabeth Alley (USA), Gabi Campanario (USA), Jessie Chapman (USA), Suma CM (USA), Jason Das (USA), José Louro (Portugal), Jim Richards (USA), Tia Boon Sim (Singapore), Paul Wang (Singapore) and Joel Winstead (USA) on the USk Advisory Board. Rob will work closely with the USk Education Director to develop educational programs and partnerships with art related institutions to assure that USk reaches a new generation of sketchers. Help us welcome Rob on USk Talks or on Instagram @robsketcherman!

USk News & Events

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Sketcher Spotlight

INTRODUCING USK VICE PRESIDENT: GENINE CARVALHEIRA URBAN SKETCHERS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEW VICE PRESIDENT GENINE CARVALHEIRA, AN ARTIST AND DESIGNER CURRENTLY LIVING IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, USA. BY MEAGAN BURNS

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Genine Carvalheira

enine is a long-time artist and urban sketcher, and has attended all but two of the USk symposiums, where she was able to meet and sketch with many of us. Genine grew up on Long Island, New York, and attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she studied industrial design. Genine has spent the past almost 20 years working for a popular grocery chain, yet now she prepares to embark on a new adventure, once it

becomes safe to travel again. Genine and her partner will be moving to Bogota, Colombia, where she’ll continue to practice her art, explore the new region, and dedicate her time to supporting the mission of the Urban Sketchers organization. Genine was a volunteer on the USk Membership Committee from 2013 to 2015, when she worked to assist regional chapters in getting ready for official approval. Now she’s ready to roll up her sleeves and support the entire organization. Genine has been preparing by working alongside USk President Richard Alomar, and attending online meetings with other USk Board members. Genine will be supporting the organization’s worldwide membership and regional chapters efforts. “I started sketching in 2007, and immediately became hooked on how it opened my eyes and presented new ways of connecting with the world around me, as well as globally. I’ve met so many great fellow sketchers over the years, and now I’m excited to be a part of the team to help support our vision.” We look forward to hearing more about Genine’s adventures in Colombia, and seeing her sketches from the ground, but in the meantime, please drop a line to say hello at vicepresident@urbansketchers.org.

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Sketcher Spotlight

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Genine Carvalheira

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Sketcher Spotlight

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Genine Carvalheira

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Sketcher Spotlight

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Genine Carvalheira

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Sketcher Spotlight

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Genine Carvalheira

CONNECT WITH GENINE

f JULY 2020 17

USK Talks

VOICES OF LATIN AMERICA: MAURICIO ARTURO LÓPEZ BY ELIZABETH ALLEY

n the May 31 episode of USk Talks, host Rita Sabler visited sketchers in two very different countries, Argentina and Ecuador, to find out more about what they like to sketch in these two separate corners of South America. Norberto Dorantes, originally from Mexico, joined us from his adopted home of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He took us on a tour of Buenos Aires with his sketches, talking about the architecture, the wide avenues, and the diverse mix of friendly people. Some of his sketches showed current issues such as people protesting electrical outages, while some featured history, such as a building that was saved due to its association with Evita Perón. Norberto also talked about moving outside of his comfort zone to sketch people dancing in a tango competition for a local newspaper. He loves sketching people in motion, but as a trained architect it is not his primary way of working. Norberto’s advice for moving out of your comfort zone is, “Don’t think about what you think you can’t do. Draw all the time, and focus on learning concepts.” Mauricio Arturo López joined us from the “middle of the world,” the city of Quito, Ecuador. He not only sketches Quito, the first city to receive the status of the UNESCO World Heritage site, but also surrounding historical areas, where he has helped many sketchers form their own USk chapters.

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Mauricio Arturo López

From Mauricio we learned that sketchers in Ecuador use single sheets of paper more than sketchbooks, which are expensive and hard to obtain, especially with good paper for watercolor. Instead, they cut down large sheets of paper and sketch on both sides. Ecuadorian sketchers do what they must to keep sketching because, as Mauricio said, “Sketching is a way of life, a way of thinking, and a way of seeing the world.” On the following pages, Mauricio tells our Spanish-speaking readers in his own words about how he came to Urban Sketchers, sketching in Quito, and his wish to organize a USk Sketch South America event where instructors from around the world would be invited to teach. JULY 2020 19

USk Talks

MAURICIO ARTURO LÓPEZ: LA VOCACIÓN DE DIBUJAR DESDE LA GEOGRAFÍA ANDINA

ivo en Quito, declarado en 1978 como Patrimonio Cultural de la Humanidad, una ciudad andina emplazada a los pies del volcán activo “Guagua Pichincha”.

Siendo joven salí de Tulcán, mi pequeña y fría ciudad (3000 msnm) de hermosas montañas tapizadas en gamas verdes. En mis maletas también llevaba tatuados en mi espíritu la pasión por el dibujo. Estudié arquitectura y diseño gráfico, pero mi vocación para enseñar me enrumbó hacia la docencia y ya han transcurrido 21 años de compartir con nuevas generaciones. 20 DRAWING ATTENTION

Hace 7 años, en la universidad junto a dos docentes empezamos a seguir en redes sociales a Urban Sketchers, adaptamos las salidas académicas de dibujo con los objetivos y filosofía de USk y fundamos USk Quito. En el 2015 conseguimos el reconocimiento como grupo oficial en la región y hasta este año 2020, como administrador de USk Quito he programado más de 70 encuentros. Cientos de dibujos sobre la ciudad de Quito y otras lugares aledaños, 2 exposiciones grandes y varias colaboraciones.

Quito ofrece infinitas posibilidades de ser dibujada una y otra vez. Disfruto armar composiciones con las cúpulas como remate; pero también ir a los barrios empinados a dibujar las casas emplazadas en la fuerte topografía. La mayoría de los dibujantes usamos poco los boceteros, una buena lámina de acuarela cortada en 8 partes suele ser perfecta. Yo disfruto de jugar bastante con la mancha, incluso antes de dibujar nada, para romper el silencio del papel blanco. En otras ocasiones solo dibujo, o solo pincel, depende del ambiente…interior. También me siento complacido de contribuir con un granito de arena para que en otras ciudades de mi país se despierte el fervor por el sketch urbano, realizando talleres y demostraciones. Me gustaría a corto plazo poder realizar un encuentro de Sketch Sudamérica con el apoyo y validación de USk, invitar a instructores de otras latitudes y también llegar a convertirme en uno de ellos.

CONECTAR CON MAURICIO

CONECTAR CON USK QUITO

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USk Talks

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Mauricio Arturo López

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USk Talks

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Mauricio Arturo López

Mauricio asked us to try starting a sketch with a loose watercolor wash, choosing either a warm or cool color. Wait for it to dry, then sketch on top of it in ink. Mauricio says it’s a very freeing way to sketch. Post and tag with #USkTalks or #USkTalksChallenge, and tag Mauricio @ mauricioarturolopezarte. Follow Mauricio on Instagram, too! CONNECT WITH MAURICIO

CONNECT WITH USK QUITO

JULY 2020 25

Paris Grand Opening: Same Difference BY MAT LET

n May 11th, after 55 days of lockdown, the end of quarantine in France was declared. But in Paris, and some other parts of the country, freedom was still very limited: bars and restaurants were still closed, just like museums and parks, and gatherings of more than 10 people were still forbidden. I had gotten used pretty well to being locked down at home, and for an entire week I felt unable to go outside for there was nowhere I really wanted to go. And then, on a sunny day, I decided to go explore Montmartre, this beautiful and touristy area that sits a few blocks away from my home. The explosion of life that I witnessed that day was both beautiful and scary: some people were wearing masks, some not, social distancing had already become a longforgotten concept and kids were running around everywhere, screaming and playing. After 55 days of drawing in shades of grey on toned paper, I opened my watercolor box and splashed colors everywhere. Paris is a small yet crowded city and people live in tiny apartments. Parisians love

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nothing more than having a drink at a café’s outdoor patio or terrasse. After two months at home, being outside became an actual need. And as sit-down cafés were still officially closed, people started to gather anywhere they could, near the closest source of takeaway drinks (which were authorized). That could be right in front of the bar, creating an unofficial “stand-up terrasse” or even on a roundabout in the middle of the street. It was almost life as usual, the only difference being the hints of white or blue of the masks, being worn in every possible way, except on people’s faces. Then, parks, restaurants and cafés reopened and the mayor authorized the use of sidewalks and empty parking spots to make even bigger terrasses, to the joy of thirsty Parisians. It now feels like the city is back to life, but still you can feel the stigma of the pandemic. In the métro, you must wear a mask, and you can only sit on every other seat. When you’re queuing, you must keep a one-meter distance. And a few shops never reopened - even the government’s economic support for businesses was not enough to get them through the lockdown.

Mat Let

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Sketcher Spotlight

At the same time, people started protesting against racism in the police force, and to get more support for the health system. So yeah, Paris still has a taste of the world before COVID-19, but the world after is yet to be invented.

CONNECT WITH MAT | VIDEO (IN FRENCH, AVAILABLE UNTIL NOV 21, 2020

CONNECT WITH USK PARIS

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Mat Let

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Et Paris redevint (presque) Paris BY MAT LET

e 11 mai, le confinement a pris fin et après presque deux mois à la maison, je n’ai curieusement pas eu envie de sortir. Restaurants, bars, musées, parcs étaient fermés. Où aller ? Pour quoi faire alors que le virus était encore dans les rues ? Au bout d’une semaine, j’ai tout de même mis le nez dehors et me suis aventuré à quelques encablures de chez moi, à Montmartre. La place des Abbesses subissait une

vraie explosion de vie, où la distanciation sociale était de l’histoire ancienne, une moitié des gens portant des masques, les autres non. Les enfants couraient en tous sens et s’époumonaient joyeusement. Mi-ravi, mi-inquiet, j’ai sorti ma boîte d’aquarelle et j’ai éclaboussé mon carnet de couleurs vives. Mais il manquait encore quelque chose à Paris : ses terrasses. Seule la vente à emporter étant autorisée, les parisiens ont alors piraté l’espace public pour enfin prendre l’apéro ensemble. La terrasse est fermée ? Très bien, il suffit de rester tous debout juste à côté du café ou de s’entasser sur le rondpoint d’en face pour profiter de la lumière du soleil couchant ! Nous retrouvions le goût de la vie d’avant, mâtiné des petites tâches blanches ou bleues des masques, portés n’importe où et n’importe comment à part sur le visage. Et puis, les parcs, les cafés et les restaurants ont enfin ouvert avec l’autorisation d’utiliser le trottoir et les places de parking pour agrandir les terrasses. Bonheur. Mais si « Paris est une fête », la pandémie a laissé ses traces. Dans le métro, on ne peut s’asseoir que sur un siège sur deux et le masque est obligatoire. La distanciation sociale reste de mise dans les commerces, mais certains d’entre eux n’ont pas rouvert, malgré les aides gouvernementales.

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Mat Let

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Sketcher Spotlight

Enfin, les manifestations n’ont pas tardé à reprendre, contre le racisme et pour exiger des moyens pour les soignants. Paris redevient Paris, mais dans un monde nouveau qui reste à inventer.

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SE CONNECTER AVEC MAT | @ARTEFR DISPONIBLE AU 21/11/2020

SE CONNECTER AVEC USK PARIS

Mat Let

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Featured Chapter

“

EIGHTEEN MINI SKETCHBOOKS WERE SHOWN IN THE EXHIBITION. YOU CAN LOOK INSIDE SOME OF THEM ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.”

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USk Suwon

USK SUWON HOLDS ITS FIRST GROUP EXHIBITION BY KEESUNG SONG

e had a big dream. We prepared a four-day urban sketching workshop with 200 people, and after the workshop, we would collect pictures and do an exhibition. But we had to cancel, as you know, due to COVID-19. Even though the workshops were completely canceled, the possibility of having an exhibition remained. As the COVID-19 situation improved, we hurried to prepare for the exhibition. The timing was very tight, but with the active cooperation of enthusiastic USk Suwon admins and sketchers, we were able to hold an exhibition from June 1 to July 5, 2020, at the Gallery Yeoung-tong in Suwon, Korea. Our Urban Sketchers Suwon chapter first began to meet in 2017, and this was our first group exhibition. Fortytwo sketchers submitted their work, and Ch’ng Kiah Kiean, who conducted a workshop in Suwon last year, also participated in the exhibition as an invited artist. In this exhibition, special mini sketchbooks were also exhibited. Hyojin, one of our admins, conducted a course on how to create a handmade mini sketchbook. Eighteen mini sketchbooks were shown in the exhibition. You can look inside some of them on the USk Suwon YouTube channel. Unfortunately, the coronavirus situation has become more difficult since the week after the installation. The exhibition hall was closed on the weekends, and restricted to weekday entry only. We created a video walkthrough so that all works can be viewed online. Everyone is in a difficult situation, but just by being able to draw pictures and exhibit like this, we are making pleasant memories. JULY 2020 35

Featured Chapter

LEFT: A MINI SKETCHBOOK FROM THE EXHIBITION RIGHT: EXHIBITION POSTER

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USk Suwon

SKETCH BY KEESUNG SONG (RIGHT): “This is a cathedral near the

house that I pass every day on the way to work. Strangely, I have the urge to draw pointed buildings. Even when drawing common alleyways, I often draw pointed buildings in the background.”

SKETCH BY HYOSUN JUNG (LEFT): “I am

building new memories while drawing a place where I have lived for a long time. Suwon Cheil Church is a landmark that is seen everywhere in Suwon, so I have often drawn it.”

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Featured Chapter

SKETCH BY SUNGJIN PARK (ABOVE): “I like to draw pictures

of the disappearing scenery and record my memories. So I’m drawing old alleys, houses and landscapes. Just as we look back on the past and talk about our memories, I want to talk about my paintings as fun memories after a time.”

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SKETCH BY JIWON JUNG (BELOW): “When it started to get

hotter, I drew the World Cup Stadium with a steel structure in the field. I painted it by looking from the bottom up to express the appearance of pouring on the field. The entangled steel structures were simplified as much as possible, but I tried to show how the stadium was firmly guarded, also.”

USk Suwon

CONNECT WITH USK SUWON

SKETCH BY HYOJIN SON: “While living in Suwon for a long time, I started to

draw urban sketches at Hyanggyo for the first time. Nowadays, it has become part of the cultural heritage of this era and is located in a quiet place. By seeing the shape of Hyanggyo Gate, I can feel the spirit of the old scholars who once took charge of the culture and education of the Chosun Dynasty.” JULY 2020 39

Featured Chapter

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USk Chicago

URBAN SKETCHING IN TROUBLED TIMES BY ALEX ZONIS AND BARBARA WEEKS

rban Sketchers Chicago paused our sketch crawls on March 11, 2020. Since then, to keep our community of sketchers connected, keep us sketching, and lift people’s spirits, we have weekly online sketch meets with themes. No one is left untouched by what is happening in the world. On Sunday June 7, 2020, our theme was Documentary. The resulting collection of sketches is very special. We have sketches of protests, boarded storefronts, re-opened businesses, a COVID unit of a hospital, a military vehicle, a parking lot worship service, and more. See our more of our neighborhoods from personal vantage points here. It is urban sketching in its truest sense. Thank you to Suzanne Royals, Heather Hultgren, Bob Glazauskis, Anna Rappaport, Eileen Ferguson, Sandra Beaty, Patricia Fallon and Evelyn Brody for contributing sketches to the header collage. Welcome to Our Worlds.

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Featured Chapter

SKETCH BY HAROLD GOLDFUS (LEFT):

I was able to say what I felt about these times in a series of comic book panels. What surprised me was how a post that was so personal to me resonated with so many people out there.

SKETCH BY BARBARA WEEKS (BELOW):

This view from our building’s sundeck was almost surreal. It was a quiet scene, immaculate street, no cars, no people, boarded-up convenience store, just waiting for the chaos. Thankfully, it didn’t spread to that corner.

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USk Chicago

SKETCH BY BARBARA KAY HERRING (LEFT): Protest,

Lakeview East. June 1, 2020. I caught this group of protestors from my third floor apartment window on June 1st, about 9pm. I think they were breaking up from a larger group. I watched them with great admiration and cheered them on through my closed window.

SKETCH BY MICHELLE KAIM (BELOW): This is one-third

of the prep area of the COVID unit of our Northwest Indiana hospital where we store bags that contain the supplies we reuse such as goggles, face shields, masks and the scarce at times white suits. Each bag belongs to an individual who comes to the department: nurses, doctors, techs, environmental services, therapists, etc. It strikes me, as I put on my gear, that these bags represent the number of people involved with and possibly exposed for each patient in the unit.

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SKETCH BY SHRUTI VIJA (LEFT): As my

daughter was going on her bike ride around the park I couldn’t help but notice the empty playground with the caution tape wrapped around it. Normally during this time of the year the playgrounds would be buzzing with kids and their parents and caretakers. However this year the only thing visible in the playgrounds are the caution tapes. I decided to sketch this sad scene of the empty play equipment. These are the times we live in.

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SKETCH BY ALEX ZONIS (BELOW):

Edgewater and Andersonville were busy and bustling on Sunday, June 7. There was a Red Line “L” track repair in progress on Ardmore. Gethsemane Gardens on Clark was buzzing, pandemic and civil protest aside, people wanted to plant their gardens. My favorite cafe was open for curbside service, and there was a small crowd, all masked and patient, waiting for their caffeine. All this made me hopeful that things are taking a turn for the better.

USk Talks

SKETCH BY LYNNE FAIRCHILD (RIGHT):

We are still choosing Safer-at-Home: My art table has been taken over by grocery quarantine.

SKETCH BY MARILYN RUGG (LEFT):

Illinois National Guard at the ready in case Division and Wells Streets have to be closed again. There were also two Chicago Streets and Sanitation dump trucks waiting here for the same purpose. When I look at this sketch, it brings back the fear that I felt in that moment as well as ambivalent gratitude for the Illinois National Guard. JULY 2020 45

Featured Chapter

SKETCH BY WES DOUGLAS: French Market, 10am, Wheaton, IL. After the

peaceful protests had moved through Wheaton earlier in the week, I ventured into town on my bike to find many boarded up buildings. Many restaurants are blocking off streets and setting up outdoor tables under giant tents to provide a way for patrons to eat out. I was captivated by the weekly French Market which was thriving with a steady stream of patrons exhibiting the proper social distancing and masks.

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CONNECT WITH USK CHICAGO

SINGAPORE’S RECIPE FOR SUSTAINABILITY DURING COVID AND BEYOND BY JANE WINGFIELD JULY 2020 47

hen Tia Boon Sim founded USk Singapore back in 2007, she and her co-founders Andrew Tan, Don Low, and James Tan decided they would meet at one location, sketch for 10 minutes, then move to another location, sketch for another 10 minutes, and keep up the pattern for about three hours. “We changed the name to ‘sketch walk’ because ‘sketch crawls’ were too slow.” Later when the group became too large to move en masse, they had to modify the plan and just stay put, with individuals moving as they wished. Fast forward 13 years. As the pandemic began spreading, Singapore went into serious lockdown. Being a tight community, however, USk Singapore’s core admin team (Tia, Patrick Ng, Zahan Kariyani (creative director), Favian Ee and David Liew) initiated Circuit Sketch Break, a month-long challenge to keep the community connected and sketching at home. All of the challenges followed the USk manifesto with a particular emphasis on drawing on location and sharing your work - in this case, posting it on social media. Tia herself completed three Moleskine 48 DRAWING ATTENTION

accordion sketchbooks during the circuit break. At the end of the challenge, sketchers who submitted a montage of all of their sketches were eligible to enter a drawing for donated art supplies, won by four sketchers. Some of the prompts include: • Draw the view looking out, framed by your front door and entryway • Sketch the contents – messy or not – in one or more of the cupboards/cabinets in your house; no tidying! • Sketch your collection of shoes, whether they’re piled up by the door, stacked on racks, or tidily stored in boxes.

USk Singapore

WATCH TIA AND PATRICK ON USK TALKS ON JULY 5 AT 4AM GMT

USk Singapore is nurturing a real community. “I’m less involved not because I don’t want to be involved, but because you have to make it sustainable. You have to let the new people [take charge].” And that is working very well for USk Singapore. New leaders are emerging but more than that, Tia said, “What is wonderful is everybody wants to contribute to the community. They are not thinking of themselves. We are developing everybody together.” JULY 2020 49

Featured Chapter

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USk Singapore

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Featured Chapter

CONNECT WITH USK SINGAPORE

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CONNECT WITH TIA

Endnotes & Reviews SUBSCRIBE TO DRAWING ATTENTION – IT’S FREE

SUBSCRIBE TO THE USK YOUTUBE CHANNEL

USK BLOG

PARKA REVIEWS

BY TEOH YI CHIE

Teoh Yi Chie is an infographics journalist who joined Urban Sketchers Singapore in 2009. He’s probably better known as Parka from Parkablogs.com, a website that reviews art books and art products. This month Parka video reviews waterproof inks that are safe for fountain pens. Check it out!

SHARE YOUR CHAPTER’S NEWS WITH OUR READERS Contact us to share your chapter’s news, special events, joint meetups, and exhibitions with our readers. You don’t need to write the story yourself. We will assign a Drawing Attention writer to cover your story! Contact us at: drawingattention@ urbansketchers.org. JULY 2020 53

Our Manifesto • We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation • Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel • Our drawings are a record of time and place • We are truthful to the scenes we witness • We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles • We support each other and draw together • We share our drawings online • We show the world, one drawing at a time.