Drawing Attention June 2021

SKETCHING IN: Brazil • Delhi Portugal • Wellington Ashland • Seattle

DRAWING

Attention

The official zine of Urban Sketchers JUNE 2021

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: Content Publication Team: Olga Surmacheva, Anne Taylor Mailchimp layout: Jane Wingfield Issuu layout: Anne Taylor Writers: Mark Anderson, Jim Chapman, Cathy Gutterman, Anne Taylor French copy editor: Sophie Navas Spanish copy editor: Rosario Muñoz Gajardo Proofreader: Leslie Akchurin Contributors: Alexandre Junior, Niraj Gupta, Mário Linhares, Charline Moreau, Parka Cover Image: Charline Moreau Subscribe to Drawing Attention. Read the May edition of Drawing Attention.

Circulation: 14k+ 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. © 2021 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.

orking on this issue has given me pause for thought. It was humbling to connect with USk Brazil; boasting 53 chapters, this country is also locked in an ongoing COVID tragedy that is compounding inequities in society.

Alexandre Junior raised some prickly questions for me that I will be taking back to my local group in Wellington, NZ. Members of USk Ashland in Oregon have found ways to connect with young sketchers less fortunate than themselves in the Phillipines, and Sketch Tour Portugal is once again busy showing the world the beauty of this unique corner of the globe.

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In the words of Sketch Tour Portugal stalwart Luís Araújo: “I suppose that’s why we travel and sketch: to share.” Even when we are not travelling, we can still be sharing and ‘listening’ in the broadest sense, as part of this global community. And while we’re on that subject, please tell us what you’d like to see in Drawing Attention – what is working, and what you’d like to see changed. We are reflecting on new directions for our zine and will bring you two more issues this year – September and December – so please do get in touch.

Anne Taylor (NZ) with Olga Surmacheva (USA), Content Publication Team drawingattention@urbansketchers.org

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Patricia works as a community college researcher and has taken up a new volunteer role teaching intermediate and advanced English conversation with an organization she used to work with while living in New York City. She holds an MFA in Painting and these days finds joy in plein air painting, which she sees as “a kind of bridge between urban sketching and the more intellectual kind of painting I was doing in grad school”. With one less strenuous monthly deadline, we hope Patricia finds much pleasure in her new creative and professional work!

e are sad to farewell LAbased Patricia Chow who has been our wonderful DA Managing Editor since August 2018. During this time, Patricia’s dedication, professionalism and attention to detail have been truly astounding to all who have been fortunate enough to work with her. One of her key missions was to make Drawing Attention as accessible as possible to non-English readers and our zine has since proudly carried stories in Spanish, French, Korean, German and Portuguese. We will certainly be continuing this commitment.

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16 USK ASHLAND

22 USK BRAZIL 34 USK

DELHI

CONTENTS 40

OLGA SURMACHEVA

45

ANNE TAYLOR

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

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sketcher spotlight

Sketch Tour Portugal Reload THE SKETCH TOUR PORTUGAL IS BACK, CROSSING DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND LANDSCAPES OF THE MAINLAND AND ISLANDS AND PASSING FROM REALITY TO FICTION THROUGH THE NARRATIVES OF NATIONAL WRITERS AND THE DRAWINGS OF URBAN SKETCHERS.

BY MÁRIO LINHARES

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CÂMARA DE LOBOS BY LUÍS ARAÚJO

USk news & events

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fter the success of the first edition in 2017-18, the Sketch Tour Portugal is now reloaded in 2021 and has the participation of 20 sketchers, 10 from Portugal and 10 from many different countries: Spain, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Egypt.

The novelty of the reload edition is to add 11 reference authors and writers of the Portuguese language who will amplify the drawings with their words and narratives and inspire future trips for Portuguese and foreigners. The event started in Madeira, last April, and two tours happened in May! Check out the list of participants: DATES

LOCATION PORTUGUESE SKETCHER INTERNATIONAL SKETCHER PORTUGUESE WRITER APRIL 20-25 MADEIRA ISLAND LUÍS ARAÚJO CHARLINE MOREAU MARCELA COSTA MAY 12-17 ALENTEJO COAST NUNO BRANCO MARIELLE DURAND RUI CARDOSO MARTINS MAY 26-31 CENTER INTERIOR ALEXANDRA BELO SANTI SALLÉS GONÇALO CADILHE JUNE 10-15 ALGARVE PEDRO LOUREIRO SIMO CAPECCHI MATILDE CAMPILHO JUN 30 - JUL 5 ALENTEJO INTERIOR CELESTE VAZ FERREIRA LAPIN JOSÉ LUÍS PEIXOTO JUL 28 - AUG 3 AZORES ISLANDS MÁRIO LINHARES MARU GODAS JOEL NETO SEPT 1-6 PORTO PAULO MENDES IAN FENNELLY DULCEMARIA CARDOSO SEPT 15-20 CENTER COAST MARGARIDA FREITAS NINA JOHANSSON AFONSO CRUZ SEPT 29 - OCT 4 LISBON ROSÁRIO FÉLIX REHAM ALI SÉRGIO GODINHO OCT 6-11 THE NORTH MARCO ANTÓNIO COSTA STEFANO FARAVELLI JACINTO LUCAS PIRES

Let’s have a little taste of the Sketch Tour by Luís Araújo (Portugal) and Charline Moreau (France), urban sketchers who kicked off this project: LUÍS ARAÚJO, PORTUGAL • Going back home. That is the feeling of arriving in Madeira. This time for a very special trip and with wonderful guests, starting the #SketchTourPortugal. Sketching the island where I grew up, the places I used to play as a child, and which I so often showed to many friends from abroad is a wonderful experience. Sharing the colors, the light, and the dramatic landscapes with @cmoreauart made it even more special. I suppose that’s why we travel and sketch: to share. And if that trip takes you to a place like Madeira, where you feel embraced by nature and the ocean, 6 drawing attention

LEVADAS BY LUÍS ARAÚJO

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then magic happens. All the colors in the world are here. From the greenery in the Levadas to the indigo blue in the embroidery designs. From the white houses cascading amongst the red volcanic rocks to the multicolored boats in Câmara de Lobos. From sunrise to sunset and dusk to dawn, Madeira is a special place to visit but, most importantly, to sketch and share.

CHARLINE MOREAU, FRANCE • Even before setting foot on the island, I was captivated by the scenery that Madeira offers from the plane window: the volcanic rock of the mountains, covered with forest in dozens of shades of green, plunging into water that goes from turquoise to indigo blue. I was not lied to, I will use all the colors of my palette.

The visit of the island starts in its northern part, in São Vicente. The journey is done by car from Funchal, from valley to valley. At each tunnel exit (Madeira has no less than 130), a new landscape appears. The peaks are swept in turn by the sun’s rays. On both sides of the highway, the mountains rise vertically, I have to lean out of the window to see the peaks. You never know what the weather will be like where you’re going, the island is known for having ‘four seasons in one day’ and I was able to experience this on four of the five days of the trip. Upon arrival in São Vicente, the view is breathtaking, the mountains literally drop into the sea, sheer. A few colorful houses are arranged along the coast; they seem so small, insignificant in front of these giant cliffs.”

TO KEEP UP WITH THE SKETCH TOUR PORTUGAL, FOLLOW THESE IG HASHTAGS:

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#SKETCHTOURRELOAD #SKETCHTOURPORTUGAL #URBANSKETCHERS #URBANSKETCHERSPORTUGAL @VISITPORTUGAL @URBANSKETCHERS @URBANSKETCHERSPORTUGAL

USk news & events

CÂMARA DE LOBOS BY CHARLINE MOREAU

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Carnet de voyage à Madère SKETCH TOUR PORTUGAL RELOAD – DU 20 AU 25 AVRIL 2021

BY CHARLINE MOREAU

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la fin du mois d’avril, j’ai eu la chance de voyager hors des frontières françaises. Invitée par les Urban Sketchers et Turismo de Portugal pour faire partie de l’aventure Sketch Tour Portugal Reload, je n’ai pas pu refuser une telle opportunité. L’idée est de promouvoir le tourisme dans les 7 régions du Portugal (en incluant les îles) à travers le regard de binômes de sketchers, l’un originaire de la région visitée et l’autre international, et, nouveauté de cette édition: un écrivain ou une écrivaine également natif de la région visitée.

Je quittais donc Nice ce mardi 20 avril pour découvrir Madère, une île de l’océan atlantique dont la taille représente un dixième de la Corse, située à la même latitude que le Maroc. À Funchal, j’allais retrouver les membres de l’équipe de Turismo Portugal ainsi que l’écrivaine Marcela Costa et l’urban sketcher Luis Araújo.

Avant même de poser le pied sur l’île, j’ai été subjuguée par le décor que nous propose Madère depuis le hublot de l’avion : la roche volcanique des montagnes, recouvertes de forêt aux dizaines de nuances de vert se jette à pic dans une eau passant du turquoise au bleu indigo. On ne m’avait pas menti, je vais utiliser toutes les couleurs de ma palette.

La visite de l’île débute dans sa partie nord, à São Vicente.

Le trajet se fait en voiture depuis Funchal, de vallée en 10 drawing attention

vallée. À chaque sortie de tunnel (Madère en compte pas moins de 130), un nouveau paysage apparaît. Les sommets sont balayés tour à tour par les rayons du soleil. De part et d’autre de la voie rapide, les montagnes s’élèvent à la verticale, je dois me pencher par la fenêtre pour apercevoir les sommets. On ne sait jamais quelle sera la météo à l’endroit où l’on se rend, l’île est connue pour avoir « quatre saisons en une journée » et j’ai pu l’expérimenter pendant les quatre des cinq jours du voyage. À l’arrivée à São Vicente, le spectacle est époustouflant, les montagnes se jettent littéralement dans la mer, à pic.

Quelques maisons colorées sont disposées le long de la côte, elles paraissent si petites, insignifiantes face à ces falaises géantes.

Nous poursuivons le voyage vers Seixal. Sur le trajet, les montagnes se parent de cultures en terrasses: bananiers, vignes, patates douces, chaque morceau de terre est optimisé. Nous nous arrêtons ici pour voir une des plus belles plages de sable noir de l’île. D’ici on peut voir les cascades qui habillent la roche noire de leurs longs fils blancs brillants au soleil. Seixal est connue pour ses piscines naturelles creusées dans la roche volcanique, mais mon œil est tout de suite attiré par les couleurs pastel caractéristiques des maisons surplombant les bassins, noyées dans la végétation.

USk news & events

PORTO MONIZ, PISCINES NATURELLES ET ROCHES VOLCANIQUES

Je peindrai les piscines naturelles de Porto Moniz quelques kilomètres plus loin pour me rattraper.

La journée se termine dans un endroit magique, la forêt de laurier la plus grande du monde, patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco. La brume nous enveloppe de son manteau blanc et nous voilà plongés dans une ambiance à la Alice aux pays des merveilles. J’essaye de capturer cette sensation si particulière avec mes pinceaux.

Le deuxième jour, nous nous enfonçons dans la forêt, plus à l’est pour découvrir les fameuses levadas, des canaux aménagés pour irriguer les cultures en montagne.

La végétation est luxuriante: les fougères arborescentes sont immenses, les fuchsias sont des arbres, la palette de couleur, bien que principalement composée de vert est si variée que je ne sais plus où regarder. Les rayons du soleil traversent la canopée pour illuminer ça et là les lichens qui recouvrent les écorces des arbres, les petites clochettes blanches d’une espèce que je n’ai jamais vue auparavant.

Les chants des oiseaux nous parviennent en écho, cette forêt est enchantée.

La destination de cette promenade est impressionnante: un belvédère nous offre une vue à 360° sur la Vale do Faial. D’ici, on se rend particulièrement compte de la beauté des montagnes sculptées au fil des millénaires.

On se sent tout petit.

Pour rejoindre le lieu du déjeuner, Fajã dos Padres, nous prenons le téléphérique, qui est le seul moyen d’y accéder.

En voyant la version précédente, sorte d’ascenseur de la taille d’une cabine téléphonique, je mesure ma chance de vivre à notre époque. Mieux vaut ne pas avoir le vertige!

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La baie abrite un potager à partir duquel le restaurant élabore son menu. Sur le chemin qui mène à l’hôtel restaurant, nous longeons les plantations de bananes, papayes, cerises de Cayenne, cannes à sucre, etc.

Enfin, la journée se termine à Câmara de Lobos, dont le nom est issu des phoques moines (loups de mers) y ayant élu domicile avant l’arrivée des premiers portugais.

Avec Luis, nous dessinons à l’endroit même où Winston Churchill avait posé son chevalet en 1950.

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Comme vous pouvez le voir, ce voyage fut très intense, chaque vallée offrant un paysage différent à contempler et à croquer.

Je vous invite donc à découvrir la suite de mon carnet, ainsi que celui de Luis et les écrits de Marcela Costa sur www.sketchtourportugal.com.

Reprinted with permission from the Urban Sketchers blog.

USk news USk Germany & events

TOP: VALE DO FAIAL, DEPUIS BALCOES MIRADOURO. RIGHT: FAJÃ DOS PADRES SUBSCRIBE TO DRAWING ATTENTION – IT’S FREE 6 • 2021 13

USk news & events

AN UPDATE FROM RITA SABLER EDUCATION DIRECTOR

DETAIL OF A SKETCH BY PHIL GAGNON

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

REPORTAGE GRANT WINNERS The six judge panel is reviewing the 62+ proposals we have received. Winners will be announced after June 15th. See updates here.

IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS I am meeting with the Education committee in early June to discuss restarting our Workshop program. We are hoping for at least a trickle of workshops happening later this year as conditions allow.

USK TALKS Currently we don’t have any concrete plans for Season 3, though we are working on an inperson live event with the team and some of our supporters at the end of 2021. You can find the complete USk Talks Seasons 1 & 2 on Youtube.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE USK YOUTUBE CHANNEL 14 drawing attention

USk news & events

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Urban Sketchers - Apr 2021 - 75mm x 207mm - No Bleed - CMYK.indd 1

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WELCOME URBAN SKETCHERS ASHLAND

IN ANSWER TO THE COMMON COMPLAINT “I SHOULD SKETCH MORE,” PHIL GAGNON POSTED A SMALL NOTICE IN A LOCAL BLOG SAYING HE WAS GOING TO START AN URBAN SKETCHERS GROUP. HE INVITED ANYONE INTERESTED TO JOIN HIM, AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, SKETCHERS BEGAN TO SHOW UP...

BY CATHY GUTTERMAN Ashland, a city in southern Oregon located just north of the California border, is home to the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and ranked in the top 10 of John Villani’s 1997 book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America.

Urban Sketchers Ashland was started in 2018 by Phil Gagnon under their former name, Urban Sketchers of Southern Oregon. Phil has been the driving force and a consistent presence for the group, suggesting ideas for drawing locations and always encouraging members to get out there and draw. He is assisted by co-administrators Jody Plazer, Bruce Barnes, and Laurel VogelHarker, who set up their Facebook page. Although she recently moved to Tucson, Arizona, Laurel still stays involved with the group.

When the pandemic put a hold on the group’s outdoor events, in-home sketching, aided by suggested prompts, helped inspire their sketching practice. This spring, with some of the restrictions relaxed, the group began to sketch on location again. Once Covid settles down further, they would like to plan some creative sketch events to entice their working members to sketch on occasional Sunday meetups. They also aim to spark interest in urban sketching with schools and university students in Ashland.

A novel aspect of the USk Ashland group is its contingent of children in the Philippines who post their urban sketches on USk Ashland’s Facebook page.

USk Ashland member Diane Pool, a retiree who lives on a sailboat in Bonbon, Dumaguete, Philippines, started a school for the local children where she coaches them in English and art. Diane says that she’s a coach rather than a teacher as she is mindful not to interfere with each child’s creativity. It is always a delight

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USk Ashland

ABOVE: MEMBERS OF USK ASHLAND. RIGHT: PHIL GAGNON 6 • 2021 17

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to see spontaneous art, unburdened and fresh, as only children can create.

The children’s art certainly enhances the USk Ashland page.

In forming a new Urban Sketchers chapter, USk Ashland encountered several difficulties centering around changing the group’s name and converting their Facebook page to meet USk requirements. A major setback was solved by starting a brand new Facebook page with “public” status. Despite many months of delays in email exchanges with USk, they persevered, graciously urged on by Javier Mas Pinturas, USk Membership Coordinator.

As a new USk chapter, USk Ashland feels that they have been enriched by association with fellow urban sketchers throughout the world and with the USk staff who genuinely care. USk Ashland hopes to have more interaction with the Urban Sketchers organization and USk groups in other cities, as well as have visitors to their city join them on sketch outings.

MEDFORD AT HOME

BY DESMOND SERRATORE 18 drawing attention

USk Ashland

“

A novel aspect of the USk Ashland group is its contingent of children in the Philippines who post their urban sketches on USk Ashland’s Facebook page...”

TOP: ASHLAND NEIGHBOURHOOD

BY ELEANOR LIPPMAN LEFT: GUANAJUATO WAY

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FOURTH & A STREETS, ASHLAND

BY PHIL GAGNON 20 drawing attention

USk Ashland

ASHLAND PLAZA

BY BILL BARNES

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USk Brazil

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URBAN SKETCHERS BRAZIL USK BRAZIL IS HOME TO AN IMPRESSIVE 53 CHAPTERS AND ALEXANDRE JUNIOR IS WELL-PLACED TO EXPLAIN THIS EXPLOSION OF POPULARITY.

BY ANNE TAYLOR

PHOTO BY KIKO DE LA ROCHA 6 • 2021 23

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lexandre Junior has lived his whole 30 years in the industrial, working- class city of Contagem-MG. He tells me his local pub is much like the ‘dirty glass’ that his grandfather ran, with sport playing on the TV, an overhead fan and free-flowing conversation because everyone inside knows each other.

You won’t find pictures of his pub on Instagram or in tourist blogs, and it is not on the radar for his local USk chapter, Urban Sketchers Belo Horizonte. Their meet ups are generally about 50 minutes away in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, also known as ‘the world capital of bars’. Sketchers often already know the historic building or landmark they want to draw and they meet up afterwards in bars with stylish decor – often with chandeliers!

A diversity of approach is what makes urban sketching interesting and, in contrast, Alexandre sets out to draw where he lives with no fixed plan in mind – this is how he likes it: “For me, the drawing is a task of exploration; walking and drawing helps me connect better to my community, as well as back to my childhood and memories.

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Parts of his neighbourhood have been described as dangerous and unsanitary, but this is still his favourite place to draw. “I like to be aware of the evolution of the city, how it has changed since my childhood. I feel it’s important to document that. I want my city to be showcased just as Paris or Rome is.” Further to this, he’d like to break down barriers and share his city with other sketchers more often. Talking to Alexandre makes me think “What part of my town or city am I not drawing and why?”

There have been 16 million cases of COVID in Brazil and the pandemic has severely impacted Alexandre’s daily life. In common with many of his fellow sketchers, he has chosen not to go out to draw in the streets.

Unfortunately, the online events his national chapter has organised just don’t have the same appeal. He finds it troubling that many people in his city continue to meet en masse, despite the risks, while others isolate – a symptom of Brazil’s uncoordinated response to COVID, and something he believes is widening the gap between rich and poor.

Alexandre chose the subject of urban sketching in Brazil for his Master’s degree, researching books published on the subject in his home country. He discovered the gaps in society as a whole are reflected in the urban sketching community in Brazil. His poll of over 100 readers of books on urban sketching showed that only two people had high school as their highest level of education, while everyone else had at least university

USk Brazil

SKETCH BY EKATERINA CHURAKOVA

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graduation. At least 80% of the readers had a family income of almost three times the minimum wage, which is double the national average. There are now 53 official USk chapters spread throughout Brazil’s five ‘macroregions’, each of which have distinct languages, cultures and landscapes. Alexandre’s fellow countrymen and women include “índios” or “povos originários” (First Nation people) and those with European origins.

Brazil’s population of just over 211 million accounts for almost 3% of the world’s population.

“I first got to know the movement during my visual arts degree in 2010. In 2015, I began to participate in USk Brazil’s online discussions, as we didn’t have

ALEXANDRE AT THE IV NATIONAL USK BRAZIL MEETING IN OURO PRETO, MINAS GERAIS

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an active local chapter until late 2016.” Since then he met regularly with his chapter and has connected with urban sketchers throughout the country.

But the success of urban sketching is due to more than just numbers, he says: “It’s the sense of community among urban sketchers. The members are true advocates for the group, and the natural publicity that comes to it helps to spread the message about drawing everywhere we go.” Many university teachers are involved and they spread the message to the younger generation. “Our online connections become stronger when we do finally meet at national and regional events,” says Alexandre.

USk Brazil

ONLINE LIBRARY SHOWCASES URBAN SKETCHING REGION BY REGION In 2016, the book Sketchers do Brasil was launched at the first ever national meeting, in CuritibaPR. The printed book was a collective effort by organizers Urban Sketchers Curitiba, and featured 51 artists from all over Brazil. It was the brainchild of editor and designer Simon Taylor, who in 2019 decided to take it into digital format to save printing costs and ensure even more sketchers could be featured. There are now 25 free online books showcasing urban sketchers throughout Brazil. “This means readers all over the country and the world can enjoy the work, and those featured in the books feel joy to be included,” says Alexandre.

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SKETCH BY RARO DE OLIVEIRA 28 drawing attention

USk Brazil

ALEXANDRE’S TIPS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO BE BRAVE – TO PUT LINES DOWN ON PAPER WITHOUT THINKING TOO MUCH. NEW SKETCHERS HAVE A FEAR OF ‘MAKING IT WRONG’ OR NOT DRAWING EXACTLY, SO THEY MIGHT USE PENCIL FIRST. BUT DON'T SECOND-GUESS YOURSELF; BE SPONTANEOUS AND IT WILL FLOW BETTER.

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“

Talking to Alexandre makes me think “What part of my town or city am I not drawing and why?”

SKETCH BY KEI ISOGAI

USk Brazil

“

[Alexandre] finds it troubling that many people in his city continue to meet en masse, despite the risks, while others isolate – a symptom of Brazil’s uncoordinated reponse to COVID...”

SKETCH BY ALEXANDRE JUNIOR

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GRAPHIC BY SIMON TAYLOR

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USk Brazil

UMA MENSAGEM DE ALEXANDRE JUNIOR

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lá! Meu nome é Alexandre Junior e venho praticando o Urban Sketching desde 2015! A paixão pelo movimento Urban Sketchers fez com que eu escrevesse minha dissertação de mestrado, intitulada: URBAN SKETCHERS: Um panorama sobre os livros de participantes do movimento no Brasil, pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos de Linguagens do CEFET-MG. No

trabalho, criei um panorama editorial acerca dos livros de membros do grupo que foram lançados no Brasil desde a criação do movimento em 2007. Nele eu analiso e apresento dezesseis livros, de autores e editoras de todos os tipos, e os classifico em cinco categorias diferentes: Portfólio/Catálogo;Portfólio/ Narrativo;Portfólio/Coletânea; Didático/Solo; e Didático/Plural.

Desde a minha pesquisa, que terminou em 2020, mais dois livros foram lançados no país! Isso mostra como o livro, em contrapartida com a velocidade das redes sociais, pode ser também um interessante espaço de publicação e veiculação da arte e dos membros do movimento.

acasos cotidianos; Eduardo Bajzek, autor de Rio: Sketchbook e Técnicas de Ilustração à mão livre; Jota Clewton, autor de Ganhei o mundo e A cada dia: traços em uma quarentena; Ricardo Inke, autor de Paraty; Tarcísio Bahia, autor de Paisagem desenhada; Ivan Jerônimo, autor de 60 dias dentro de casa; e João Pinheiro, autor de Diário Vagulino. Um viva ao USK Brasil e a todos os autores que se aventuram em publicar seus desenhos através dos livros!

Convido vocês a conhecerem um pouco do meu trabalho, assim como o dos seguintes autores, que ajudam na divulgação do movimento através de suas publicações: Simon Taylor, autor de A caricatura da Arquiteura 1 e 2 e editor da série Sketchers do Brasil; Juliana Russo, autora de São Paulo Infinita e Pequenos 6 • 2021 33

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USk Delhi

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BY SPECIAL INVITATION USK DELHI SKETCHED HISTORIC MONUMENTS AT THE PRESTIGIOUS DELHI GOLF CLUB.

BY NIRAJ GUPTA

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ocated right in the center of Delhi on one of the most expensive lands in the world, Delhi Golf Club (DGC) also hosts many historic protected monuments that are hundreds of years old, dating back to Mughal and earlier kingdoms, besides peacocks and deer. Not only is access to DGC strictly for members only, but there is also a risk of golf balls hitting non-players! USk Delhi admin and golfer Niraj Gupta introduced Urban Sketchers to the DGC CEO Cdr. Anil Rattan, who kindly agreed to extend a special invitation to USk Delhi to sketch

on the premises. The club even made arrangements to transport sketchers on golf carts, keeping their safety in mind. For USk Delhi, it was a rare opportunity to sketch these inaccessible beauties of monuments, especially as it has not been easy to find suitable locations to sketch during the pandemic. USk Delhi sketched at DGC on five consecutive Sundays during March and gifted many of the sketches to the club. Many curious golfers also stopped by, observed sketching in progress, and asked many questions.

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GOLFERS AT BARAHKHAMBA BY GEETA GUPTA 36 drawing attention

USk Delhi

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LAL BANGLA (RED TOMB) BY NIRAJ GUPTA 38 drawing attention

USk Delhi

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Meet Olga OLGA SURMACHEVA IS THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE CONTENT PUBLICATION TEAM – “JUST OLGA,” SHE TELLS ME.

BY MARK ALAN ANDERSON

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PUGET SOUND

Olga Surmacheva

SKETCHER SPOTLIGHT

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lga has been tasked with project management for Drawing Attention, including publication timelines, editorial assignments, editorial contingencies, and publication coordination – essentially many of the thankless tasks that go into making the complex effort of creating a magazine operate smoothly and efficiently. Olga is one member of an incoming editorial team, coordinating with outgoing managing editor Patricia Chow to generate the June transition issue of Drawing Attention.

An engineering project manager by trade, Olga also has a Russian academic drawing background.

Olga smiles and with a soft hint of accent recollects, “(In school), plein air painting is a thing, but a very different thing (than urban

sketching).” She became aware of Urban Sketchers nearly a decade ago when she first came to the United States, laughingly describing the movement as “very Seattle.”

Like many of her fellow sketchers, Olga’s backstory is not rooted in the mindfulness of sketching in situ. She is optimistic that her new role creates an opportunity to learn and further embrace an Urban Sketchers philosophy.

So, what do we have to look forward to in upcoming issues of Drawing Attention? What is the next evolutionary step? Olga says that while planning is still in its infancy, the team has discussed many opportunities. For instance, there is a possibility the publication could further expand story coverage in languages other than

English. “Maybe we could focus on geographic areas so that each issue could be language-oriented…a one-language publication is limiting for a global organization.” The team has also discussed ideas about expanding reach to local chapters, as well as members, sketching ideas, and activities. There is also the possibility Drawing Attention could begin to publish quarterly, which would allow for some longer articles.

And, of course, there’s storytelling.

Olga’s face lights up as she ponders the use of storytelling as a way to focus a spotlight on the Urban Sketchers global community. “Imagine that!

I think stories are a great way for us to feel connected as a big, worldwide community. And I think that’s really important right now.”

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featured chapter

FROM MY WINDOW 1 42 drawing attention

Olga Surmacheva

FROM MY WINDOW 2 6 • 2021 43

sketcher spotlight

SKETCH OF WHIDBEY ISLAND BY OLGA SURMACHEVA

DRAWN TO DESIGN SKETCHER SPOTLIGHT

ANNE TAYLOR HAS BEEN DESIGNING DRAWING ATTENTION FROM WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND SINCE 2018 AND, WITH OLGA SURMACHEVA, IS LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW DIRECTIONS AS PART OF THE CONTENT PUBLICATION TEAM. BY JIM CHAPMAN

A

nne comes at design the way a Jedi master might contemplate the next move in a 3-D chess game. That is, she plays out many scenarios in her head before making a move. After all, there are numerous images, font choices, layouts, colors and many other variables. How does she even start?

strategy results in a crisp and clean design readers recognize. “I think there is a beauty in understated design – if you notice design to the point of being distracted, as happens with some web design, it is probably grandstanding and this can complicate and obstruct your journey as a reader or user,” she said.

“I strive for simplicity and clarity first,” said Anne, an artist, designer and writer by profession. This

“With Drawing Attention, I don’t want flashy design to compete with or overwhelm the sketches, so I

guess it is an understated approach that hopefully foregrounds the sketches as the ‘heroes’ on the page,” Anne explained. Her thoughtful design comes to us via New Zealand, where she lives a few minutes from the coast at the entrance to the harbor of the capital city Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Her degree was in art history, and she is drawn to the pared back International Modernism style of design.

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sketcher spotlight

46 drawing attention

HISTORIC ‘BACHES’ IN COASTAL CHRISTCHURCH OTAUTAHI, MOST OF WHICH ARE UNINHABITABLE DUE TO THE MASSIVE 2011 EARTHQUAKE

Anne drew a lot as a child and, happily, this included sketching on location, which makes her a near lifelong urban sketcher. “I remember the thrill of drawing Mt Ruapehu, a conical mountain in the central North Island Te Ika a Mäui, from the car window while on holiday, aged about eight years.” She joined USk Wellington in 2017 and felt camaraderie among the sketchers. “I was getting a lot out of being with USk Wellington, connecting with USk Aotearoa, and the global community via Instagram, so I wanted to do more and put my hand up to design the first issue of our online zine, Drawing Attention.”

Currently, she spends about six days each month liaising with the managing editor – more if she is writing an article – laying out pages, taking in corrections, refining layouts, then uploading to Issuu, and providing promotional materials for the social media team. On top of her freelance work, she is involved with two environmental groups that monitor litter at her local beaches.

Anne looks forward to carrying on her position and being part of the new staff. “I feel excited to carry forward what has worked the best in the previous issues and together innovate to make DA an even better experience for our readers. Building relationships with our existing and potential readers will be key,” she said “Urban sketching has brought a lot into my life, at many levels. It’s wonderful to have made connections with people in Aotearoa New Zealand, who quickly felt like old friends, along with people all over the world through this. So thank you!”

ENTRANCE TO WELLINGTON HARBOUR TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA

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sketcher spotlight

ANNE’S TIPS FOR SUBMITTING WORK TO DA TRUST YOUR FEELINGS ON WHICH OF YOUR SKETCHES ’SINGS’. MAYBE OUR BEST WORK HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE FEELING PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE ARE SKETCHING. PLEASE LABEL YOUR (IDEALLY) JPEG IMAGES CLEARLY WITH YOUR NAME AND THE IMAGE TITLE, IF YOU HAVE ONE. THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO DECIPHER THE MOUNTAIN OF IMAGES THAT DA RECEIVES! 48 drawing attention

Anne Taylor

SKETCHES FROM THE SOUTH WELLINGTON COAST

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DETAIL OF A SKETCH BY ANNE TAYLOR 50 drawing attention

review

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 Derwent Inktense Paper. Check them out!

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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.

© 2021 Urban Sketchers www.urbansketchers.org