Ok… time to start posting my sketches from the Symposium. As my sketchbooks are more travel journals I have added notes and maps and collage as much as I can so most of these pages are self explanatory…but a few extra notes. Just for the record it takes me 1-2 hours of work to ‘finish’ my pages for each day. When I am travelling solo I normally achieve this in the evenings. But this years trip I was with people nearly all the time so this 1-2 hours is done now! A great way of re-living my day!

Ok… here we go…

• You can see from the map how compact and close everything was.
• The business card is of an art store that I did not buy anything from – it is hard to believe I know!
• I can’t put into words how wonderful it is to have my own travel kettle when in European countries…

Some friends at the opening of the symposium… Tia, Marina and Nina

Workshop: Cityscapes

First session was Cityscapes with Marc Holmes and Filipe Leal De Faria. It was a relaxed session and we were free to sketch what we liked while Marc gave a wonderful demonstration. This is EXACTLY what I needed and it found it very relaxing!

There was plenty of time to sketch and talk to other sketchers…many of whom I was very happy to meet …I won’t name names lest I omit someone.
This was a warm up sketch…

This was my first ‘real sketch’

It was a lovely morning and it was great to soak up the sun and sketch away…. and sketch and sketch and chat and chat….

I really got to meet everyone this session and was able to get them to sign my book – never managed this again!

And here are some photos…

Lunch and talks

We all went to have lunch together and a number of my fellow urban sketchers were amused at my ability to sketch and eat at the same time… what is the big deal?

Time for the afternoon lectures – Tia gave a great lecture on her group sketching project and exhibition.

The second talk was wonderful and I was able to follow Ruth’s very interesting concepts – in a way they follow on from a thought provoking discussion by Laura Frankstone over at Artist Journal Workshop blog about sketchbook being process or product. I tried to take notes but my academic brain was well and truly on holidays. I am looking forward to downloading the lecture and reading it over a cup of tea real soon!

Here is a photo of BB and Ruth

Workshop: Unfinished Business

Afternoon session with Nina and Jose. Jose told me that I was only to do one spread and to think about it!?! Now what a challenging thing for me to do!?!? You know, I should do both of these things more often as it was a very useful exercise!!!

But of course after I had done the one spread…I was ready to do another!!!

And a few photos…

Correspondent Dinner

We finished the day with a correspondent’s dinner – way too many people to meet and sketch. I resisted the urge to sketch the sketchers(sarcasm here) and just sketched my food instead. Honestly, I felt so inadequate once again because I am not confident to sketch other people… my big challenge for the coming year (I know I said that last year) I ended up talking most of the evening (how surprising!) and a very empty page was filled up with collage early the next morning (too excited to sleep much!)

What a day! Two more to go!