My 5 Seconds of Fame in Barcelona

The Barcelona Urban Sketchers team -- the hardworking people who made the 2013 international symposium possible -- has produced a video of the event! For me, it's a great souvenir that captures the people, activities and energy of an exhilarating three days. Watch without blinking, and you'll see five separate seconds of me (three at the beginning and two near the middle)! How did I get so lucky? :-)

Thank you, Barcelona team!

Sketchbook Binding Finally Done

Barcelona/Spain travel sketchbook.

We’ve been back from our European travels for three weeks now, and I finally finished binding the loose signatures of my sketchbook. I don’t like leaving projects unfinished, so it’s nice to have a sense of closure on a memorable, meaningful trip.

You may recall my hemming and hawing about whether to bind all the signatures into a single volume, or separate the symposium workshop exercises into a separate book. On the one hand, the Urban Sketching symposium was the impetus for the trip, so sketches done in the workshops seemed like they should be integrated with the rest of the sketches. On the other hand, most of the work done in workshops were incomplete or mechanical exercises, and the subject matter were often gesture sketches of people or value studies of café umbrellas – content that doesn’t indicate the location. They don’t seem to fit in with the rest of my travel sketches.



Symposium workshop exercise sketchbook.

In the end, I decided to bind the workshop exercises separately, partly because of the reasons stated above, and also because the book would have been quite thick if I put all the signatures into a single volume, and I was concerned that the binding would be compromised.

The front cover of the workshop sketchbook is a collage of a small poster we received and the symposium logo. The back cover is a map of Barcelona. The thicker travel sketchbook’s covers are also made of maps and a collage of postcards and other ephemera. I used a few blank pages in both sketchbooks to hold more postcards, cards I traded with symposium participants and other keepsakes.

One excellent feature of the Coptic binding stitch I used is that the signatures do not have to be exactly the same size to be bound together. I removed the staples from the symposium program (which is slightly smaller than the signatures), punched holes to match the sketchbook signatures, and bound the program right into the back of the sketchbook as a keepsake (a much better place for it than a file folder or bookshelf, where I’d never find or look at it again).

Symposium program bound into the sketchbook.

Now that I’ve completed the entire process of my first handbound sketchbooks (which began with my “Stefano” sketchbook cover and temporarily binding the signatures that I took with me on my travels), what do I think about it? And will I continue to use it for my day-to-day, non-travel sketches?

I love the Stefano cover, especially the flexibility it enables of using any kind of paper (as well as the potential to use a variety of papers while still maintaining chronological continuity). I enjoy temporarily pamphlet-stitching the signatures before the trip as well as the Coptic stitching afterwards, which is such an elegant binding mechanism. Making the collages for the book covers was also fun. And overall, it was highly satisfying to make my first travel sketchbooks entirely by hand. (The latter feeling is residual from when I first began sketching. At that time, I idealistically considered making all of my own sketchbooks for the rest of my sketching life because it seemed like such a perfect integration of media and message – hand-drawn images kept in handbound books. But idealism gave way to convenience, and other than a few greeting card sketchbooks, I’ve purchased all of my sketchbooks ever since.)

The parts about bookbinding that I didn’t care for were cutting the cover boards (not to mention measuring them accurately, which unfortunately didn’t happen), punching the pages, drilling the cover holes, and the relatively time-consuming process of applying and waiting for acrylic medium on the covers to dry, and then applying and waiting for the final acrylic varnish coat to dry (though I now really like the result of the strong, thoroughly protected covers). 

There’s also the matter of discovering – after I had completely finished binding the larger, more time-consuming volume – that I had inadvertently bound two signatures out of sequence, so I had to cut it all apart and start over! Oh, well – it was a recoverable error, and the thread tension of my second attempt is more consistent, so the spine looks better anyway.

Coptic-bound spine, which I unfortunately had to stitch twice.

I currently fill Stillman & Birn sketchbooks at a rate of about one every couple months. That means I’ll be going through the binding process about that often. If I streamline the cover-making process to be less time-consuming, I think the Stefano system would be ideal for regular, daily use. And I’m excited about the potential for using a variety of paper types. When I finish off the Stillman & Birn volumes I’m currently working in (one Alpha and one Beta), I’ll give it a try.

I suppose I could store away completed, unbound signatures during the good sketching months, and do all the binding during the winter doldrums, which would be more productive than complaining about the weather.

(Edited 10/20/13: See my post "The Hand Bookbinding Groove" to read about how I streamlined the cover-making process and how I'm now hooked on bookbinding.)

Last Thoughts: Prepping for a Symposium

Gail, Tina and Jackie

OK, I’m sure these aren’t the last thoughts I’ll ever have about a three-day international urban sketching symposium in Barcelona, Spain, that I had been fantasizing about for a year. ☺ But they’re thoughts I had after writing my last blog post about what I learned, and I thought I’d offer some practical suggestions if you are planning to attend a future symposium:

1. Your No. 1 priority – way ahead of art materials – is having shoes you can comfortably walk several miles in. I never travel without such shoes, so I didn’t think much about them, but I didn’t realize how important they would become. Each workshop required walking some distance, usually no more than 15 or 20 minutes, but in one case, we walked for 40 minutes before we reached our destination. (One symposium participant in a different workshop decided, after her class had been walking for more than an hour without yet reaching their destination, that she didn’t want to walk anymore and took the subway back to her hotel, bagging the workshop altogether.) I heard several participants complaining about blisters or bad knees because they hadn’t realized how much walking would be required.



Kay, Tina and Nina

2. Have realistic expectations about the workshops. I attended the 4th International Urban Sketching Symposium with the same expectations that I have when I attend any art class: A workshop is an opportunity to get an overview of an instructor’s particular approach and techniques, and it’s up to me to apply them to my own work so that I can eventually find my own style. Taking a three-hour workshop might change one’s attitude (as Inma’s did mine!) or approach, which may eventually lead to significant changes in one’s sketching style. But the only improvements that come from workshops are the result of continual sketching practice long after the symposium is over.


Sketchers at Arc de Triomf

3. Manage your art materials. Unless there’s a specific medium or tool that a workshop instructor is requiring, and it’s clear from the description that that medium or tool will be the main focus of the work, don’t bother buying something new unless you want to try it anyway. As you saw in my photo of the swag we were given, you can get away without bringing any of your own materials if you’re not picky about paper or your favorite pens. If, like me, you are picky, then feel free to bring your own favorites. But often an instructor will suggest a specific paint color or a pen by brand name because it’s his or her personal favorite, and anything you use instead will work just as well.

Joao and Omar's workshop

4. Get to know other sketchers. My most memorable moments in Barcelona are about meeting sketchers I’ve long admired online; chatting with fellow participants about our local sketching communities, exchanging cards and promising to stay in touch; and sharing a common passion even when we barely shared a common spoken language. After the paint has dried and the last sketchbook page has been scanned, the Urban Sketching Symposium is ultimately about people.


5. Carry protein bars and water at all times. You never know when a compelling sketch (or getting lost) will keep you from your next meal.


Liz and Tina



Inma's workshop

What I Learned at the Urban Sketching Symposium

7/12/13 USK symposium panelists. Diamine Chocolate Brown ink.

What can I say about my first International Urban Sketching Symposium? I’ve already mentioned what an exhilarating, vibrant and intense city Barcelona is, so the symposium location alone was enough to make my heart race. Combine that with being with 200 people from around the world who are equally passionate about sketching as I am, and the collective energy we produced was probably enough to light up the Sagrada Familia! I feel fortunate and grateful to the all-volunteer symposium committee that brought us together. And as much as I learned from the workshops that formed the meat of the symposium, I think what I’ll remember most is being part of that amazing collective passion and the individuals I met there who contributed their unique energy.

7/11/13 Lynne Chapman's workshop exercise.
Ink, colored pencil, markers.

Of the four blog posts I planned to write about my sketching experiences in Europe, I saved this one for last because I’ve needed time to digest three intensive days of learning in five distinct workshops. I admire all the instructors for their willingness to teach bilingually (even with an interpreter, it’s a demanding requirement) and for tolerating conditions not under their control (like rain! And a local soccer game taking place where a workshop was planned!).

Lynne Chapman’s “Sketches that Sing: Creating Sketches with a Life of their Own” was my first workshop of the symposium, and she set the tone with her lively, colorful and entertaining teaching style. Her exercises focused on three areas – composition, using color to direct attention, and using playful patterns and marks to create shading and energy. My sketch of Placa Vicenc Martorell, a relatively quiet plaza, was the last one I finished in her workshop, incorporating mark-making techniques, mixed media and the dynamic composition style she presented.

7/11/13 Marion Rivolier's workshop exercise. Watercolor.

Marion Rivolier’s “Capturing Space through Form and Color” was my most challenging workshop, for a variety of reasons. For one, it started raining as we walked to our workshop location more than a half-hour away on foot, and the rain continued through most of the three hours, which made watercolor painting outdoors an “interesting” experience. With the waterfront landscape of Palau de Mar as our focus, we studied value and color contrasts to express forms using paint only.

Marc Taro Holmes was a particularly organized instructor who posted a PDF of his workshop handout weeks in advance so that we could study the concepts before we arrived at La Rambla – Barcelona’s bustling pedestrian mall. I found it very helpful to preview the lessons he presented in “Drawing People in Motion.” The first part of the workshop involved

7/12/13 Marc Taro Holmes' workshop exercise.
Pencil, brush pen, watercolor

frenetically making gesture studies in pencil of people’s faces and figures, spending no more than a couple minutes on each (usually no more than a few seconds each for me). I filled an entire signature in my sketchbook with dozens of gestural sketches. Later we refined lines and added detail with a pen and used a dark brush pen to emphasize shadows. Finally Marc demo’d his dynamic watercolor techniques. My sketch shown here was the last exercise of the workshop in which we pulled together techniques learned previously to create a “story board” of a person in action, attempting to capture a variety of their stances and movements.



7/13/13 Catarino & Jamarillo's workshop exercise. Watercolor.

Joao Catarino and Omar Jamarillo joined forces to present “Negative Forms and First Structures and Minimal Storytelling.” Forming negative shapes using paint only (no preliminary lines) during the first half of the workshop proved to be so challenging for me that I couldn’t find any examples from my sketchbook that sufficiently show the concepts being taught. I did a little better in the second part of the workshop: My sketch is an exercise in using layers of watercolor to evoke a crowd of people and to indicate depth by varying the scale.



7/12/13 Inma Serrano's workshop exercise. Tombow markers.

I’ve saved my summary of Inma Serrano’s workshop, “Rhythm in the City,” for last because, of all the workshops and other symposium experiences, I think her approach to sketching will have the strongest impact on my sketches going forward. If you have a couple minutes, take a look at her video, which I viewed shortly before registration for the symposium began. I found her sketching style to be engaging and vibrant, and I hoped her teaching style would be, too. I wasn’t disappointed!

Inma’s workshop focused on three concepts: “People Are Alive” – quickly turning human figures into abstract, organic gestures and forms that describe their energy rather than their appearance; “Buildings Are Alive” – imagining that architectural structures are living, dynamic, organic “monsters” or creatures rather than static, serious descriptions of perspective. (A-HA! The magic words!); and “Color is Alive” – using mixed-media color to drive the focus, composition and rhythm of a sketch.



7/12/13 Inma Serrano's workshop exercise. Diamine Chocolate
Brown ink, watercolor.

This comment she made (paraphrased; she taught in Spanish translated by an interpreter) resonated strongly for me: At one time, she used to studiously sketch an entire building accurately, even though only one part of it interested her and even though perspective was a pain. It wasn’t fun. Now she only sketches the part of a building that engages her – the part that brings it alive for her – and no longer cares about the rules of perspective or accuracy in scale. Watching her sketch a building during the demo, it was clear to everyone that she was having nothing but fun!

The sketch I did for the “Buildings Are Alive” section – the floral-shaped frontispiece on a Placa del Pi building – was a liberation! Only that frontispiece engaged me – why struggle through the rest that I’m not interested in?

The next day at Arc de Triomf, I felt the full impact of the workshop as I sketched the Arc – something I probably wouldn’t have even attempted before Inma liberated me! Even more important – it was the most fun I ever had sketching an architectural structure!

See my blog post on the 4th International Urban Sketching Symposium blog for a little more about what I experienced.

Barcelona and Germany, Here I Come!

My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go!

I have lofty aspirations to post sketches to this blog, my Flickr photostream,  the Urban Sketching Symposium blog, my Facebook page and the symposium Facebook page. But the reality might be different, based on my available time, level of energy and wi-fi reliability.

In case I don’t get around to all of those lofty aspirations, I’ll post sketches and photos first to my Flickr photostream set called “Barcelona & Germany 2013,” which you can get to by clicking the previous link, or simply view here. If I get around to the rest, good for me. On the other hand, I’m leaving home to see and sketch exciting new places; maybe the rest can wait until after July 22!

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