The 13th International Urban Sketchers Symposium: Day Three

Lecture: Berlin, the Wall Revisited, by Detlef Surrey

This was a journey through a series of sketches of sites in Berlin where the wall used to stand, accompanied by stories from Berlin resident Detlef. I know Berlin a bit (I am currently based there) so it was very interesting to me, but not really in a sketching sense–beyond looking at his style. (There is a lot of looking at others’ styles at the Symposium, though.)

Art Market #3:

No gossip to report; I stopped testing things, and finally did my shopping.

Renaissance also offered masking powder (it’s like masking fluid, but in powder form. Apparently people like it for clouds and seafoam) and granulating medium, which is a spray can of booze. I kind of regret not getting them now…

Workshop: Paint like a Drunk Uncle Dances, by Andrew James

I really liked this! I was expecting it to be a lesson on how to just relax and live with one’s mistakes, and it was partly that. However, there was a lot more structure and many technical tips. Andrew’s drawings are distorted, but in a very deliberate and controlled way: doing his approach justice is at least as hard as using proper perspective. That said, he did not insist that we follow his suggestions, and he was able to offer very specific and varied critique to everyone several times during the class.

We started out by learning how to make things weird. I did lots of windows.

Then, we watched Andrew draw a nearby church, and had a go at it, too. And then, it rained, so we had to do our critique session under umbrellas.

I am not going to reveal the whole lesson plan, but here are some more general tips I found helpful or interesting:

• The way to deal with mistakes is to repeat or echo them elsewhere in the piece, because (as Miles Davis said, in the context of music), “Once is a mistake. Twice is an idea. Three times is a style.”
• This particular style works best when the lines are all properly joined up, dark areas are coloured in cleanly, etc. (I guess this might help people understand it really is a style, not sloppiness.)
• The rules of perspactive (i.e., which lines go up or down) and light still apply. Shadows in particular should be applied in a way that makes sense, to make the distorted picture readable.
• When the lines are worky, corners should be sharp. (Or not! You can make rounded corners work for you! But it’s not what Andrew recommends.)
• Having objects overlap (as the fence overlaps the church) is great for suggesting depth.
• Vary line thickness. In particular, your shadowed edges should be thicker.

Sketchwalk Number ??: I Don’t Even Know Anymore

I did join a sketchwalk, but the location (a big square) felt cold and rainy, even though I was wearing both my jackets. (I had packed poorly.) So, I went back to the town center and just tried out different styles.

The Closing Reception

There was some mingling, and to my surprise I ended up exchanging contact info with a few people. There was also a postcard contest and a silent auction; submissions for both were open to everyone regardless of skill level. I did not submit anything, but I really regret it! I could have supported the organization through the auction and maybe won something from a sponsor for my postcard. (It is my understanding that everyone who entered ended up winning something, like an Escoda brush or an Art Toolkit or a sketchbook. The top winner got a ticket to next year’s Symposium! So here is a Symposium protip: enter these things. You are good enough.)

Final Thoughts

I am too tired to have any. I think I will try to do a summary post later, once my brain has settled down. But the event was definitely worth it for me! I am not sure if my art has improved, but I have many new ideas and a lot of new sketching energy.