On Saturday, 27th February, I was invited by Tia to join a group of sketchers for the first SketchCrawl of 2010. The main idea of a SketchCrawl is to walk the streets on a given day and record what you see on pen/pencil/ink and paper (i.e. sketch). Basically you walk, stop and sketch, move to another place, stop and sketch again. It can be for a whole day or just a couple of hours. SketchCrawl has become a worldwide event where people all over the world will sketch on the given day, and afterward will share their journals online.
I take photographs much better than I sketch so I decided to do my own photocrawl with the sketchcrawlers. 🙂 We started the day at City Square Mall on the fringe of Little India, and there was quite a turnout. Some of them were from Urban Sketchers Singapore. They were an eager bunch – all ready to put their pens and sharpened pencils to paper even while they were having their breakfast!
The sketchers “plonked” themselves on every street corner or any place they found interesting and began drawing furiously.
Some looked left, some looked right…
…all of them absorbed in their art – interpreting the world in front of them, in their own way, in their own unique style. Their hands followed what their eyes saw – capturing the sense of place, the sights and people of Little India in their sketchbooks.
Everywhere the sketchers went, they attracted curious onlookers.
These sketchers are a talented bunch! There wasn’t anything that they couldn’t or wouldn’t draw!
Throughout the entire morning, the urban sketchers stopped at about 7 different locations to sketch. Then they met up again at 1:00pm at a coffee shop for a well-deserved lunch break. During lunch, they shared their artwork and exchanged notes on the tools and techniques they used.
Although it was hot and humid, the spirit of camaraderie among the artists made it a well-spent weekend morning. It was a privilege for me, a non-sketcher to be invited to join the group. I also learnt a thing or two about street photography. So, when is the next sketchwalk? 🙂
UPDATE: You can admire some of the impressive sketches from the sketchcrawl here. If any of the artists who participated in the sketchcrawl is reading this, please add a link to your sketches in the comment box. I’m sure the readers would love to see your work. 🙂
PhotoTrails 