Play in Progress

So, without much attention on my part, ca. 20.of my people sketches, some small, some big, and some printed HUGE for the first time, wandered into a group exhibition of Urban Sketchers Berlin, opening this Saturday:

Die ausgestellten Originalskizzen, bisher veröffentlicht im Internetblog der Urban Sketchers und in Buchform, sind Mikro-Erzählungen und Verdichtungen des Alltages.

The exhibited original sketches, before published on the Urban Sketchers blog or book, are micro-narratives and condensations of every-day experiences.

Opening:
Saturday, 30. November 2013, 19:00
– 10. Januar 2014

Opening Times:
Mo–Fr, 14.00–18.00

AID Berlin
Ritterstraße 12–14, Aufgang 2
10969 Berlin

After having been asked by people to offer some prints for sale because buying original drawings is scary and what if I spill coffee on it and it is ruined forever?! I’ve finally come around to select some of my pictures for a wall calendar for next year. I chose my Oberbaumbrücken series because, on the one hand, these works form a coherent group and very much profit from being seen in proximity: I feel they talk to and comment on each other. On the other hand this bridge is such an iconic landmark and place often traversed by people who live in Berlin that looking at my drawings might not just be a pleasure in itself, but at least for some, also produce interesting changes in their own everyday perception. After all one of the most fascinating things about art is when it shifts how you see the world, even if just a little bit…

I’m very happy with how it turned out. You can get it through my Etsy store or contact me directly.

(25 € + shipping, 42 x 29,7 cm (Din A3), printed on heavy (250 gsm) matt paper, 12 months with a different image on each + cover page)

Somebody suggested I try sketching with my left hand for a while, and for most of this summer I did. It felt awkward at first, but interesting, so I kept at it. I will post more of these over the next couple of weeks – they changed quite a bit over time!

I will be at the Open Air Gallery on the Oberbaumbrücke this Sunday, booth number 104, exhibiting drawings of people on public transport. Hopefully the weather will actually be nice this time around!

(German posting about a workshop I will be giving in two weeks. It is going to focus on tricks, techniques and exercises that facilitate swift sketching on location. It will work both as an introduction to sketching, and help those with some prior experience but suffering from overworking and perfectionism.)

In zwei Wochen habe ich zum ersten Mal das Vergnügen, einen Workshop zu geben. Er dreht sich ganz um das Skizzieren vor Ort, und die Lockerheit und rasche Beobachtung die dafür so nützlich sind. Die Details:

Vor Ort skizzieren in Bleistift und Aquarell

Viele Zeicheninteressierte haben Schwierigkeiten, die für rasche Skizzen notwendige Spontanität und Beschränkung aufs Wesentliche zu erreichen. Dieser Kurs unterstützt durch einfache aber effektive Übungen die Entwicklung einer lockeren Hand und die Fähigkeit, Wichtiges von Unwichtigem zu unterscheiden. Er ist gleichermaßen für Anfänger geeignet, die erstmals das Zeichnen erkunden wollen, als auch für Fortgeschrittene, die bisher dazu tendieren zu ‘überzeichnen’ oder schlicht gerne schneller wären.

Es wird sowohl ‘trocken’ in der Volkshochschule gezeichnet, als auch vor Ort unter freiem Himmel, wobei alles was einem begegnet als Motiv in Frage kommt. Die vermittelten Techniken sind besonders geeignet, um ohne ausufernden Zeitaufwand ein persönliches Skizzenbuch oder ein visuelles Reisetagebuch zu führen.

Sa, 22.06.2013 – So, 23.06.2013, 10:00 bis 15:00 Uhr
Kursort: Weinheim, Volkshochschule, Raum 1.2 und außerhalb
Kursgebühren: 67,00 €
6 – 10 Teilnehmende
Die Teilnahme kann hier gebucht werden.

Einige der Weinheim Skizzen vom letzten Jahr:

Let me introduce to you the fabulous Sigi!

These feel like the first real portraits I’ve done, by which I mean drawings of somebody who actually sat still with the purpose of being drawn by me, as an individual and not just the model of a life drawing session, and had an opportunity to look at them after and have an opinion about them. Until now I almost always felt myself freezing in a way when that happened. Stealthily drawing people on public transport is so much easier for me. With nobody knowing who they are there is no way to judge how well I’ve captured them, and as a result good likenesses come almost by themselves. With these drawings it’s different. That said, I was surprised how well it went, and how happy I am with the results. Suddenly I feel the urge to draw all the people I know. Sigi was so much fun to draw!

P.S. Most of these are now up in my Etsy shop.

P.P.S. The plan to do these was made, with my old style sketches in mind, a while before my decision to go monochrome, and I decided to stick to the old plan. Also, it would be hard to convey Sigi’s style without colors…

P.P.S. The discrepancy between the WIP shots and the finished ones is a result of photographing (since they are much too big for my scanner) them from different angles. The truth lies somewhere in between.