freekhand

Not so twins

2012-01-22T21:31:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple of brothers recently born.

The big one is a collection of spread pages from my sketchbooks containing drawings made from life between 2007 and 2011, most of them already published here.

The second one (on the left side) is the facsimile of a tiny sketchbook (on the right side) that was always inside my pocket from may 20 to july 3 of 2011.

I used it for making quick portraits of the people around me...

...most of them on the bus or the underground, none of them yet published online.

Here are a couple of videos of both books:

And for those interested on having a copy, they are on sale at my new shop online.

Drawing with Inma

2011-11-15T20:12:00.001+01:00

A couple of weeks ago Inma Serrano came to Barcelona for a little trip.
They were 4 days of intensive drawing and a lot of fun.
Sometimes I feel very grateful to urban sketching for allowing me to know people like her.

This is a panoramic view of Barcelona from the Palau Nacional de Montjuïc.

It got dark while we were drawing the Casa Milà.

Inside the Sagrada Familia...

...and over the Sagrada Familia.

Some of the drawings Inma made on thes days can be seen here.

More from Teruel

2011-11-03T20:37:00.001+01:00

Here are some (not so) forgotten pages I made in Teruel (I told something about this trip on a previous post). When I'll grow up I'll post twice a month. Seems I'm yet unable to do it.

London

2011-10-03T22:26:00.002+02:00

Seventeen years after, last august I came back to London.

I loved it so much, as always (and now it's possible to eat!!)

Covent Garden. This drawing took me more or less the time of two shows, a juggler and an acrobat. I finished when a magician was about to start.

I don't know if Norman Foster had in mind a couple of fishes doing synchronized swimming when he designed the Millenium Bridge, but this idea came to my mind at the first sight.

The Royal Courts of Justice is one of those buildings as Neuchswanstein Castle or Milan's Duomo that, apart of their architectural value, seem to be a –fantasy– film set. It's because of this that I love them.

Back from Lisbon

2011-08-02T16:27:00.002+02:00

It's hard for me to express my thoughts and feelings about the 2nd Urban Sketchers Symposium that took place in Lisbon on july 21 to 23. Words can hardly give an approximate idea of the experience. Drawing on such a marvelous place as Lisbon, learning from masters as Frank Ching, Melanie Reim, Joao Catarino and many others, knowing new people, meeting for the first time people known on the web or meeting again old friends, made this days absolutely unforgettable.

Here are some of the drawings I made on those days, most on them on the workshops.

On the leftside the Elevador de Santa Justa, my first drawing in Lisbon the day before the party started. On the rightside a drawing made at Largo de Saõ Paulo on the first workshop with Filipe Leal de Faria and Marc Taro Holmes.

Drawing made at Largo Luis de Camões on the workshop of Nina Johansson and José Louro.

This is Largo do Chiado drawn at the workshop by Pedro Cabral and Frank Ching.

A scene taken at Largo do Rossio on the workshop by Melanie Reim and Ângela Luzia. This is the only workshop I was absolutely sure I didn't want to miss when I booked my schedule. I guess I'll work on Melanie's thoughts for months.

Rua da Bica, workshops called "Contrastes" (easy to guess) by Asnee Tasna and João Catarino.

Here are also some portraits of the fellow sketchers I met on those days.

Farewell Lisbon!

De vuelta de Teruel

2011-07-18T16:32:00.003+02:00

Back from Teruel where I went for the 3rd course "De Vuelta con el Cuaderno" this time as "professor" (this word reminds me people as Higgins, Moriarty or Xavier, nothing to do with teaching).

In this 3 fantastic days we had the opportunity for drawing the streets of Teruel
(here's the cathedral for example)...

...people here and there (fellow sketcher Javier de Blas on the leftside, 2 actors playing a scene on the street on the rightside)...

...a bus driver from Pakistan that asked me to portrait him (left) and some old houses (right).

We also passed a whole day drawing at Dinópolis.

As always, we had some gorgeous sketchbooks handmade by Choni Naudin.
I filled 2 of them, here are all the pages:

El Monestir de Pedralbes

2011-06-22T01:24:00.000+02:00

Some weeks ago I made a visit to the Monastery of Pedralbes, a little gothic jewel inside Barcelona. I liked it so much that I went again a couple of weeks after with Sant Lluc course attendees.

The cloister is not as rich as some others I've seen before (with a different capital for each column and so on) but is really elegant and harmonious.

This is the Queen's Hall, a good example of how proportions and space are Pedralbe's main appeals instead of richness and ornaments.

This a well in the cloister garden seen from the upper gallery. There was a marriage at the church and some few visitors, not so much people for a spring weekend. A very still, quiet and beautiful place to draw. I think I'll come back.

Going hi tech

2011-06-12T23:53:00.004+02:00

After many working hours from the design board and huge amounts of money, sweat and talent invested, here is our new long waited WC Holder 2.0.
Someone proposed to call it iHolder but it was decided that such name could be too gorish.

Now seriously. I didn't got satisfied with the WC Holder 1.0 (see this link) and I remained wondering how could I improve it.

Then one day I saw a set of methacrylate photo holders as these:

I bought the entire set (about 10 euros in a Carrefour hypermarket) and took the smallest one...

...glued a couple of fridge magnets on it...

...and that's all. No more steps.

The palette of the WC box is also a new version (see the old one on this link). Now I'm using just the 3 basic but unsaturated colors: indigo instead of blue, burnt sienna instead of red and yellow ochre (more exactly quinacridone gold) instead of yellow, all them from Winsor & Newton.

The comparison between the version 1.0 in cardboard and 2.0 in methacrylate needs no further explanations.

For the device at work here are a couple of pictures made by Víctor Martínez "Swasky".

Teaching (and learning)

2011-06-10T17:44:00.009+02:00

Drawings made while teaching the course "Drawing the City" about which I blogged some weeks ago. Every lesson consists of about half an our in the classroom and 2 and a half hours of drawing from life. I always make the same exercises I propose to the the students.

In this case, identifying simple volumes...

...before drawing architecture (this is a crossroads in Poblenou 100 meters far from my house).

Here we went again to see a rehearsal of the Castellers de Sants for drawing people.

For the next drawings we went to the Parc de la Ciutadella and the idea was to draw without lines, just color stains were allowed.

Drawings from other people at the course can be seen on this flickr group.

Profe otra vez

2011-05-01T19:42:00.008+02:00

No daba clases desde hace años y de repente 2 cursos a la vez.
Del 1 al 3 de julio voy a ser uno de los profesores del III Curso De Vuelta cone el Cuaderno que organiza la Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón, esta vez en Teruel. El curso estará centrado en los cuadernos de campo y naturaleza (veré cómo me las apaño porque no estoy yo muy cerca de ese centro). Pasaremos también un día en Dinopolis dibujando dinosaurios, me pregunto si en vivo. El resto del equipo de profesores es como para quitar el hipo. Se siente uno halagado de estar metido en el mismo saco con Mauricio Antón, Severino Pallaruelo, Emily Nudd-Mitchell y Pedro Fernandes.
Esta vez lo he puesto en cristiano..., por si alguno quiere picar. Yo fui el año pasado como alumno y fue estupendo. Tenía pensado ir éste también pero va a resultar un poco incompatible.

For the second time this year I'll play the teacher (hope this will not become a bad habit). From july 1st to 3rd and organized by the Escuela Superior de Diseño de Aragón I'll be one of the teachers of the 3rd edition of the course De Vuelta cone el Cuaderno that will take 'lace in Teruel. This time the course will be centered mainly in nature (and dinosaurs, we will pass one day at Dinopolis). I'm really flattered for beeing part of a team of teachers such as Mauricio Antón, Severino Pallaruelo, Emily Nudd-Mitchell and Pedro Fernandes.

Home landscapes

2011-04-22T11:27:00.009+02:00

The last summer we left Italy. On the months before I felt the almost compulsive need of drawing our home in Casalecchio, near Bologna. It was somehow a way for fixing it in my mind. Of course I took some photos and made a video, but you know... when you draw, you look and stop and live and –maybe– see the scene. When I take photos I feel I can't see all I want because the camera is between my eye and the scene. It's the camera that works but just taking data.

El Palau de la Musica Catalana

2011-04-16T02:23:00.005+02:00

Some weeks ago the Circle Artistic Sant Lluc organized a visit to the Palau de la Musica Catalana in which we were allowed to walk freely on every part of it. This means we could go on stage or near the organ tubes and some other points usually not so accessible.
This auditorium is a masterpiece of Catalan Modernisme by Domènech i Montaner, it seems more a cathedral than a concert hall. Every little corner is full of symbols about music and musicians throughout times and places. While I was drawing I've heard the explanations of the guides for the visitor groups for 6 times (2 in spanish, in 2 catalan, in 2 english). I liked very much that, since Domènech was ideologically quite liberal, there are no private boxes.

I started with a general view which I colored using a tiny watercolor box with just sepia, gold ochre and indigo.

Since I had no room for the gorgeous stained-glass skylight I made a drawing apart for it (and added some liquid watercolor at home).

The next drawings are the 18 muses that decorate the back of the stage.
The color of the background mosaic is always sepia as in the first drawing, but I thought is was boring to make all the 3 drawings on the same color so I used the 3 colors of the palette.

Castellers de Sants

2011-04-10T20:44:00.009+02:00

Some weeks ago, with the usual wild bunch (César, Lapin, Sagar, Víctor and Javier de Blas who had stopped for a few days in Barcelona on his long trip throughout the Mediterranean coast), I had the opportunity to attend a couple of the indoor rehearsals of the Castellers de Sants (Sants is a neighborhood of Barcelona). They are one of the most famous collas (teams) of castellers in all Catalonia. This are not my first castells live but in this occasion I could see everything from different high levels and I could appreciate the intricate way they construct the basis, the different figures and roles, and the complex organization and hierarchy of the colla.
At some times I had to stop drawing: seeing l'enxaneta (the 6-8 y.o. child that ends the castell) scaling a human tower till the 9th "floor" is really hypnotizing. I felt as pushing with my eyes to help all that remain standing.

Here are all them building a 9 floor castle.

I'll play the teacher

2011-04-05T15:04:00.004+02:00

From may 7 until july 16 and organized by the Circle Sant Lluc, there will be a course entitled "Drawing the city" in which the teachers/professors/instructors or whatever will be Victor Martínez "Swasky" and yours truly.
For 10 weeks we we'll try to tell our (not so) innocent students the secrets and wonders of urban sketching, sketch crawling, sketchbookism and other bad habits.
And draw, most of all we will draw.

Some results here and here's the flickr group.

I love Paris in the springtime...

2011-04-02T00:49:00.002+02:00

...but this drawings were made in an unkind february.
I'd bet Cole Porter was not an urban sketcher.

Leaving on a jet plane

2011-03-02T13:51:00.002+01:00

Paris 4 (days), airports 4 (hours), flights 4 (hours). Tie score.

Set decoration warehouse (or so)

2011-02-21T00:05:00.001+01:00

Some weeks ago I went with Lapin, Sagar and Pierre Amoudry to visit (and draw of course) one of the most amazing and weird places I've ever seen. Imagine an enormous 3 flat building full –I mean full as a can of sardines– of everything you could ever need for every kind of movie or stage set, from any sort of furnishing or lamp, to ancient maps, army radios, butcher knives, paper dolls, venetian masks, torture tools, musical instruments, chinese umbrellas, hats, stoves, umbrellas, tackles, coffins... absolutely everything!
I still wonder how could they know where any item (let's say) could be when they rented their stuff for films such as Biutiful or Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Capoeira

2011-02-16T23:53:00.004+01:00

These are sketches made on the second meeting of Dibujo Barcelona, a new group that tries to join sketching with every kind of performance. In this case the mix was drawing and capoeira.
We've been invited to see a rehearsal of the group "Capoeira Cordão de Ouro" of Barcelona by our fellow sketcher and capoeirista Juan Linares.
Here are a couple of pages:

In the couple of hours the event lasted I made much more sketches, some of them can be leafed here:

The real thing is this:

30th SketchCrawl Barcelona

2011-02-10T16:29:00.003+01:00

Drawings made at the last SkC that took place on january 22 in Barcelona.
This time we took a walk on the Paral-lel and El Poble-sec.

SketchCrawl in Vic

2011-01-19T21:48:00.002+01:00

(En español en SketchCrawl Barcelona)

Drawings made at the last SkC that took place in november 13th in Vic organized by the Escola d'Art i Superior de Disseny which invited some of the Barcelona SketchCrawl group artists to join them on that day.

Clermont revisited

2010-12-27T17:44:00.011+01:00

(En español en De Vuelta con el Cuaderno)

Drawings made at the XI Biennale du Carnet de Voyage that took place on november in Clermont-Ferrand. It was short car trip with my neighbour, urban (and not only) sketcher and friend Lapin to take a look at this huge sketch reunion.
Beeing a visitor has made this second chance much different from my first Biennale in which I was invited to show my work and passed most of the 3 days glued to my stand.
Apart from the usual camels and palm works (many of them really good, I must recognize) there were many new different works. I've appreciated (and welcomed) a more open minded approach this time, not so closed to the romantic, platonic, ancien régime, Discovery-Channeled and Stanley-Livingstoned idea of travel (that I like and follow myself). Works as Laurent Lolmède crowds, Damien Roudeau's homeless and prostitutes or Julien Revenu's authopsies are good samples of a different way to look at "travels" as an experience to be told on a sketchbook, much more interesting for me than the usual turban sketches.
I met also new and old folks and sketched some portraits (and not only). I draw them on a gorgeous sketchbook handmade by Choni Naudin, an amazing bookbinder from Zaragoza. She made this special one for the first meeting De Vuelta con el Cuaderno and since I couldn't assist I filled it at the Biennale.

On these pages Laurent Lolmède, Julien Revenu, Mathieu Sapin, Cécile Quéau, Florent Chavouet, Jean Michel Charpentier, Andrea Longhi, Lapin, Joaquín González Dorao, Frédéric Rudant, Damien Roudeau (which baby sitted Marilou, 4 y.o. page 3 left, while I visited his stand) and Sanjeev Joshi.

I needed some more pages and I continued sketching on my current pocket sketchbook.
On these pages Roberto Cariani, Laurent Lolmède again, Elsie Herberstein, Damien Chavanat and Delphine Priollaud.

The day after I went with Lapin to draw the cathedral.
It was very cold so I just made a (forced) fast sketch

Barcelona SketchCrawl 29 1/2

2010-12-16T20:20:00.006+01:00

(En español en SketchCrawl Barcelona)

Drawings made at the last SkC that took place in Barcelona at Els Encants flea market and Plaça de Les Glòries Catalanes. The market and the flyover will soon disappear: the market moving to another place and the flyover becoming a subway.

I also made some portraits: the first 4 are stallholders, the rest are fellow sketchers.

Caganer

2010-12-11T01:07:00.001+01:00

(En español en Urban Sketchers Spain)

For those who don't know about the caganer this can seem a joke, but it's actually a very serious-funny issue over here. In this case, the humongous caganer I drew this afternoon is the Christmas decoration of a shoping mall near the Port of Barcelona.

This video explains something about the assembly and installation.

Barcelona, 29th SketchCrawl

2010-11-11T16:17:00.010+01:00

(En español en De Vuelta con el Cuaderno)

Almost one month late, but here are the skeches I made in Barcelona at the 29th SketchCraw.

I did a lot of quick portraits of other sketchers. Here are some of them: Diego, César, Rita, Ana, Sagar, Javier, Eduardo Vicente, Lapin, Amparo, Jesús, Jordi, Mercé, María, Jenny, Daniel, Helena, Sergi, Clara and 2 different takes of Eduardo Salavisa.

Barcelona sketching fun for the next days

2010-10-13T22:21:00.009+02:00

Thursday 14 at 20:00: opening of a collective exhibition at the Crypt of the FAD Plaça dels Angels, 5-6 with sketcbooks by Lapin, Sagar, Swasky, Eclectic Box, jen.ben… and yours faithfully. Open until october 28.

Saturday 16: 29th SketchCrawl (thanks to Lapin for this gorgeous map he has made to communicate the route).

Treviso

2010-10-08T17:13:00.006+02:00

(En español en De Vuelta con el Cuaderno)

A weekend in Treviso a couple of weeks ago for an exhibition. I went with Lapin and we had the opportunity of meeting some nice people and (of course) drawing this beautiful town. Here are some of my sketches. Lapin posted much faster than me (here and here).

Castellers

2010-10-01T21:32:00.007+02:00

(En español en De Vuelta con el Cuaderno)

Friday 24 was La Mercè, a big festival in Barcelona. I went to Plaça Sant Jaume to see the castellers. I've always thought this is a beautiful metonymy of the collective work, and I'd say it's not a case that this old tradition had taken deep roots in Catalonia. I've seen castells all my life on tv or films, but this was the first time I had the opportunity of seen them live. Really exciting, at some moments I got goosebumps.

Back from Zaragoza. 3: Zaragoza

2010-09-24T00:51:00.007+02:00

En español en De vuelta con el cuaderno

Last post about my recent visit to Zaragoza.

The previous posts were about people: the first one about the speakers of the the 2nd De Vuelta con el Cuaderno meeting, and the second one about everybody else.

These ones are all about this fantastic city, full of wonderful places and lovely people.

Back from Zaragoza. 2: People around

2010-09-19T02:02:00.007+02:00

En español en De vuelta con el cuaderno

This is a sequel of the previous post.

All the drawings are portraits (or so) of the people I met those days while attending lectures, eating, drinking, talking, walking, singing, dancing...

Back from Zaragoza. 1: The lecturers

2010-09-15T18:52:00.007+02:00

En español en De vuelta con el cuaderno

Last weekend I went to Zaragoza with my neighbor Lapin for the 2nd De Vuelta con el Cuaderno meeting. I had the opportunity of drawing together with him, Luis Ruiz, Toño Fernández, Swasky, Josu Maroto and some other 70 sketchers. But this was only in the afternoon. For three days we spent the mornings attending lectures from big masters that shared their experience and knowledge, and came in the afternoon to draw with us.

It was intense, and so funny. Unforgetable days.

This first post is dedicated to the speakers, click on their names to know more about them.
(To be continued).

Jorge Arranz

Mónica Cid

And the great Alfredo González.

Crashing world

2010-09-03T17:06:00.004+02:00

Invitation

2010-09-03T16:05:00.006+02:00

My dear pal Andrea Longhi has invited me to participate on an sketchbook exhibition that will take place in Treviso at the end of september.

I'm so honored for having the opportunity os showing my work with some artists I admire very much, and so glad because I will meet all my sketch mates from Bologna again!

TREVISO COMIC BOOK FESTIVAL IS ON TRAVEL

Carnet de Voyage: this is the 7° edition of Treviso Comic Book Festival's theme.

You will find: 9 expositions, a comics market place with editors and authors, many events. Treviso Comic Book Festival is supported by Treviso Municipality, Treviso Province and Treviso Chamber of Commerce.

“Sketched Travels” is the 2010 edition main theme.
There will be an exposition dedicated to “carnet de voyage”.

The most important Italian and European will take part in our event.

You will find: Simo Capecchi, Giancarlo Iliprandi, Giovanni Cocco, Freekhand, Lapin and many more coming from the “Biennale du Carnet de Voyage de Clermont-Ferrand” and from the “Urban Sketchers Italy” movement. There will be many expositions involving carnet de voyage realized by Comic drawer, you'll find art from: Laura Scarpa, Thomas Campi, Stefano Turconi, Massimiliano Frezzato, Davide Toffolo and many others.

Moreover, an Italian Urban Sketchers symposium will take place during the Tvcbf2010.

Many artists are attended in the city.

Other expositions will show the art of comics authors like Lele Vianello and Guido Fuga (Hugo Pratt's colleague), Emile Bravo, Zìzì Collective and many others.

Be there! Treviso is waiting for you on 25^th & 26^th September

Full program is coming soon on www.fumettintv.com/tvcbf2010

My first SketchCrawl in Barcelona

2010-08-27T18:21:00.006+02:00

I arrived to Bologna on july 8th 2001 and left it on july 8th 2010, same day, month and figures but since I'm not a cabalist I think its just a curious coincidence (not to mention that my birthday is july 7th, sometimes I receive this big gifts).
After this 9 years season, I moved to Barcelona to start another one. New town, new people, new urban landscapes to draw, new sketchcrawl pals...
These are drawings made on july 31th in Barcelona on my first SketchCrawl. I found a nice group of artists even if many of them were on holiday.

SketchCrawl in Modena

2010-06-22T09:43:00.005+02:00

These are drawings made on may 22th in Modena where we made our SketchCrawl. It was a great surprise that we met some kind of motor show everywhere: dozens of old and new cars, bikes, scooters, tractors... As I once told, this is an area of Italy which heart doesn't beat but roar (at 7.000 rpm) so this this simple "regional" show was made all by pieces by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati, Pagani, Piaggio, Lambretta and so on.
Not so much architecture and city scapes that day, we were too hypnotized!

En español en Urban Sketchers Spain

Barcelona, toccata e fuga

2010-06-13T14:10:00.008+02:00

Two weeks ago I had a fast trip to Barcelona. I could spend some nice hours with urban sketchers Samantha Zaza and Lapin. Obviously we spent some of our time together sketching, as they reported here and here.
A memorable day.

En español en Urban Sketchers Spain

Exhibition opening

2010-05-22T09:52:00.003+02:00

Some days ago Romina Bruscia, a fellow sketcher, inaugurated in Bologna an exhibition of her works.
I went with some friends and took some sketches.

En español en Urban Sketchers Spain

Radiator

2010-05-02T15:50:00.010+02:00

Now that it seems I'll leave this house on the next months I suddenly want to draw every corner.

En español en De vuelta con el cuaderno

Centro di gravità permanente

2010-04-22T18:59:00.003+02:00

I was watching a TV report and doodling without a plan. Then the speaker stopped talking and the background music got louder. It was Franco Battiato's 1981 song "Centro di gravità permanente", unforgettable at least in Spain and obviously in Italy. It seemed like if everything started making sense. Or maybe everything was getting a center of gravity.

En español en De vuelta con el cuaderno

Paganello 2010

2010-04-16T19:21:00.012+02:00

Paganello is an international event for frisbee lovers. I takes place over the Easter weekend at Rimini beach. Since my nephew played in one of the teams we dropped in on saturday to take a look at the competition and spend the day by the sea.

The sport they play is called beach ultimate, which is the beach variant of ultimate (I've learnt all this things that saturday, and now on the wikipedia). It's some kind of a light version of american football played with a frisbee instead of a ball. I was very funny when the wind was soft and they could make long and precise passes but about noon the wind became strong and the play became very difficult.

Rimini is the city of Fellini's film Amarcord and its because of this that every time the organization made some announce on the PA system it started with the legendary yell "I want a woman!!" taken from the soundtrack.

En español en Urban Sketchers Spain

Mini hard work

2010-04-06T17:13:00.011+02:00

I've talked about my work just one time on this blog (actually, I didn't tell anything). I work as illustrator, mainly for advertising and web agencies. I do 95% of my work on a Wacom Cintiq, this means I almost never draw on paper (and maybe can explain how I miss the touch and why I draw sketchbooks).

A couple of weeks ago Leif Peng invited me to Storyboard Central, one of those clubs you're immediately proud to join since you are a fan of almost all the members.

This was my first contribution:

I don't like to work fast. Or since drawing storyboards is always hasty, I'd better say I don't like to work this fast.

I made this job on january 2009. The client was an agency in Milan and the product was Mini. The first call came about 6 hours pm. It was the desperate call from a new client (the very first call, when you know that he's calling you of course because his favorite artist is not available and you say yes to everything).

The brief came in ten minutes and I sent this rough scribbles (everything was made with photoshop on a cintiq):

In half an hour I received an ok with no big corrections and made this clean-up.

I sent it again to the client that answered immediately: no changes!

As I finished a couple of frames I sent them to the client to allow him to work on the presentation. The last to frames were sent about 6 am, about 12 hours after the first contact.

The client was very satisfied of the job (mainly because the idea was approved).

About one month after it was on tv. This is the video:

Blogged also at Storyboard Central

Some grandma's fruit bowl

2010-04-04T15:29:00.008+02:00

A quick still life taken in the kitchen some weeks ago. As usual, it was the accidental composition that took my attention and inspired me to draw. Then I fixed my attention on the fruit bowl (a humble, simple but beautiful porcelain piece that's been with me for many years, I love it so much) and some fuzzy memories of my childhood came to my mind. I was a child, the fruit bowl was there, over the table, and grandma was around but I didn't see her or recognize the house. I know this is grandma's fruit bowl, one of my grandma's fruit bowl, but I realized that I don't remember which one of my two grandmas.

So it goes.

Fair sketches

2010-03-31T15:03:00.006+02:00

Last week, as every year, I went to the Bologna Children's Book Fair. My 8th fair and I'd say not the best edition. I took a vague walk, meet some friends and of course... drew some sketches.

Italian artist Davide Cappelletti while drawing at the stand of the Scuola del Fumetto di Milano.

I've known on his website that Australian artist Matt Ottley is green/red blind, but you should have seen the fantastic drawings he was making while I took this sketch (you can always take a look at his books).

I don't know who this left handed guy could be. He had a very elegant suit (taylor made I'd say) and filled some absolutely boring chart with so much concentration.

I don't know why I've started to draw more and more comic framed pages. I've fought against horror vacui for years and I guess this is the proof I've lost.

blogged at urban sketchers.

Enough was enough some time ago

2010-03-27T14:24:00.004+01:00

I made this drawings a couple of weeks ago on a demonstration of Il Popolo Viola (the Purple People). Seems that finally some italians are waking up of the Berlusconi's sleep, seeing that it was always a smiling nightmare and that they are in danger.

Just one sample: tomorrow there will be a regional election and while Mr. B. banned all political debates on TV 3 weeks ago, yesterday he made speeches and interviews in prime time on 5 (of 7) national TV channels.

Am I wrong or this is some kind of new fascism?

blogged at urban sketchers.

Cacharritos

2010-03-25T18:54:00.014+01:00

Cacharrito (it sounds more or less kah-cha-rree-toh) is more or less the same as cachivache.

These are some more I've found here and there at home: a wooden hen shaped pencil sharpener (one of the very first my son had); a little shell he found in Palinuro in summer 2003; a beautiful cheap porcelain box of uncertain origin; a tin legged pot 1/10 scaled (60 cm in real life) that comes from my grand mother and was very old in the 60's when I was a child (my favorite cachivache) , a tiny round alabaster box I stoled from my parents house and an uncertain swinging head animal I bought in Guadalajara (Mexico).

Cachivaches (spanish), tchotchkes or pishifkes (yiddish), knickknacks (english), ıvır zıvır (turkish), bugigangas (portuguese). More languages are welcome.

Cachivaches

2010-03-20T17:26:00.019+01:00

Cachivache (it sounds more or less kah-chee-vah-cheh) is a fantastic spanish word that means piece of old junk. Some days ago I took a walk at home drawing some of the cachivaches I have. I love so much many of them but I'm not sure how long some others will last (actually I'm not sure how they arrived and I wonder why they live on my shelves).

In this page there is a pot from IKEA, a devil shaped pen holder, a glass candlestick from my grand mother, an elephant puppet from India, a duck shape badge from Cuba, a wooden methane molecule shaped massage gadget, a mysterious wooden fish nobody remember how arrived home but that I like so much, a wooden woman figure from Kenya bought in Rome by my parents, an old counter bell, a little rolling stone my son gave me when he was 6 years old as if it was a gold nugget, a house shaped anti stress toy, a bilboquet from Paris, a calabrian liquorice box, a french porphyry egg, and a little glass ashtray from Naples.

Cachivaches (spanish), tchotchkes or pishifkes (yiddish), knickknacks (english), ıvır zıvır (turkish). More languages are welcome.

Doodled people

2010-03-17T09:57:00.011+01:00

On february 2008 I started a sketchbook just for doodles. Almost 2 years and 167 pages after it's finished. Through all this time I've filled it with many weird scribbles, some zenish improvisations, abstract (and non) ideas, many non ideas at all that kind of purposeless stuff.

Doodles (english), garabatos (spanish), scarabocchi (italian), gargots (catalan), rabiscos (portuguese), griffonages, or gribouillis (french), gekritzel (german), каляки-маляки / kalyaki-malyaki or каракули / karakuli (russian), krabbel (dutch), draskulki/драскулки or draskanitzi/драсканици (bulgarian).
New languages are welcome.

Bologna SketchCrawl went to Mantova

2010-03-11T18:02:00.016+01:00

Saturday 27 february, 26th Worldwide SketchCrawl. We decided to change scenario and it was a great success, at a certain moment we were 24, about twice the usual people on our meetings. There was a comic fair in Mantova and I think this was another allure for many of us.

I started near home at the meeting point, and continued this sort of minimal sketches at Piazza Sordello, now in Mantova.

Some sketching mates while drawing...

...some sketching mates while waiting their dishes.

After lunch we went to the lake shore where I took Santa Barbara's bell tower...

...and some of the lake inhabitants.

Then went back to the centre passing by Castel San Giorgio.

I love so much this castle so I drew it twice.

After the dusk we went to a bar to drink something hot.

A few of us stayed in Mantova for dinner, and I took the opportunity for going back to minimal sketches.

blogged at urban sketchers.

Pocket Sketchbook #9

2010-02-27T00:08:00.009+01:00

My sketch mate for a short but intense season that lasted between october and december 2009. The keys, the wallet, the mobile and this sketchbook came always with me, but this was the only one of those things that I loved to go with. The sketches were made in Bologna, Parma and Barcelona.

Music: Phoenix, "Love for granted" (Alphabetical, 2004).

blogged at urban sketchers.

A day at the (model car) races

2010-02-23T16:11:00.013+01:00

Some time ago I went with my son to a Model & Hobby Fair. A lot of stuff, from some amazing huge scale models made with Lego pieces to some not so pleasant war games :P .

I've always loved propeller planes and I remembered when I was a kid and used to mount scale models and I should had spent some more looking at some Fokker DR1, Sopwith Camel or Mitsubishi Zero, but my son dragged me to the car racing area, where some really amazing remote control models were running.

We passed a lot of time and I had the opportunity of making some sketches since I was not too interested on the races.

Seeing all that boys and adult men (the few women at the fair were mostly wives and fiancees) with all those expensive toys made me think about the difference between the good old need of playing and the Peter Pan syndrome.

Anyways, even if this is not my cup of tea, it was a funny afternoon.

blogged at urban sketchers.

Casalecchio Municipal Library

2010-02-19T14:51:00.017+01:00

I love this place. I use to go once a week to take and leave something and not only books. The dvd section is really good: many movies from Almodóvar and Spielberg to Eisenstein and Griffith, but also many movies of classic, jazz and rock live concerts. There is a selected comic section too.

Almost everything I read in italian comes from this library.

Everyday Sketchbook #04

2010-02-16T08:37:00.006+01:00

My work sketchbook between october and devember 2009. No drawings from life here, apart from some TV sketches (if TV can be considered life). Many concepts, ideas, studies, character and storyboard sketches... all that stuff.

Music: Michael Jackson (1958-2009), "Beat it" (Rhythms del Mundo, Fall Out Boy & John Mayer, 2009).

Old friends

2010-02-13T15:11:00.011+01:00

I drew this while waiting for the bus. We were about 10 people and at a certain point I realized I was was the only one under 70.

Old friends, winter companions, the old men

Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun

The sounds of the city sifting through trees

Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends.

Can you imagine us years from today,

Sharing a parkbench quietly

How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,

Silently sharing the same fears

Mr. Paul Simon (that Paul Simon) is surely unaware of the help he gave me on making this post. Apart from the words he once wrote and I just typed today, I actually had this song in mind while drawing this sketches.

En español en urban sketchers spain

Recycling hero

2010-02-07T15:38:00.005+01:00

For years, when I threw the glass bottles at the recycling container, this image came to my mind. I thought about someone who worked by night, maybe a baker or a security guard, and got crazy because of the noise I was making.
I always told myself that someday I should draw the scene and finally did it last summer.
From then on I don't care about snipers.

Everyday Sketchbook #03

2010-02-04T16:11:00.015+01:00

This was my work mate between june and october 2009. Most of the drawings were are concepts made from mind as the very first ideas for my work. There are also a few sketches made from life in Porec (Croatia) and of course at home, and some TV sketches too.

Music: Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791), "Voi che sapete" from "Le Nozze di Figaro", (Frederica von Stade, 1984).

Ostrich design

2010-01-31T12:19:00.010+01:00

No splash faucet, conceived specially for houses with many children or without a dish washer. Its design, inspired on the ostrich way of problem solving, tries to avoid the boring job of drying drops over the tiles. I can tell it's 100% efficient on this issue.
This is I.K.E.A. (Idle Klutzy Earthy Artifacts) 7th issue.
Previous issues: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6.
(To be continued).

Pocket Sketchbook #8

2010-01-29T16:52:00.006+01:00

This came always with me between july and october 2009. Almost all sketches where made from life in Porec (Croatia), Casalecchio, Castello d'Argile, Bologna (Italia), Jávea and Valencia (Spain).

Music: Bobby McFerrin (1950) "The 23rd Psalm (dedicated to my mother)",

Bobby McFerrin (Medicine Music, 1998).

Isn't it nice to be home again?

2010-01-23T14:15:00.010+01:00

This is my contribution to Suzanne's japanese Moleskine for the Moly_X_12.
It was the last entry, and after my drawing the moly started its homeward flight, after having traveled around the world for almost 2 years. Maybe because of this or who knows which other reasons I was in a some kind of and-so-it-goes mood when I draw it...

Barcelona: Parc Güell

2010-01-14T16:34:00.004+01:00

26th dec was a great sunny day, we passed the morning at Parc Güell, an amazing place designed by Antoni Gaudí, and one of Barcelona's main appeals.

Barcelona: in the bar, café, restaurant...

2010-01-07T21:57:00.006+01:00

Second round of sketches from my trip to Barcelona over Christmas.
These were made in different bars and cafés.

Barcelona: people in the metro

2010-01-03T15:30:00.006+01:00

Some days passed in Barcelona over Christmas.

These are sketches made in the metro.

Merry X!

2009-12-19T12:50:00.005+01:00

(X=Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever).

Season Greetings! or Happy Holidays! if you prefer.

He hecho también una versión en español...

...e anche un'altra in italiano.

These are all the languages I speak (at the moment, now I'm studying french, maybe next year I'll make one more version).

Merry X to you all!

Closed books

2009-12-15T15:16:00.001+01:00

The last one -so far- of the series of drawings from old doodles (other drawings of this series: "Little houses", "Dirty dishes", "1.001 faces" and "Crowd and snake").

This is the doodle page I improvised while watching TV:

New tracing after scanning the doodles:

From tracing paper to watercolor paper using a light box (actually and x-ray viewer):

Ink linework:

Final result after adding some watercolors:

STATS

Books: so many.

Data: a lot.

Knowledge: some.

Wisdom: uncertain.

Home sweet home

2009-12-12T00:12:00.001+01:00

Sometimes tight deadlines on my work don't allow me to take the time to sketch out from home. When this happens i often feel the need of taking a break of some minutes from drawing storyboards on the tablet and draw some sketches on paper. In such a little time I just can do sone quick takes of my home. Here are a some of them, all made in the last months.

The chair Roberta uses to work on the computer.

An angle of the living room with my favorite armchair.

My bedroom. I had a sudden impulse, so this was the first thing I did that day (apart having breakfast).

My working angle. This was really a quick break from work, I did not even stand up from the chair. There's another view of this here.

Little houses

2009-12-05T16:37:00.009+01:00

Another one of the series of drawings from old doodles (other drawings of this series: "Dirty dishes", "1.001 faces" and "Crowd and snake").

This is the doodle page I improvised while watching TV:

New tracing after scanning the doodles:

Ink linework using a light box.

Final result after adding some watercolors:

STATS

Houses: So many.

Offices: unknown.

Streets: unknown.

People: unknown

Free space: 0.

Before the 25th SketchCrawl

2009-11-29T18:11:00.008+01:00

On the same week of the 25th SketchCrawl I happened to pass twice near the places of our meeting. I could say that I had started my sketching and crawling a couple of days before the actual date.

This was taken while waiting at the entrance of Sala Borsa Library. The tents at the center were being mounted for a fair about chocolate that should start some days after.

We were just 3 people on the bus when I made this: the driver, the lady with the greenish coat that phoned by the central door, and yours faithfully. I started drawing just on stops and traffic lights, but at some moment I forgot to take care of shaking. I think the drawing came more "real" because of this.

This is one of the classic sights of Bologna: the Fountain of Neptune seen through the gallery of Palazzo Re Enzo.

An easy quiz

2009-11-28T14:22:00.007+01:00

25th SketchCrawl Bologna 21.11.2009

2009-11-24T19:28:00.006+01:00

The days before I though it should be a not so good SC. Some people said they wouldn't come and no special route or place was decided. But at the end many new people came and it was a great day.

There was a stand of a local radio station too, with a stupid host shouting and putting on shitty music. I decided to ignore it on my drawing (it was on the right side of the building entrance) and so I gave attention just to the architecture.

We went to Piazza Galvani were I drew this statue of Mr. Galvani and since I finished it quickly I decided to draw my drawing fellows.

This is Viola watching a sketchbook (with drawings made by yours faithfully).

San Francesco's Church at dusk.

Left: people on the bus while I went to our appointment. Right: Andrea and Marco.

We ate at the Osteria del Sole. Left: people at the next table. Right: Benedetta.

At the end we went to Modo, a bookshop where there was the presentation of a comic book.

Left: Daniele Caluri, one of the authors. Right: people listening his speech.

It was a great day.

Dirty dishes

2009-11-22T14:32:00.008+01:00

Another of the series of drawings from old doodles.

This is the doodle page I improvised while watching TV:

New tracing after scanning the doodles:

Ink linework using a light box.

Final result after adding some watercolors:

STATS

Saucepans: hundreds.

Glasses: thousands.

Dishes: millions.

Cutlery: billions.

Dirt: tons.

Another interview

2009-11-19T11:01:00.006+01:00

A couple of weeks after the interview i made for mag|zine, last monday I received a message from Ksenia Buksha, editor of MyMoleskine.ru (the "Russia-line magazine by My Moleskine", as they call theirselves) for making another one. It can be seen on this link, in the original russian language. Here is the funny english version (of my english-written answers, translated into russian) made by Google translate. Spanish version is much better: it changes my surname (Herranz) into "Vagabundo" (spanish for "wandering"). The italian one talks about me as a group of illustrators.

I love this internet's tower of Babel.

Non Place People

2009-11-16T21:23:00.001+01:00

Many people prefer the shop in the shopping center, many other prefer the shop in the corner. My shop in the corner is a shopping center, what can I do. If I forget something and I must run to buy it, the closest place is the shopping centre.

This centre was made by Berlusconi in 1994, and it's an historic place because at the inauguration he announced that he would enter into politics (with the consequences we all know).

I don't love this place but I don't hate it. Maybe it's a non-place as Marc Augé call this kind of places, but it's plenty of life. Somekind of life.

It's not beautiful but it's real. When I cross its doors I feel like watching some kind of italian neo-neorealist film. Most of what happens today happens here in this places or non-places (in Italy and in many countries). Or it can be understood looking this film.

The Fortress of Vignola

2009-11-12T19:54:00.007+01:00

These are drawings made in Vignola, a little town 30 km far from home. The main sight is the Fortress. I passed about 10 minutes to chose this angle...

...only to discoverer afterwards that I'm not so original: it is the angle of all the photos that illustrate the covers of every Vignola's guide. At least, no doubt it's the best angle at all.

This is the decoration of the arch over the entrance to the castle in the courtyard. Of course they are eagles spreading wings and legs, but while I was drawing them, I couldn't help thinking of electrocuted chicken.

Someone made me an interview

2009-11-09T18:55:00.006+01:00

Some days ago Salvo Catalano wrote an article about Urban Sketchers on mag|zine, the magazine online of the School of Journalism at the Università Catolica di Milano. On that article he included 3 audio interviews: with Gabi Campanario, founder of Urban Sketchers, with USk Naples correspondant Simo Capecchi, and with yours faithfully.

It was the first time I heard my voice talking italian and I must say I didn't like it, I didn't knew I have such a terrible accent.

1001 faces

2009-11-05T14:51:00.016+01:00

This is another drawing coming from doodles I made time ago, in this case about 2004.

These are the doodles:

I scanned the doodles, printed them bigger and traced the new version with an HB pencil.

I traced again on watercolor paper using a light box then I finished the linework and erased the pencil.

After inking:

I ended the work with some watercolors.

STATS:

45 men

23 women

Crowd and snake

2009-10-30T18:34:00.026+01:00

I made this upon a page of doodles I drew one year ago traveling to Clermont-Ferrand for the Biennale du Carnet de Voyage. I knew that this was just some idea to work on some day, but I forgot it (as use to do) till the end of the spring in which I was looking for one of those poor forgotten ideas to make a proper, real, finished illustration.

Here is the doodle sheet:

I started copying the doodles on a tracing paper to develop the idea and fix the amount of characters and their positions.

Then I traced it again on another sheet to get everything clearer.

I scanned the second pencil sketch and made the linework in photoshop using a Cintiq tablet/screen.

On different layers I worked simultaneously on the tones...

...and the flat colors...

...to render some volume.

Then I put some lights to get the final result.

To avoid neck pain here is a view towards East.

This is the view towards south...

...and this towards west.

STATS:

1 surprised woman

1 lewd man

1 policeman

1 angry man

1 child

1 butler

1 worker

1 german waitress

1 chorus girl

1 diver

1 ballet dancer

1 obese woman

1 black panther

1 snake

1 lizard

1 afghan hound

1 white bear

4 women

7 men

1 child

5 animals

Hanging-on bathroom art #2

2009-10-26T20:44:00.007+01:00

1st issue is here.

People here and there

2009-09-04T13:59:00.003+02:00

Some weeks ago, while I was in Croatia, I started a new pocket sketchbook.
Even if I use to change subjects and tools, this new sketchbook took suddenly some kind of "personality" that hasn't changed so far. Now I'm on page 35 (more or less in the middle) and trying to keep the continuity till the end.

La Certosa di Bologna

2009-08-24T18:32:00.004+02:00

Some months ago my SketchCrawl fellow Sara insisted on include the Cemetery of La Certosa on our route. It was a real discovery. Since that day I've come back several times. After 8 years living in Bologna, I wonder why nobody had told me about this amazing place before.

Here are some photos.

Pocket Sketchbook #7

2009-08-14T18:34:00.005+02:00

My pocket sketchbook between april and july 2009. Almost all sketches where made from life in Bologna, Casalecchio, Ravenna and Vignola (Italy), Jávea and Gandía (Spain) and Porec (Croatia).
Music: Cesar Miró (1907-1999) "Todos vuelven", (Rubén Blades, Buscando América, 1984)

Vacation (2nd. part)

2009-08-13T23:16:00.008+02:00

More from my vacation in Porec, Croatia. Apart from the sketches of the previous post, I made 66 quick portraits of the people around. 52 of them can be seen on the last pages of this sketchbook (at that point I ended it and started another one, not ready yet). These are some samples.

Vacation

2009-08-11T22:09:00.012+02:00

Sketches made some days ago in Porec, Croatia.

Everyday Sketchbook #2

2009-08-10T19:22:00.005+02:00

Unlike other mine sketchbooks this one never came with me out of home. It used to be open on my desk for everyday work (first scribbles of storyboards, character designs, fair/event design) but also for TV portraits, figure drawings, studies on other artists, good, bad, mad and stupid ideas, doodles, to do's and everything else.
A 18.10.2008 Ω 18.06.2009
Music: Ivan Lins, "Depois dos Temporais" (Depois dos Temporais, 1983)

Kraft paper sketchbook

2009-06-20T13:43:00.006+02:00

Customized kraft-paper sketchbook (I made the wire- binding on a copy service in order to open it 360º). It's been a mate for almost 6 months in which I filled it of every idea (or non-idea) comming to my head and/or my hand: scribbles, sketches, public life, portraits, TV drawings, still lifes, designs, projects and so on. Made in Bologna, Casalecchio, Jávea and Venezia between december 22, 2008 and june 6, 2009.
Music: Chauncey Olcott (1858-1932), "My Wild Irish Rose" (Keith Jarrett, piano, 1999)

Here & There

2009-06-19T09:46:00.008+02:00

Sketchbook made with sheets of watercolor paper wire-binded on a copy service. Sketches made in Bologna, Casalecchio, Jávea, Ravenna and Vignola between march 03 and may 05 2009.
Music: Pino Daniele, "Lazzari felici" (Musicante, 1984)

Spring 2009 pocket sketchbook

2009-06-18T10:51:00.006+02:00

Sketchbook made with sheets of a torn Moleskine sketchbook wire-binded on a copy service. It was my pocket sketchbook beetween march 25 and april 12, 2009. Sketches taken in Bologna, Casalecchio and Jávea.
Music: "Les Mots d'Amour" (Charles Dumont, music and Michel Rivgauche, lyrics), Edith Piaf (1960)

Winter 2009 pocket sketchbook

2009-06-17T10:57:00.008+02:00

To make this sketchbook I cut some sheets of watercolor paper and made a wire-binding on a copy service. It came always with me till the last page was filled and contains drawings made in Bologna and Casalecchio between december 21, 2008 and march 25, 2009.
Music: Keb' Mo', "Am I Wrong?" (Keb' Mo', 1994)

Sketch & The City

2009-06-16T11:03:00.011+02:00

I started this sketchbook on october 25 at the Bologna SketchCrawl. Then I decided to use it just for SketchCrawls and urban sketches for the Gabi Campanario's Urban Sketchers blog. It contains drawings made in Bologna, Casalecchio Lyon and Verona between october 25, 2008 and february 26, 2009.

Music: W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) "Eine Kleine Gigue" K. 574

(Mitsuko Uchida, piano, 1991)

SketchCrawl in VIlla Spada

2009-06-10T20:14:00.003+02:00

Villa Spada is a great place for drawing. It's a big house of the XIXth century with a big garden full of amazing places and views. It was the first time I was there and from then on I've come back several times. Here's a video that gives some idea.
In the garden there's a row of 12 statues that cought my attention. They are quite weird, with some particular motifs and attitudes. First 9 are women and last 3 are old men with some resemblance to Emperor Palpatine. I decided to draw all them and color just the shadows but about noon the day got cloudy. At that moment i had made just 4 of them so I must finish a week after. In the meanwhile I must reload my waterbrushes, and it's because of this that color changes from the 5th on.

Portable WC gear

2009-05-22T12:54:00.010+02:00

After making my Itty-Bitty WC box, I thought that since it weighs just 40 grams it could be good to make some device to attach it to the sketcbook in order to draw without the need of any kind of surface for the watercolor box.
After some missed tests, I made this prototype. It will be enhanced when I find better materials (for example, I used cardboard and I think aluminium would be better). Until now this works fine (I made it 2 months ago) so I think it will not essentially change... but any ideas are welcome!

This is the holder and the WC box about to be fixed...

...and in ther final position.

Here is the Itty Bitty WC box 1.0 and the new 2.0.
I loaded 1.0 with very basic colors: Winsor yellow, alizarine crimson, Winsor blue, Hooker green, burnt sienna and sepia. On the last weeks I felt the need of a palette just for values. I made 2.0 with an ice mint box and loaded it with "non-color" colors: raw umber, burnt umber, Davy's grey, Payne's grey, sepia and ivory black.

There's a new hi tech version here.

A SketchCrawl at the Children's Book Fair

2009-04-22T17:34:00.004+02:00

Sketches made on 25.03.2009 on a special SketchCrawl organized at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Open publication | More

Andrea Joseph left this pearl in my sketchbook

2009-04-21T23:10:00.006+02:00

We were in a fantastic and cheap osteria in the center of Bologna. Anah and me started sketching while we wait for our meal (there was some unforgettable tagliatelle with cocoa and radicchio) and then I invited Andrea to draw too. She told me that she doesn't use to draw in public, but since I insisted, she made this sketch with my brush pen in my sketchbook. Once finished, she told me that she not only doesn't use to draw in public, but she doesn't use to draw with brushes either.

Looking at this gorgeous sketch I'm still wandering why she doesn't, and I' feel so proud she left this rare pearl in my sketchbook.

What a great day we had in Ferrara!

2009-04-19T15:03:00.009+02:00

The –magic– week of the Children's Book Fair in which Anah, Andrea Joseph and Lapin were here, we had the opportunity to make a little trip to Ferrara, a fantastic town just 30 km far from Bologna. Andrea made some beautiful photos that you can see here, and Lapin made some of his amazing sketches.

I made a couple of quickies: the Catherdral facade...

...and one of the "lions"(???) before the Cathedral facade.

Andrea took photos of both sketching moments, the first with Lapin, both drawing the Cathedral...

...and the second while I was drawing some middle-age sci-fi.

Some years ago mi father made the armchair, few days ago I made the sketch (and seems France made it too)

2009-04-17T20:48:00.016+02:00

After the all the mess with the Bologna Children's Book Fair, I went to Spain for a week to meet my parents and I have so many drawings to post (more than 100 pages!). Of course I'll put some films on my YouTube if not I will never finish.
I haven't planned to start posting all that stuff from this drawing but I changed my mind when I saw France posted this yesterday. She made the drawing of that chair just one day after I did mine. Her chair was at the doctor's office where she went because of her future son. Mine was made some 20 years ago by my father. Me and France love Paul Auster and he loves coincidences: I suddenly thought this one was a little pretty one.
Salut, France!

Winter 2009 Sketches

2009-04-06T17:37:00.004+02:00

Sketchbook completed between 21 december 2008 and 25 march 2009. All drawings were made in Bologna and Casalecchio. I used 3 Lamy fountain pens (extra fine, calligraphic 1 and 2 mm), 6 water brushes loaded with different watered fountain pen inks (except for the yellow that was aniline dye) and watercolors.

See it bigger in other window

Drawing guests

2009-04-01T17:52:00.011+02:00

Last week I had 3 guests that came to Bologna for the Children's Book Fair.
I made som sketches of all them:

Anah, wich I knew last november in Clermont Ferrand at the Biennale du Carnet de Voyage.

I made her portrait at a trattoria in Ferrara where we made a little scape.

Lapin (my second guest) took this opportunity to make this gorgeous sketches.

I knew him in Clermont too. We use to meet on line at Urban Sketchers of which we both are members. By the way, I made his sketch while he was drawing another urban sketcher: Simo Capecchi.

My third guest was Andrea Joseph (yes!!!!!!!). As many of you know she was one of the artists selected by the Book Fair for the exhibition of this year.

Andrea is one of the first artist I knew about when I started blogging a couple years ago. I've followed her work from then on and we have a common project running with some other pals (I still can't believe they all say yes to that, they were my dream team).
After all this time of comments and emails, even if we both met for the first time only last week, I could proudly say we're old friends.

Bus sketching

2009-03-21T20:53:00.011+01:00

I work at home so I don't take the bus everyday, but when it happens it's one of my favorite places to sketch. It's not easy because the shaking, but it's funny to take aim while the bus runs and shoot strokes madly fast in the few seconds it remains stopped .

This beautiful lady was sleeping when I got the bus, and still she was sleeping when I got off about 35 minutes after. She wore very elegant clothes and seemed to be a tired businesswoman, except because it's not usual to see businessmen and mainly businesswomen on the bus in Bologna.

This little old white haired woman wore a pair of big odd old fashioned glasses. She moved her head jerkily with her lively eyes behind the jumbo glasses fixing everything like a chihuahua.

A couple of quickies I made in may diary (no sketch gear with me that day, it's not usual) with some watercolor washes put afterwards at home.

Sketching on sale

2009-03-09T15:10:00.011+01:00

These are all sketches taken on a afternoon we did some january sales shopping.

At a certain moment if I turned 360º I could see 9 (yes nine!!) people phoning simultaneously.
Too much even for a big store.

This old lady pushed her grandson's stroller while her daughter looked for some more things (the stroller was full of shopping bags).

This man took the box of the shoes chosen by his wife and went to the cash desk while her kept on shopping. First he placed carefully all the boxes she has left opened (about a dozen).

Clothing shops are often creepy: this is half a (plastic) woman hanging from a hook to display half a woman's clothing.

This were just little quickies. Too many interesting people doing their january sales shopping.

My new itty-bittty WC box

2009-02-28T19:03:00.010+01:00

After some time searching, I finally found a box big enough for just 6 half-pans, and nothing else (or almost).
It's an old italian liquorices metallic box (the design is old, the box is new, and the liquorices really good!). It has just two little faults: the cover doesn't reach horizontality when opened, and the interior is golden coloured and so, it's not possible to mix colors. The first is not serious and after some use the cover gets some looseness and lets down with no problem. For the second, I fitted in a piece of white glossy rigid plastic that works really fine.
The actual size is like a classic Zippo lighter, less wide but slightly higher.

The loaded weight is 40 grams.

21th SketchCrawl in Bologna

2009-02-11T20:59:00.004+01:00

This SketchCrawl was planned worldwide for january 10, but here in Bologna we couldn't make it (someone was snowed under with work, someone was snowed under with flu, someone was snowed under with fear... to get actually snowed under with snow).
We decided to make an alternative SC last saturday and here are the sketches I made. There was many people from off-Bologna and many new faces. Why don't we make it more often?

More stuff here.

From MH to AJ

2009-02-01T20:33:00.004+01:00

This is my contribution to Andrea's japanese Moleskine for the Moly_X_12.
I did it again: I fell in the temptation of imitating the inimitable. I used Andrea's technique and tools and tried to mimic her style. I like this kind of games and I use to start promisingly. But at a certain point I give up and my free-freak hand starts to talk and...
Well this is the result of this game.
Is it a grasshopper, is it a mantis, is it a locust?
Nope. As Suzzane called it, this is bamboo frog's cousin.

Spaghetti gear

2009-01-26T18:24:00.001+01:00

Or Idle Klutzy Earthy Artifacts 6th issue.
Previous issues: #1, #2, #3, and #4, and #5 .

Thematic spaghetti fork.

Middle Age styled spaghetti fork.

Renaissance styled spaghetti fork.

Twirling spaghetti fork.
Someone stole me this idea (even before I've published it!!) and made this.
But mine is much better because it can twirl clockwise or counterclockwise (for left handed people) and it has 3 speeds: fast food, gourmet and diet. Ha!
(To be continued).