Hello and welcome to On the Spot, where we celebrate great reportage illustration, urban sketching and the artists behind the work.
World Cup fever
Dubai-based sketcher Thierry Chehab managed to sketch some World Cup players up-close the other day. He didn’t have a traditional media pass, but as the creative director of a TV commercial involving players of the Saudi Arabia squad, he had the kind of access many a sketcher wishes to have.
Taking advantage of a few minutes of idle time while his crew waited for another player to arrive on the set, Chehab whipped out his sketchbook and made quick portraits of goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais and defender Abdulelah Al-Amri.
Chehab described how the impromptu sketching session went:
“I sat discreetly with the crew and started sketching Al-Amri. He noticed that I was looking at him and asked me if I was drawing him. The risk was there. When I nodded, his face went from reserved to happily surprised. Few quick brush strokes later, I showed him the result. He got super excited, took out his cell phone, wanted to take pictures and started showing it to the technical team who accompanied him. Al-Owais wanted to be sketched too and the ambience drastically changed from waiting silently to a bubbly discussion, excitement, and sketching talks. When the third player arrived, his teammates teased him by revealing that they got sketched and not him! The best anecdote was when Al-Amri then told me: ‘You have an incredible talent.’ I reminded him that he had a great talent too!”
I admire Chehab’s courage to sketch the players under such circumstances. Now, imagine what sketch artists could produce if they were offered the type of media credentials reserved for photographers and writers.
- Speaking of media credentials, you may request media passes to cover events on behalf of Sketcher Press’ On the Spot newsletter. Contact me if you’d like to learn more about how to become an On the Spot contributor.
Clermont-Ferrand
If the French city of Clermont-Ferrand is not on your radar yet, it ought to be.
I just landed back in Seattle a few days ago after rubbing elbows with some of the best sketchers in the business at Rendez-Vous du Carnet de Voyage.
The annual event in Clermont-Ferrand brings together travel sketchbook artists, publishers and thousands of visitors who come from all over France and beyond. With more than 100 stands that fill a large pavilion, the event feels a bit like a Comic-Con of sketchers. The artists open their sketchbooks for visitors to browse and pose for selfies with adoring fans. Talks, workshops and live-sketch sessions are also part of an intense three-day program.
The main reason for my visit was to release the first Sketcher Press book: “New York Reawakens,” by Portland-based reportage artist Rita Sabler. The beautiful 72-page hardcover edition was well received and I’m looking forward to making it available for purchase on the Sketcher Press website as soon as the shipment of copies arrives from Spain, where it was printed.
- Would an event like Clermont-Ferrand’s Rendez-Vous be of interest in the United States? Would you attend? Tell me what you think in the comments or via e-mail.
Ten years later, a book sequel
In an Instagram post, Hong-Kong based urban sketcher Alvin Wong mentioned buying my book, “The Art of Urban Sketching,” back in 2012 as a spectator of the phenomenon.
Now he is one of more than 150 sketchers featured in “The World of Urban Sketching,” by my fellow Seattle-based sketcher Stephanie Bower.
The new tome follows a similar format, taking readers on a world tour through the work of amateur and professional artists who make a habit of drawing on location. It includes “get to know” profiles, detailed descriptions of every sketch and the media used, and “spotlight” sections on topics such as people sketching or how to draw extreme perspectives.
“The World of Urban Sketching” is so full of exceptional work, it’s too bad the page count stops at 240, instead of the 320 pages of the first book — some of the sketches presented could use a bit more breathing room.
A must-have for every urban sketcher, Bower’s book emphasizes the universal appeal of sketching as a creative pastime. Beware of its effects. Like Wong, you may go from spectator to compulsive sketcher in no time after you start browsing.
In other book news
Congratulations are also in order for other sketchers whose books have just been released:
- “The Burton Road Sketchbook,” by Len Grant, documents the people and businesses that make Burton Road a very special place in Manchester. You don’t have to live in or even know Manchester to appreciate Grant’s whimsical artistry and lively storytelling.
- Málaga architect and urban sketcher Luis Ruiz is the author of “Málaga a Trazos,” a hardcover, 160-page book featuring a selection of the illustrated columns he’s been publishing in Málaga’s Diario Sur for years.
- “Aviateurs,” a new book by French illustrator Lapin, introduces readers to the fascinating world of the French Air and Space Forces. Lively sketches of pilots, mechanics, instructors and the jets they use to defend the country fill page after page of this new book by a master of reportage illustration.
Events
- Members Open Exhibit: Sketchbook. At the Society of Illustrators in New York. Nov. 1-Jan. 7.
- Urban Sketchers Pune SketchFest 06, Pune, India. Dec. 2-4.
- 11th International Urban Sketchers Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand, April 19-22, 2023.