[By Gwen Glotin, 2019 symposium correspondent, in Amsterdam]
We all started day 2 today feeling enthusiastic and ready to sketch - and I think we all ended it feeling tired, smelly and sticky - but happy! In other words: it's still HOT in Amsterdam, more than ever. A new heat record seems to have been broken today actually.
On the programme today were workshops, skit sketches and sketchwalks.
I began with the start of Veronica Lawlor's workshop, focused on reportage: how do you capture a city, the stories that happen in a city like Amsterdam? You look. You look at the iconic things, but also at all the small things happening, at the people, what are they doing, how do they look... You can then make thumbnails to study the place and the different angles you can choose. That's what the participants started doing when I went to the next workshop.
It was just a few steps further, on the same square where big trees and buildings were luckily providing some much needed shade. It was Jim Richard's workshop, titled "Drawing with Abandon".
He had a large ring binder with many sketches that he used to give explanations and tips about central lines, point of view, how to build up a scene... The participants then had to practice drawing several thumbnails and while they were doing so, Jim walked among them to give them personalized advice.
After that I took my bicycle again to go back in the direction of the Zuiderkerk and go to a beautiful passageway (I have to admit I thought "yeeees, that means shade!" where the workshop of Eduardo Bajzek was taking place. The theme was "Hidden Amsterdam: Atmosphere and Character" and the location was really well chosen for such a subject. When I arrived, the participants were working very quietly and focused in the passageway, sitting on their chairs or on the ground. The scene was so quiet that I preferred to go back outside, so as not to disturb them - and also because I spotted another participant who had chosen to draw the other side, the entrance of that passageway seen from the canal side. I decided to draw her - more than just a little bit, I have to say, because she had a very cool and colourful hairstyle and I just love drawing people like that. That participant, Amy, is from Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom and Amsterdam is her first symposium (I hope I remember correctly on that, I forgot to take notes!) (which you should *always* do, take notes, as Veronica Lawlor advised a bit earlier!). She was working on a view of the passageway entrance in pencil and enjoying herself a lot - she said that Eduardo (who came along to check on her on give her lots of advice) was a great teacher and that she actually had never been taught as well as here during the symposium - she feels she learned a lot more than during her art studies so far!
I then went back to the main venue, hoping to catch the end of the lectures - but I arrived just too late. So, it was time for a break and a lunch instead - with a Dutch friend from Utrecht who had taken a workshop with and could tell me all about that (it was Reham M Ali's workshop and the participant, Kitty, was full of enthusiasm!).
The afternoon started with the series of Skit Sketches: eight talkers talked on stage over their drawings, each of them had chosen a specific theme and their talk was illustrated by a projection of the corresponding sketches on the big screen.
The last event of the day was the sketchwalk - or rather, the sketchwalks, as there were 4 different ones to choose from today. I cycled to the start point of the "Amstel" sketchwalk, the Skinny Bridge - a very iconic place of Amsterdam. But the bridge was in the blazing sun and, not surprisingly, there was no one here. But I only had to go a little bit further, where the shade was, to find the sketchers.
Many of them were sitting here and drawing the Skinny Bridge - some of them with workshops passes, some of them from the faculty, some other without passes but enjoying the sketchwalks just as much - and all of them very hot - but still sketching!
Laurent and Samantha, both sketchers from Belgium, explained that they were enjoying urban sketching but were not working with drawing at all: Laurent works in IT, Samantha in communication - you don't necessarily need to be an architect or a graphic designer to go and sit outside and draw what you see!
I finished the day by going to the end point of the Amstel sketchwalk, where many many sketchers gathered at 7 p.m. to share their drawings and take a group picture, in a very friendly atmosphere.
But at that point, I was too tired to make a last sketch. I just wanted to go home and take a shower!
I'll be ready to go on tomorrow!
