#oneweek100people2017- day three

These sketches done at one small squres in Ra'anana, my home city, I call it "Old people square" - all the benches was filled by aged people and their nursemaids.

This one I did at the evening while chatting and eating with my friend at Gypsy restaurant in Jaffa.

My final score until now -121 people!!!!! hooray!

Levinsky - hipsters and beggars

Levinsky market area is one of my favorite places for sketching and food. In the past one the poorest areas of Tel Aviv, today turning to be more and more trendy. Old shops start to give a place to super-cool boutiques, simple worker-class restaurants - to "authentic" chef-houses, the area gets full of all kind of touristic tours. Residents are contrast mixture as well - coffee shops full of hipsters and tourists, beggars and street sellers passing between them. I know that changes are inevitable, I don't know if I like them that way, though...

view on Levinsky street from trendy Tonny&Ester coffee chop

coffee drinkers in Tonny&Ester

hipster with a red knitted hat

Dizengof Center - the sketchers' heaven

It have been a long time I wanted to set meeting for the Sketchcrawl at Dizengof Center - crazy urban Tel-Avivian labyrinth. Our last Sketchcrawl of the end of summer were needed air conditioned place, we met at the second flour and I saw excited and a bit scared gazes of the arriving sketchers - so many things, angles, subjects... what to start from? how to choose the scene, the tools, the time to invest?
Indeed, the place like the Center, with so many irritations, more than any place, deserves time for loitering, understanding the space, its energy, what attracts us here. While waiting for the other sketchers, I tried to think what I want to start from. I wanted very much to start from the space, black and white drawing which will deal with the monster building. But when I saw the "parliament" - the group of old men sitting around the table in MacDonald's, I couldn't resist! Sketching with markers is something I don't do very often, and I felt that this scene fits to markers graphical qualities.

After this warm up, the entrance to the movie theater attracted me. This place had a more quiet and even mystical atmosphere, and the huge poster of the Almodovar's movie "Julieta" added to the feeling. The perfect technique for this scene would be acrylic, but I were needed to satisfy with watercolor which I had. 

After another  round in the Center, we decided with Nathan and Rachel to sketch the view from the window on the junction outside. This time I stayed with graphite and touches of red, that's how felt for me this place, burning in the heat of the end of August.

The last sketch, before the final meeting - again with markers, wonderful characters in the "Sudoku corner".

Time flied so fast, I felt that I just started to warm up. This place is a real sketching heaven, it has everything you can desire, fits every taste and style, exactly as its many shops full of various products for every taste and budget.

This drawing was done after the sketchcraw, while me and Rachel was waiting for someone. It was in totally different atmosphere...

To save the trees at the Jerusalem Boulevard!

Last Friday we met for the our group sketchcrawl at the Jerusalem boulevard in Jaffa. Our sketchcrawl started from the guided tour about the history of this beautiful 100-years old boulevard. We learned about this place, full of layers of history and different cultures influences. The silent witnesses -  tall green trees, giving a great shadow and so unique look to the boulevard - are going to be uprooted soon, because of building there one of the lines of the light train.
By the initiative of Orna Marton, one of our group members, USk Tel Aviv decided to join the struggle for keeping the trees.
Tel Aviv sketchers documented the Jerusalem boulevard, each one from his authentic point of view and small group exhibition, which will be open soon, will help people to rise an awareness about this place and hopefully we will help to save the trees.

warming up at one the coffee shops at the boulevard

huge trunks and small coffee shop at the background

all kinds of people are passing by...

it was hot, but we were brave! ;)

Dragons at Hayarkon park

Last Friday we had our sketchcrawl at the Hayarkon Park, where the Dragon Boats Festival took a place. It was the first time I saw this colorful competition - a lot of variegated long Chinese boats, decorated with dragon heads and tails, floated in a high speed along the Hayarkon river. The familiar park suddenly turned to an exotic place, and we were happy to capture the atmosphere.

At the end I couldn't resist to sketch the dogs garden - the festival didn't influence the dogs and theirs owners playing together ;)

It was perfect get together as always - combination of great place in a great company with sketchbook in the hand!

Feeling like a tourist in Jerusalem.

Last Friday I joined newborn Jerusalem USk branch for a sketchcrawl. Every time I visit Jerusalem I feel like a tourist, this city is so different from every place in Israel, it has a plenty of levels, each time it shows me his different side.
The skechcrawl was at very colorful part of Jerusalem - Nachlaot Neighborhood and it was fun to meet new sketchers. Here what I managed to sketch.

I loved colorful lamps decorating pedestrian street and couldn't help not to draw it.

 I did this sketch trying to capture other sketchers sketching :)

Various public filled Zion Square

 There were a group of teenagers dancing and trying to fund-raise money for something.

group of young people smoking Shisha

amazing girl-violinist playing at the Zion Square

people passing by

and listening to the music

religions Jews offering to put Tefillin  

two religious Jews

It was a great sketching-trip - feeling a tourist sharpen my vision and makes me look better.

Magic Alps

Last week we went to the family ski vacation, where  I was mostly... skiing ;)
Still, I managed to steal some minutes in different days to sketch the breathtaking view from my room window. Every time I looked at the window I wanted to draw the view. It's just so different from my regular surrounding. It's pure magic!

take 1 - watercolor

take 2 - graphite

take 3 - colored pencils

These are fast sketches during Après-ski ;)

I miss you, Alps!!!!

Friday morning at the Greek Market in Jaffa

Friday morning we meet at the Greek Market in Jaffa for the sketchcrawl. It was perfect spring weather, little by little narrow streets started to become full by merchants and buyers.
Here every merchant feels like an owner of his street. At least Arik, who manages used bicycles shop, feels as a king of his corner. He yells on his workers, bargain with clients, arguing with competitors, chatting with passers by. He was very proud to be our "model". "In real life I'm ugly! Draw me young and beautiful!" - asked Arik the wish of the most of models ;)

Later I sit down to drink a coffee at one of the coffee shops, full of models as well.

The good, the bad and the ugly - sketching at Atarim Square

There are some places in Tel Aviv I connected to. They aren't the prettiest ones, but they got some special mood or energy. Atarim Square is one of them. Weird and almost ugly square, located near the beach in Tel Aviv, two levels above sea level, connected to the promenade and to Sderot Ben-Gurion. The square was build in the late 1970s, today almost abandoned, filled by graffiti, being crossed by tourists, joggers, dog walkers and prostitutes - all these add to the atmosphere.
We met at the square for our last Sketchcrawl, and it was interesting to hear people's personal connections to this place - some of them remembered the times when it was build!
And of course, it was so cool to see how different everyone see this place through theirs sketches!
Here are my points of view on this place:

everybody included in their sketches those strange mushrooms

soldier checking on his cellphone, who left after a few minutes, and the "Colosseum" on the background

steps leading to the promenade

sketch I did a few weeks before, capturing one of the colorful graffiti

Hospital sketches

I spent almost all last week in the hospital with my son, who had an accident and got hurt at his hand. These sketches where done while waiting to him to get from the surgery - the only thing that helped me to calm down a bit. The surgery went well :)

Religious woman is praying and a man from Azerbaijan is telling his story

Jews and Arabs are waiting together

religious man is praying, Russians are telling stories

Shai's watching "House" at the hospital 

friends came to visit

I don't recommend you to get to hospitals, but once you're there - there are plenty of stories and authentic characters to sketch. And sketching passes time in a best way :)
Take care!