ultraMARIN Sketch

This is my Inktober harvest. I didn't stick strict to the rules, but tried every time I sketched to use ink tools only. Forcing myself to use materials which usually aren't my first choice, feeling a bit uncomfortable, little by little expanding techniques and their possibilities, finding new ways to express what I see, was really fun and helpful. It also was very simplifying for my sketching process, because I'm not one-tool person and love to switch my tools often. I think it's very healthy to limit yourself from time to time, I'm thinking about doing in the future some Graphite-bruary or Gouache-vember ;)

The addictive music, the dancers who merge with the beat, and so Tel Avivian atmosphere of Beit Hanna - it was a perfect sketchcrawl! We took places around the wooden stage, set ready our tools and sketchbooks, and listened to the swinging music sounds, just like its name - Swing. Slowly the dancers went up to the floor and started to dance, and from that moment I do not remember much. Time stopped, I became one with rhythm, sounds, movement... Sketching dancers is definitely one of the hardest tasks for a sketcher. It's stressful at the beginning. The dance and the music are so beautiful, but how we can capture this beauty and convey it to the piece of paper? There is no choice but to give yourself time to observation. To watch the dancers and to let to the rhythm to enter inside. To put on the paper one line, and another, and maybe one shape, and another... Sip from the cool beer can help. Suddenly something begin to get looser. We should use our memory. Try to capture in our h...

Milonga in Jaffa, in the heart of the old city, between churches, minarets and synagogues, hummus and baklava eaters, fitted somehow perfectly to the colorful atmosphere of this place. Last year during our trip to South America , I was lucky to sketch milongueros in the place were tango was born - Buenos Aires. I was surprised to discover that our local community looked not less professional! Dancers came equipped with their dancing shoes, dressed as it supposed from tango dancers, in different ages and origins, but all burning from inside with similar passion, they created magic when they moved together with music. It's so inspiring to see  a group of people united by common passion. Especially when they so beautiful as tango dancers! It took to me a while to start to sketching - I was fascinated and felt like sketching with my eyes. But after a few clumsy lines, little by little I entered to the pace... It was real fun!

Our last sketchcrawl was at a dance studio. We was invited to sketch a dancing lesson of a group which belongs to Rio Abierto movement . I love to sketch processes, people in motion - is really exciting mission, so naturally I jumped at the opportunity. But I didn't expected that combination of sketching with dance, and maybe with specific kind of dance - free, connected from inside to outside, would make the experience even stronger, and would take it to another level! I think that it IS possible to transfer energy, emotion, feeling in a fast and expressive sketch. For me those sketches like a memories in the bottle - when I look at them I can again to taste a bit the flavor of the experience. It was a huge fun! And I even joined to the dancers ;) We are going to organize another sketching-dancing meeting, stay tuned!