Porto USk Symposium - part IV (Portugal trip)

I could stay and sketch in beautiful Porto forever, but as every trip, ours had limited time, and in our plans was to end Lisbon, to which I had special sentiments. Here are sketches done during our way from Porto to Lisbon - we did several stops. These are from colorful and very authentic Coimbra - city with very old University and breathtaking panoramas:

These from Medieval town Obiedos - very special place, still keeping his antique look:

And one - I couldn't resist - from the local Portuguese beach:

Wait for the last Portuguese post - from Porto!

Porto USk Symposium - part III (post Symposium)

So, the Symposium was over, and after the last evening with a lot of hugs, kisses and good-buys, I woke up at the next morning, finally having time to explore the city on my own. Many of urban sketchers were still staying in the city, so I had a calming feeling that the party is not over. We went with my friend Rachel to a sketching walk.
Are you familiar with this phenomenon? All the busy days during the symposium, I was "eating" with my eyes beautiful views of Porto, thinking to myself: "If I just had half an hour!" Now, when I had a free day, suddenly I couldn't find a spot to sketch at...
Anyway, here is the first "after-symposium" sketch, done after we crossed the river from
Jardim do Morro:

 One more while meeting some friends-sketchers for the dinner:

And more sketches staying in Porto few more days, after my husband Marcos arrived to accompany me at the rest of the Portugal trip:

Porto USk Symposium - part II

I'm continuing sharing my experience from the Porto USk Symposium (here is my first post).
The next day Symposium has started, but before that, I met my wonderful colleagues -  another two correspondents, with whom together we were supposed to cover everything. I din't get to know them yet, I din't know what an amazing experience of being in one team with Rita Sabler and Paulo Mendes is waiting for me! And so they flied - four unforgettable days! A lot of faces, hands and sketchbooks, a lot of colors and monochromes, a lot of laughter, exclamations and quiet intimate conversations, sardines,vine and extremely tasty pastéis de natas ... and all these running up and down hilly and breathtaking beautiful Porto.
You can see my posts on the main Blog, covering workshops,  demos,drink&draws, opening and closing receptions, and etc...:   day 1   day 2    day 3    day 4

Here are few sketches I didn't share - one very fast sketch of one of the amazing panoramic views on Porto, done after having a lunch in a nice company of Lapin and Richard Briggs.

Here are some from the very last drink&draw, when we realized that in the restaurant we're sitting for a while is no food to serve, just drinks :D

 and some more drinks....

It's always like that - waiting for this  whole year and it ends just when you enjoy the most!

So, just to summarize - being a Symposium correspondent was for me a terrific experience - really challenging and tough, but really rewarding and fun! I miss you, Rita and Paulo!

exhausted but happy - with collaborative sketch during the closing reception

Will be continued - more post-symposium sketches from my Portugal trip!

Porto USk Symposium - part I

It have been a while, since I got to post on my blog... Busy summer was planned and busy summer it was indeed! A lot of sketchbooks piled up waiting for scanning, but other projects postpone developing them. Finally, all my Portugal trip sketches are ready to post!
I was so exited toward the Porto USk Symposium - meeting the world wide family of sketchers again! and in addition to this, taking this time new for me job of correspondent of the symposium! A lot of butterflies of expectations, excitement, joy and fear were flying inside my stomach :)
This time I was coming to the symposium in a company of my good friends-sketchers from Israel, which was especially fun. Here are some of the "Israeli team" on the plain to Porto :) :

 I arrived a day before the beginning, so I could to afford to myself morning alone - just to absorb the city by myself, before the madness of sketchers everywhere begins.

Later at the same day I took a part in the Faculty Tour to Pocas Wine Cellar - meeting finally my old friends-sketchers and officially starting to my job . You can see my first post as correspondent on the USk global blog.

Memories from Vor Ort - expo and workshop in Mainz

It was really wonderful experience - I was honored to take a part in Vor Ort - an exhibition and a workshop project organized and hosted by Landesmuseum Mainz and Jenny Adam in association with Urban Sketchers, Teaching and exhibiting with such a great group of sketchers and friends: Lapin Barcelona, Sebastian Koch, Johanna Krimmel, Inma Serrano, and Felix Scheinberger.

Now, when I'm back home, left with my sketches and memories, which remind me this fabulous weekend - perfect combination of exhibition, workshops and, the most fun - a lot of great interactions between us, sketchers, coming from different backgrounds, different countries, but having so much in common! ♥

Here you can see some photos from my workshop "Face to Face" - all the participants did just great, practicing portraits in not traditional approach, trying to get real likeness, connecting to the emotional side, seeing personality in each character and, finally, finding and telling stories with the portrait!!! it was so fun!
Now, I'm warmed up very well for Porto USk Symposium - see you there!!!!!

Noamy's Birthday Sketchcrawl

It was very special sketchcrawl, dedicated to 15th Birthday of one of our group's youngest members Noamy. Noamy's sketches are always inspire me, her vision and hand are so fresh and she succeed not to fall to an automatic solutions and approaches. We all tend to fall into our comfort zone, to use tools and  techniques we're "good" in, and for me it's very inspiring to see bold brave voice full of talent.
Orna, Noamy's mother, hosted us in her beautiful and very artistic house in Jaffa. It's amazing that short time after everybody arrived, greeted each other and chatted a bit, suddenly the house became silent and the scribbling of pencils were the only noise in the air :)
It was a nice opportunity to sketch other sketches - something I don't allow to myself usually at our sketchcrawls.