Heinrich Platz

In the corner from the Oranien Street and Mariannen Street in Kreuzberg is the Cafe Bateau Ivre. In sunny days you can sit ourside and watch the Heinrich square.
We met last time to sketch there. The sun got through the building transforming a quite uninteresting view into something wonderful.

RBB Interview

Our Berlin Sketchers Group was interviewed by the local TV RBB. Check berlin.urbansketchers.org to see all the drawings my sketchers friends did on on that occasion.

Unter den Linden.

The film crew by the interview.

Delicatessen

Kreuzberg is the place where the Turk migrants settle down when they arrived in Berlin. There is a lot of the Turk Culture there, for example this Turk Bakery in the Oranien Strasse.

The Bakery is 24 hours open and is full of Turk sweets and Bread

The neighborhood is changing a lot. It is a fancy place to live now. The prices of the apartments and store is getting higher. Traditional stores are being replace by fancy design shops. I feel attracted to draw this places because I want to preserve them, they are the ones that gives this places its character and beauty.

In the Cover of a Magazine

..was not that part of a Madonna song? Well I felt really good when I got to open the envelope with the last number of "Jüdisches Berlin".

A few months ago I did some drawings from the Jüdische Kulturtage in Berlin (you can see them here). The organization liked the drawings and wanted to included in their magazine, but that didn't work since the magazine is black and white and the drawings were full of color. Instead they decided to commission me to draw a meeting of the board of the Jewish Community. The committee should be elected, and the drawing would be better to pass the contents of the next issue.

It was a hard task. The first problem I confront was the point of view. I had to exaggerate the perspective in order to fit the A4 format. The second decision was to choose the media, pen or watercolor. Pen has the disadvantage that it could be related to a cartoon. People don't feel comfortable to be portrait as a cartoon, so I choose watercolor being careful to to avoid a resemblance and concentrate more in an attitude or posture.

There were some many characters on the table. I took me a long time to finish it. But I am happy with the result.

Vote for me! We can win!

As I told you I am participating in this online competition to win a travel to paint in the Middle East. Today November 30, 9PM I have 453 votes. Just 72 votes behind the first place. The competition ends on December 11 ,so please go a vote in the following link:

http://wunsch.hrs.de/?page=alleteilnehmer&show=380

I will share the drawings with you on my blog!

Subway Stories

HermannPlatz is a big Subaway Station in Berlin. With a Vinatge look has the atmosphere of a Ballroom. People are good models there. They all keep still until the next train arrives, then suddenly everybody moves.

Beer is omnipresent in the Subaways in Berlin. But on the weekend is just too much. You get that strong alcoholic smell all around. The guys in the picture just have one beer, what I can't object. But when all the people are doing it, the issue isn't about their personal freedom anymore.

PS: I have already 359 votes . To reach the first place I need more than 190 votes .Follow this link to vote for me

Inside the center of the information

If you happen to travel much you start developing some rituals in order to get a feeling of "normality". Sketching is one, another is to read the newspaper with a coffee. For that I have to find a cafe with a good selection of newspapers.

In Berlin I enjoy reading the Berliner Zeitung. A few days ago while reading it, I asked myself how does nowadays a Newspaper Press room looks like. So I went there and asked if I can draw it, and here is what I found out:

The reporters from the weekend supplement work in offices. You would find a lot of papers on their desks, many newspapers and magazines. Notes on the walls but few personal items.

Diccionaries and water, a lot of water.

Albeit working in different rooms they are continuously coming and going into each other offices to coordinate things.

In the politic press room people work together in a big room

They are constantly checking information with each other

Here they are deciding for the picture in the front page.

This Post is available in German in Berlin.urbansketchers.org