Mönchengladbach in drawings

Mönchengladbach is a small city close to Düsseldorf, in the State of NordrheinWestfallen, Germany.
The Santander Bank has it German headquarters there. For their new building they commission me to draw on a 22 meter interor wall the most relevant places and buildings of Mönchengladbach .
It was hard work, with a tight deadline, but I am extremely satisfied with the result.

I went around the city to make fotos and sketches of the buildings. The sketches on site were very important since they helped me to notice important details. I used Molotow acrylic mark to paint the wall.

Dan Savage in Shakespeare & Sons, Berlin

Dan Savage was yesterday at the English Bookstore Shakespeare & Sons, He talked about his new book "American Savage". I got opportunity to draw him while he was been interviewed.

Dan Savage war gestern in der Buchladen Shakespeare & Sons. He erzählte über sein neues Buch. Ich habe ihn gezeichnet, als er ein paar Fragen antworte.

The room was very crowded. People were standing quiet to hear him talk.

Das Zimmer war sehr voll. Die Leute standen still in dem Vorraum um etwas zu hören.

Gateway of India

Mumbay,

On the morning I walked along the promenade to visit the Gateway of India. That beautiful structure built  as an arriving point for boat passengers, was ironically the place chosen by the British troops   when they left forever the subcontinent after  many years of colonial rule.

The light at that early hour was magnificent enough to convince me to seat far away to my destiny to do a watercolor. From my point I view I could see the Gateway of India on the right and the Taj Mahal Hotel on the left (the one that suffered the bombings) But my main subject was, as I mentioned before, the light.

When I just had started doing the first washes, a small crowd started forming around me. One of the guys, an Omani, leaned on the wall to watch too. He had such an elegant presence and with that turban it was perfect for my image that immediately  included  him on my painting. I am very proud to say that I got his face very well, and the enthusiastic approval of my public confirmed that.

The scale of the building is impressive as the image below shows. It is decorated with a mix of Indian and British elements. A similar architecture you could find in most of the buildings of the Colaba area, therefore is very popular  by tourists.


I played around many times with that motive. Lots of people visit the place. It is a magnificent background for any people studies. 

Markets in Mysore

Mysore is a beautiful city south of Bangalore. Their markets are fascinating places. Very clean and with a lot of motives to draw,

I forget that in the south most of the people prefer to stay in the shadows, so my drawings have to catch that atmosphere.

The white cat on the left captivated me to paint this scene. The old guy  had some white powder on his forehead, a sign of his religion.
Colorful spices and a guy with an interesting profile

The old man in the foreground is the same as the one in the next picture. I couldn't recognize what kind of herbs was he selling

Angel's share

I recently saw that movie. It is about some troubled kids, that stole some bottles of some expensive whiskey. In the film they explain that the angel's share is a term used in the manufacture of whiskey that refers to the amount of  whiskey that evaporates in the barrel as part of its normal elaboration process.
When I got some painting commissions I felt always a little pressure. In order to loose myself and be relaxing when painting, I use the following strategy: I will paint another extra painting, something where I can be free to experiment and play with colors.  For Xmas I got two paintings in commission and this the painting I did along them: "my angels share"

The watercolor is based on a sketch done on a rainy day in Alexander Platz.  

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.

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

Cafe Kotti again

I was painting this watercolor on Kottbuser Tor when a heavy rain made run and seek for shelter.

Cafe Kotti is very close from this spot, I had just to go up through the stairs. The place is on the second floor. I waited until the watercolor dried and started painting the people around.

You got the feeling you are in somebodys living room.

More Cafe Liebling

Two sketches of Cafe Liebling.

The first one 2 weeks ago. It was still warm to sit outside. Watercolor on Moleskine Sketchbook

The second yesterday. There are still sunny days but it is getting colder. Watercolor on Stillman & Birn Sketchbook. I tried yesterday for the first time this freebie I got from Stillman & Birn. They noticed I use watercolor and then send me two sketchbooks from their Beta Series to try. The paper is great! 270 gsm and the colors shine through the white.

A room with a view

Well although it is suppose to be spring in St. John's, there are still many chilly days and warm days are the exception.
When I started this watercolor, it was sunny but windy, and the wind here is cold. After an hour sitting there in the cold I decided it was to much and went home. I left the watercolor on the shelf for 2 weeks until I could come back and finish it.
I prefer to paint live rather than from a photo, and I prefer to do it in warm place.
So dear St. John's blog reader if you a have a nice room with a view that you can lend me for an hour or two (or 20 minutes if I just do a fast sketch) I would be very grateful!

Going Downtown

I found Joy sketching in the Rocket Cafe. this is a great place to be creative with the old tables and the good coffee.

After that I take the number 10 Metro bus to go Home. This was my first time in the bus, so I did a sketch.

Hungry Heart Cafe

Rawling Cross, St. John's
The first traffic light in Saint John's was here and was manually operated by a policeman that standed in the corner switching it on and off.

Wonderbolt Circus

One of the Newfoundland institutions is the Wonderboldt Circus.
I went to see a presentation in the Majestic Theater.

Here at the beginning. People looking for their seats.

Mark Critch, Master of Ceremonies talking to the public

On the right Greg Malone, telling a few funny stories about his brother.

Duckworth street, Saint John's

Saint John's is full of colorful houses. The sun was shinning on Eartern Monday so I went downtown to paint. I always like to do some big watercolors on site. But it requires some planning and good weather and the strenght to carry a ton of materials in my bag.

Me sketching on The Telegram Newspaper

I was sketching Fred's Records (check previous Post) when somebody from The Telegram took a picture and chat a few minutes with me.
Here is what they wrote:
On "the Telegram", Page A7, Wednesday, April 27,2011
"Omar Jaramillo Traverso, who travels the world sketching and writing about the places he sees, sketches his take of Duckworth Street during his first visit to St.John's Monday afternoon.
Photo by Karla Kenny/Special to The Telegram

The Battery, St. John's

A cold april day in St. John's. I went to the Battery to do some sketches. I am still exploring the territory, finding nice spots to paint. I always prefer to do my big watercolors on site. But the weather changes very fast here. If in Sicily and Abu Dhabi I had to fight with the heat, here I have to deal with the cold and the wind. I did this pencil sketch of the Battery, a colorful neighbourhood in St. John's, in the back you can see the city. I am using this pencil sketch as a reference for a bigger watercolor.

Bay Roberts

I went with a friend to Bay Roberts, NL. Newfoundland keeps surprising me with its landscape. I am urbansketcher! I don't do landscape! but the colors, the colors are fantastics; rock and water everywhere and the vegetation that seems to run free everywhere.

We stop to eat at a restaurant called Mad Rocks, it is on the way to the so called mad rocks. As always in Newfoundland the people in the restaurant were very nice.

Fred's Records

In the days of internet and wild downloading you don't find a record store very easily. I mean this old places where you can get lost and find great music because people are there and advice you to hear this or that. Fred's Records is one of this places. Very vintage, a huge space, something that you probably find only in St. John's. I have to go back and do and sketch from the interior, but enjoy this one from the outside for the moment!

Downtown Music Crawl in St. John's

St. John's is a beautiful city with an interesting artistic scene. Last Friday there was a music event called "Lawnya Vawnya" (gaelic?) A craw of people move from one store to another to hear artists playing music. For me was a great opportunity to get to know some "cool" places in the city and enjoy music at the same time, and of course to sketch too. You already know my fascination by musicians...

It started on the store ModelCitizens. the space was really small and I couldn't see Jesse Stewart playing so I went outside and sketched the store instead.

Next stop was Fred's Records, a fantastic place. I have to come back and sketch it. Rae Spoon was playing there. From all the artists I guess he was the one that I enjoyed most. Next day I surprised myself singing a song he played there. So I went back to Fred's Records and bought his CD (it is great!). If you want to hear the song I liked : check this link the song name is "You can dance"
Next stop was the bookstore Afterwords. Construction and Destruction played there.

Katie Baggs playing in the children's store Gingersnap

This is my favorite sketch: Kindness Killers playing at Rocket (a cool cafe!). It is always like that. The first sketches I elinsecure, I using pencil or pen to draw, adding color later. At the end the last sketches are just brush and color. I get carry away by the music and the energy of the people; painting becomes something natural.

The last days of a Barber Shop in St. John's

In my desperate search for a barber, I found the Family Barber Shop on 204 Duckward street . A sign on the window announced that it will be closing its doors fowever. It is a pity, after 30 years this place full of old furniture will be gone for ever.
However I felt lucky I could do an sketch from it, it will be preserved in my sketchbooks. Oft I like to think of my art as some kind of graphic documentation.