Yesterday, Sunday April 24th 2016, was Concentrarte Vejer‘s annual celebration of all things arty and crafty.
Arte Vejer encouraged children to let loose their creative spirits by painting in La Plaza de España and a few adult sketchers, me included, joined the throng.
I concentrated on sketching a tiny bit of the fountain in La Plaza with pen and watercolour before the sun came round and burnt the back of my neck.
my first outing with the Vejer Sketchers
Late last year (2014) I was delighted to be invited to join Arte Vejer, a community organisation which aims to promote visual arts and creativity in and around the Andalusian town of Vejer de la Frontera.
Vejer Sketchers is a subsidiary group of Arte Vejer and part of the worldwide Urban Sketchers movement.
Calle Sagasta, Vejer, pen
Vejer, pen and coloured pencil
sketching on a roof terrace, Vejer
The sketching enthusiasts, from various walks of life, of different nationalities and ages, meet once a week; usually to draw in the streets of Vejer, sometimes joined by sketchers from other towns,
Vejer Sketchers with sketch groups from other towns at Concentrarte, Vejer’s annual art street fair
Calles Reyes Cátolicos and Rosario, Vejer, pen and watercolour
some of the entrants in Vejer’s annual patio competition, pen and watercolour
Ayuntamiento Vejer, Baelo Claudia Bolonia, 47th Sketchcrawl Cadiz, pen and watercolour
sometimes traveling to join sketch groups in other locations,
sketching in the rain in Bolonia
life drawing with a model,
charcoal and crayon
charcoal
charcoal and crayon
or even drawing each other.
watercolour sketches
In this Arte Vejer video, which features stills of some of my pre-Sketchers artwork, I talk (in Spanish) about my New Year’s Resolution to join the Vejer Sketchers, saying that street sketching in a group is brave and interesting and a great contrast to my usual controlled method of drawing and developing images in my studio with photos for reference.
chorizo, pen and watercolour
Actually, the Vejer Sketchers experience has surpassed all my expectations; the group dynamic is incredibly friendly and supportive and diffuses the potential self-consciousness associated with drawing in public places (safety in numbers!).
Vejer, pen and watercolour
I’ve enjoyed painting with watercolours since I was a child and the Vejer Sketchers have inspired me to try new techniques and different formats – my confidence, speed, motivation and skill have all improved.
hibiscus, pen and watercolour
Come and join us if you can!