Contact: e-mail Isabel: isacarand@gmail.com for information and a registration form.
Segovia is a World Heritage Site is located on the plains of Old Castile, near the Spanish capital, Madrid. It is well known as the only city in the entire world where one of the longest aqueducts stands, “located in Plaza del Azoguejo, El Acueducto is the defining historical feature of the city, dating from the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. Acknowledged as the most important Roman civil engineering work in Spain, it consists of about 25,000 granite blocks held together without any mortar, and spans 818 meters with more than 170 arches, the highest being 29 metres high.” The architecture of the old city ranges from medieval to gothic, churches and palaces standing side by side, and we will delight on its beautiful irregular squares and courtyards, cathedral, medieval castle, its streets and main square where the Segovians come out for a walk up and a chat every evening till the small hours in the warm summer nights. We have organised six different locations for the 3 day workshop and you would be experiencing them all. As the weather will be hot, we have adapted our timetable to the climate and will have a longer break at lunchtime and time in the afternoon to be in the shade, we have organised some 'cool' making activities (sketchbook binding,...) The workshop will be hosted in el patio del Colegio de Arquitectos (the courtyard of the Segovian Architect’s institute) halfway between the cathedral and the castle. It will be fun but hard work, as you will be enjoying learning and experimenting all the time, trying out different ways of drawing and mark making, sketching in watercolour and using colour in all forms without fear, sharing the work we do and discussing our findings intensely. Each of the instructors will explore different themes of Watercolour and Mark making in urban sketching.
Contrast in Watercolour (Isabel)
Segovia is a city in the sun, with strong light and shadow contrasts. Using watercolour as the main medium, we'll explore the idea of colour and contrast as the starting point of a sketch. We will start by deciding where the lightest points of the sketch are, the paper, and where the deepest shadows will be, the strongest colours. We will learn to abstract what we see, using colour boldly and with strong contrast. Drawing can take place later either with more colour more linear marks or with pen if preferred. This workshop will help people to simplify the complex architecture but not be shy about painting views that in the first instance might appear too difficult.
And slowly building up the watercolour layers to add complexity and depth to our work.
Conscious Marking (Mercedes)
Telling people stories. Now we will observe also context as part of the human being as I have mentioned before here will notice the link between someone and his or her context. We will visit some professionals (e.g. waiters or fishmongers) and we will tell their story.
This session will help attendees to successfully deal the fear of drawing people. Because drawing people is less scary than drawing skyscrapers.
Old "Fábrica de Cristales" (glass making factory) in La Granja, where the chandeliers in the palaces and many other glass objects were manufactured. It houses a great collection of glass making machinery that explains the process of glass making, as well as a collection of glass objects and a traditional glassblowing workshop.
Segovia is a World Heritage Site is located on the plains of Old Castile, near the Spanish capital, Madrid. It is well known as the only city in the entire world where one of the longest aqueducts stands, “located in Plaza del Azoguejo, El Acueducto is the defining historical feature of the city, dating from the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. Acknowledged as the most important Roman civil engineering work in Spain, it consists of about 25,000 granite blocks held together without any mortar, and spans 818 meters with more than 170 arches, the highest being 29 metres high.” The architecture of the old city ranges from medieval to gothic, churches and palaces standing side by side, and we will delight on its beautiful irregular squares and courtyards, cathedral, medieval castle, its streets and main square where the Segovians come out for a walk up and a chat every evening till the small hours in the warm summer nights. We have organised six different locations for the 3 day workshop and you would be experiencing them all. As the weather will be hot, we have adapted our timetable to the climate and will have a longer break at lunchtime and time in the afternoon to be in the shade, we have organised some 'cool' making activities (sketchbook binding,...) The workshop will be hosted in el patio del Colegio de Arquitectos (the courtyard of the Segovian Architect’s institute) halfway between the cathedral and the castle. It will be fun but hard work, as you will be enjoying learning and experimenting all the time, trying out different ways of drawing and mark making, sketching in watercolour and using colour in all forms without fear, sharing the work we do and discussing our findings intensely. Each of the instructors will explore different themes of Watercolour and Mark making in urban sketching.
Contrast in Watercolour (Isabel)
Segovia is a city in the sun, with strong light and shadow contrasts. Using watercolour as the main medium, we'll explore the idea of colour and contrast as the starting point of a sketch. We will start by deciding where the lightest points of the sketch are, the paper, and where the deepest shadows will be, the strongest colours. We will learn to abstract what we see, using colour boldly and with strong contrast. Drawing can take place later either with more colour more linear marks or with pen if preferred. This workshop will help people to simplify the complex architecture but not be shy about painting views that in the first instance might appear too difficult.
Light and shadow with white paper indicating strongest light
Starting with only with watercolour drawing with light and colour we will look for those elements of the view that interest us.
Abstracting building shapes and forms quickly with colour
And slowly building up the watercolour layers to add complexity and depth to our work.
Conscious Marking (Mercedes)
The aim of my workshop is to encourage the sketchers to consciously perceive their environment, to look and think of what they want to draw.
We will synthesize what we see and differentiate elements on the space in front of us, marking the trajectory of lines, using planes of colour and finding those areas where the drawing wants to pause and be calm. In doing this, I will encourage participants to find their own calligraphy and ways of personal expression.
The main tools of the workshop will be marker pens and we will experiment with water soluble and waterproof markers.
We will also experiment mixing papers looking for new textures to help developing our imagination about colour and perspective.
Brushing people, marking people (Swasky)
People moving, people going around, back and forth,... We do not have time, we need to capture them we want to depict them in our sketchbook. Using a loose and unpredictable technique like watercolour instead of a fountain pen or a ballpoint pen lowers our likeness standards, details become less important and our goal is to capture gestures, expressions, moods and feelings. Brush and watercolour markers (or watercolour pencils) will be our drawing tools.
Some themes we will explore:
Capturing people's feelings. We are going to pay attention to people’s faces and we will try to communicate what they are expressing with their face features. Just using brush as our drawing tool we are going to draw people faces, paying attention to eyebrows, expression wrinkles, mouth, eyes,...
Depicting movement. Action and movement is people´s nature. Nevertheless, we are scared of this, what’s more we tend to avoid them as much as we can. In a city, architecture is important but people are equally important . Thanks to them we know the city better, human beings give the scale to cities.
Telling people stories. Now we will observe also context as part of the human being as I have mentioned before here will notice the link between someone and his or her context. We will visit some professionals (e.g. waiters or fishmongers) and we will tell their story.
This session will help attendees to successfully deal the fear of drawing people. Because drawing people is less scary than drawing skyscrapers.
Learning goals
- Pushing participants out of their comfort zone, at their own level. From beginners starting to sketch to more confident participants, we aim to teach you something new and push you outside your boundaries, helping you experiment.
- Experiment with different water mark techniques and ways of approaching a live sketch situation, helping you find your own self expression.
- Using and trying different watercolour approaches - line drawing with brushes, marker pens and watercolour pencils, painting with watercolours, using textures, light and shade, understanding colour.
- Using more colour and texture and making you think about how do you represent what you see and to develop your own way of representing what you see in colour with confidence
- Improving brushstrokes and brushmark making abilities
- Losing the fear to draw people
- Sketching the city, its buildings, the people and their stories.Workshop ScheduleTuesday 4 AugustWelcome in the Colegio de Arquitectos (Institute of Architects of Segovia), in our meeting space, in the evening at 6pm.Wednesday 5 August9.30am -10.30am Welcome in the Institute of Architects of Segovia10.30am-1.30pm Isa, Mercedes and Swasky morning workshops1.30pm- 3.00pm Lunch3.00 -5.00pm Afternoon”cool” making activities5.00pm - 8.00pm Isa, Mercedes and Swasky evening workshopsThursday 6 August9.30am -10.30am Meeting at the Institute of Architects of SegoviaReview and Exhibition pin up of previous day work10.30am-1.30pm Isa, Mercedes and Swasky workshops1.30pm- 3.00pm Lunch3.00 -5.00pm Afternoon”cool” making activities5.00pm - 8.00pm Isa, Mercedes and Swasky evening workshopsFriday 7 August9.30am -10.30am Meeting at the Institute of Architects of SegoviaReview and Exhibition pin up of previous day work10.30am-1.30pm Isa, Mercedes and Swasky workshops1.30pm- 3.00pm Lunch3.00 -5.00pm Afternoon”cool” making activities5.00pm - 8.00pm Isa, Mercedes and Swasky evening workshopsWorks' exhibition Opening.Saturday 8 August9.30am -10.30am Meeting at the Institute of Architects of SegoviaFinal Exhibition pin up10.30am -11.30am Bus trip to La Granja to Fabrica del Vidrio11.30pm -5.00pm Sketchcrawl in La Granja (Fábrica del Vidrio - USk Madrid will join us)Workshop map:Segovia workshop map hereParticipants30 attendees maximum, 18 minimum. Any level of drawing experience is welcomeAccommodationhttp://visitsegovia.turismodesegovia.com/en/accommodationSuppliesA list will be provided for participants - we will be working with water soluble media, watercolours and marker pensRegistration fee£ 225 - (£180 concessions - 20% discount for students or unwaged -with proof of concession status)To book - e-mail Isabel: isacarand@gmail.com for a registration form.Cancellation policy: All fees are fully refundable if cancelled prior to 20 July 2015. If cancelled after 20 July a £25 cancellation fee will be retained. In the event of too few registrants, all monies will be refunded.(Payment can be via cheque, internet bank transfer or paypal)SponsorshipTBCAbout the instructorsIsabel is Spanish but studied in UK where she practices as an architect and artist. Her passion is watercolour, easy to carry around and sketch on the go and likes experimenting and mixing media to get interesting effects. Isabel started sketching in 1993 as part of her architecture training and continues to this day. She joined Urban Sketchers Spain in 2011. As an artist she is part of West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios scheme and joined the Oxford Printmakers Cooperative in 2013.
Mercedes
Mercedes was born and studied in Madrid where in 1996 she finished her PhD Fine Arts (Painting) at Madrid’s Universidad Complutense. After 10 years in the Sudan, she returned to Spain in 2009 and now lives and teaches in Madrid but spends weekends in Segovia sketching and painting on location.
https://instagram.com/mercarmona2/
Swasky born and raised in Barcelona, Swasky has been drawing most of his lifetime, but when he finished his BFA he left drawing because he tried to start working. Then he decided to start again a degree in Audiovisual Communication. Once he fulfill his second degree he worked in an advertising production company, RCR, disappointed with a job so stressful and invidious he left his job and run a shop. With a new life he started drawing again.
Addendum - Sketchcrawl location
Old "Fábrica de Cristales" (glass making factory) in La Granja, where the chandeliers in the palaces and many other glass objects were manufactured. It houses a great collection of glass making machinery that explains the process of glass making, as well as a collection of glass objects and a traditional glassblowing workshop.
Some objects from the exhibition at the Fábrica del Vidrio and a traditional glassblower making glass objects in the traditional method.
The old glass factory now showcasing the museum collection of artifacts from the glass making process.
The venue. Colegio de arquitectos.
Ancient building from before the XVII century which was part of the marquessate of Lozoya. The building follows the “patio” structure after refurbishment but still retains some old parts. In this house Santa Teresa de Jesús, in 1574, founded her first convent of Carmelites.
Patio will be a great meeting and exhibition space.
Evening activities will be also run here.
Segovia the historic city.
The ancient, now refurbished Alcazar was one of the inspirations for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle (Source Wikipedia).
The aqueduct transports water from Fuente FrÃa river, situated in the nearby mountains, some 17 km (11 mi) from the city in a region known as La Acebeda. It runs another 15 km (9.3 mi) before arriving in the city (Source Wikipedia).
