Recent Victoria Sketches

Guest post by Matthew Cencich, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

I was asked recently to contribute some sketches to a local blog that advocates for urban design.

The guy who runs it is familiar with the Urban Sketchers community and suggested that sketching has the ability to really capture the essence of a place. He said the strong focus needed to draw a place with some accuracy forces you to notice the little things that add to making a place unique. Some joint outings with his group and the local “Island Sketching” community (soon to be an official Urban Sketchers Chapter we hope) are planned so that the people in his group will see how urban sketching is a great tool for analyzing urban space and the particulars that make a place where people want to be.



I always thought that I feel comfortable in a city space that has
enclosure by surrounding buildings and trees. Of course open natural
spaces are wonderful too, like the beach or a meadow, but in the city
it’s nice to be closer to other people and things. These two pictures
show Trounce Alley and Broughton Street in the historic downtown area of
Victoria. I like how Trounce Alley feels like it might be in a very
dense part of Tokyo perhaps! Broughton Street is tight and completely
built out to the sidewalks with many street-front shops and cafes. 

Trounce Alley

Broughton Street

I’ve also been taken with the changes that autumn brings and have indulged my interest in drawing autumn leaves. I’ve always been sensitive to the beauty of autumn here in the temperate region where there are many deciduous trees that change colour with a fantastic chromatic display in fall. When combined with bright sunshine and warm temperatures we call it Indian Summer. It’s sublime!

Matthew Cencich is a long-time Urban Sketchers contributor, you can see more of his posts here or visit his Flickr site for more.