Day Report August 22

by Roger Klaassen

Oh no, the last day of the Symposium already! I recognised everything Andrey Shmatnik told us in his lecture ‘How urban sketching changed the way I see sketches’. Like him, I am happy to have a waste bin or such a rental toilet in my sketches. Not quite the touristic view of things.

I had a ‘first’ in Fred Lynch’s workshop ‘Hunting & Gathering’. Fred explained the purpose of his workshop: making vignettes. As he was talking, I was sketching and suddenly he took my drawings board to show it as a good example of what he meant to say. Thank you, Fred!

When I went to Inma Serrano’s ‘Pencils, lines and Rock ‘n Roll’ workshop, I had the time to make two sketches. First was an exercise to create a ‘viewing path’ with two colours, the next one was one to use colour to guide the eye of the viewer in a sketch made by a black pencil. The participants could use a generous set of materials sponsored by Cretacolor.

Usually, I use only drawings in my day reports, but today I will use some photos. This is Stephanie Bower and me. Stephanie wrote the magnificent ‘The World of Urban Sketching’ and she want to ahve her copy signed by all the sketchers that are featured in the book. I met her in The Hague last September, but she forgot her book, so we had a new chance this Symposium.

In the Atrium of the Stary Browar, I sketched the stall of Renesans. They had some wonderful art materials for sale. I bought a great travel brush with two brush tips on one shaft – a marvellous thing.

When I arrived on Liberty Square for the group photo, the square was rather empty. Time for a sketcherless sketch.

This is a group photo of urban sketchers from the Netherlands. As I am president of the Urban Sketchers Netherlands Foundation, I know all of them. I was at work here in Poznań, but I really appreciated to meet you for lunch, dinner or at workshops. And they urged me to go to my hotel room early enough to get some sleep after finishing my reports. Thank you!

The last Sketchwalk was a cold one… The wind blew these sketchers to a place that was not so picturesque.

If I may say so, I have had clever plans for my correspondent work in Poznań. Except for this last evening: I wanted to draw all speakers during the Closing Reception. Did I know that so many speakers would be on stage, for about 30 seconds? Anyway, you see that my drawing got worse and worse.

My last drawing of the Symposium: the announcement of Toulouse as the place to be next July. I hope to be there and see you again!

Here you see three (of four) correspondents: Anna, me and Rapha (not on the picture: the correspondent for USK Poland, Kamil). We started in the early morning, sketched or filmed all day, wrote or report or edited the movie – we will sleep after the Symposium.
In a way, all urban sketchers are correspondents, we all recorded the life in Poznań this week. When I was chosen to be the ‘International Sketch Correspondent’, I felt I became the ‘correspondent of correspondents’ – it was like winning An Olympic gold medal.
Before the Symposium I thought being correspondent was the best job of the Symposium – now I know it.

Thanks to the USK organisation, the USK Poznań organisation team, all the fantastic volunteers, my fellow correspondents, the workshop instructors and to all participants for four wonderful days. See you in Toulouse – and I hope to meet Miss Croissant there as my successor.