May 31, 2020 “Voices of Latin America”
This week’s host, Rita Sabler, started the program showing sketches from last week’s challenges before greeting our guests. We visited sketchers in two very different countries, Argentina and Ecuador, to find out more about what they like to sketch in these two separate corners of South America.
Norberto Dorantes, originally from Mexico, joined us from his adopted home of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He took us on a tour of Buenos Aires with his sketches, talking about the architecture, the wide avenues, and the diverse mix of friendly people. Some of his sketches showed current issues such as people protesting electrical outages, while some featured history, such as a building that was saved due to its association with Evita Perón.
Norberto also talked about moving outside of his comfort zone to sketch people dancing in a tango competition for a local newspaper. He loves sketching people in motion, but as a trained architect it is not his primary way of working. Norberto’s advice for moving out of your comfort zone is, “Don’t think about what you think you can’t do. Draw all the time, and focus on learning concepts.”
Challenge from Norberto:
We’ve probably all been looking at and sketching the same thing lately, so Norberto suggests getting out of your comfort zone by sketching something familiar from an unusual angle.
Post your drawings and tag with #USkTalks or #USkTalksChallenge, and tag Norberto @norbertdorantes.
Follow Norberto on Instagram, too!
Mauricio Arturo López joined us from the “middle of the world,” the city of Quito, Ecuador. He not only sketches Quito, the first city to receive the status of the UNESCO World Heritage site, but also surrounding historical areas, where he has helped many sketchers form their own USk chapters.
From Mauricio we learned that sketchers in Ecuador use single sheets of paper more than sketchbooks, which are expensive and hard to obtain, especially with good paper for watercolor. Instead, they cut down large sheets of paper and sketch on both sides. Ecuadorian sketchers do what they must to keep sketching because, as Mauricio said, “Sketching is a way of life, a way of thinking, and a way of seeing the world.”
Challenge from Mauricio:
Mauricio asked us to try starting a sketch with a loose watercolor wash, choosing either a warm or cool color. Wait for it to dry, then sketch on top of it in ink. Mauricio says it’s a very freeing way to sketch.
Post and tag with #USkTalks or #USkTalksChallenge, and tag Mauricio @mauricioarturolopezarte.
Follow Mauricio on Instagram, too!
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