Winter Sun - Berlin

A rare sunny December weekend day! But, I still need to get my exercise in. So I went over to Museuminsel first. The sun was casting a very dramatic shadow on Alte Nationalgalerie, my hands were shaking (because I'm absolutely rubbish with columns) but it came out much better than I thought! Definitely better than my first attempt of the same subject. (Also was somehow recognized by a colleague who was walking by, even though I was in my cycling gear, which was totally different from my bookish office outfit) Well, I guess everyone in Berlin was out strolling around on this nice day.

 

After doing my rounds, I came back to the same area and parked myself next to a bustling Christmas market. By this time the entire street was in shadows and only the taller buildings had light left on it, so I quickly scribbled before speeding off to warm up at home.

When in Doubt, go to Nikolaiviertel

 Nikolaiviertel is really a special place, especially in the otherwise unbearable summer heat in Berlin. When it is suffocating outside, I usually treat myself to a shorter bike ride and then relax in the shade of Nikolaiviertel

TV tower and the corner of Zum Nussbaum

The good old Knoblauchhaus

Quickie: Milan + Como

I quickly got a few pieces done while traveling with some friends from US. 

A view in Milan was quickly done during a rain break. A few local teenagers were hanging out nearby and actually chatted with us for a bit about the drawing, the weather, and the adventures they had during the day. Close encounter with Italian teenagers! (they did speak almost perfect English, in American-esque accent)

Milan

I did a similar view from the restaurant terrace the previous night during dinner (it's been a while since I last had dinner where I was staying, but the remote-ish location of the hotel really makes this a necessity) while a thunderstorm rolled in. It was really a magical experience. But, unfortunately the painting didn't turn out too well...so I slipped out early to attempt it again from the parking lot, in the morning sun. This one turned out much better. I was even able to include the Fiat Panda I rented!

Mandello del Lario

 

The Hochbahn Stations of Berlin - a tour in Spring

Decided to do a tour of the original Berlin Hochbahn stations while the weather was nice! I kind of noticed there were only a handfull of train stations in Berlin could be described as aethetically pleasing, rather than purely utilitarian, as I cycled my way around the city. Only afterwards did I connect the dots and realized that these "nicer looking" stations are all the same train line, and also built in similar time period. 

Done over 2 weekends in May/June

U Bülowstraße

U Nollendorfplatz

U Wittenbergplatz

Oberbaumstraße + Schlesisches Tor

U Schlesisches Tor

Sunset at home - Karl Marx Allee

 When the day gets longer and longer it feels wasteful sometimes not to utilize it to the fullest. There is a convenient green patch dividing the 2 directions at Karl Marx Allee. The traffic is chaotic and noisy I know, but the view is also superb (which could not be said to many other neighbourhoods I've lived in) To the east there is Frankfurter Tor, to the west the Fernsehturm. I really didn't even bother moving, just turned and faced the other direction to work on the second one.

Eastward View

Westward View

Nikolaiviertel - Round 2

 I really felt like I didn't do Nicolaiviertel justice in my last attempt, so I decided to swing by again on Sunday (since I can't bike far anyways with my sore legs) after dropping a book off at the library. 

Really happy with how this one turned out. Nicolaikirche's back garden and a small restaurant to the right. I went a little too hard on the blue in the beginning, but the overall balance still worked out...kind of? I stood on a shaded sidewalk and rested my stuff on the huge window sills. But I also stood above a ground vent and *almost* dropped my brush down there

I wondered through Nicolaiviertel didn't find anything that caught my attention + pedestrian traffic free + allowed me to stand in the shade (it was sizzling under the sun, but perfect temperature in the shade) So I ended up wandering out of its perimeter and into the Innenstadt Park) The Poplar snow was dancing through the air, the Dom was half in the sun. It was perfect. I'm also perfectly aware I looked like a creep,  standing unmovingly in the shade for longer than necessary, when everyone else was relaxing under the sun. So I only lightly sketched a few people in the end so as to not draw even more attention to myself.

I literally just filled up on my May Green pan a week ago, now it is already almost empty. I am really using green like there is no tomorrow

Ascension Day @ Glienicker Brücke

 The stars have aligned on Ascension Day: sunny, not too hot, and only a weak breeze. So I decided to shoot for the farthest target yet: Glienicke Bridge at the border between Berlin and Brandenburg (Potsdam) 32km one way from home, so in total a 64km ride. This is by far the best looking Berlin border I've seen...the southern and eastern ones were kind of meh...the bike infrastructure was also fantastic (by Berlin standard) all the way into Potsdam.

I stood on top a stone bench to get a broader view, and the sun was definitely burning my right leg

After sizzling in the sun for ~30 minutes, I decided to find a shady spot to cool down before heading back. There was not anything remarkable in the park nearby, but the strong shadows from the trees made for an interesting composition (really, green leaves and sun will make anything look nice) I first sat down on an empty bench to rest my legs and think about next steps, but then an old lady came by, said Hello and then sat next to me on the same bench (?). I was a little shocked so quickly moved myself away from the center of the bench. After 2 minutes I decided it was too awkward and so got up and moved myself and my bike to the below vantage point. Maybe I'm too introverted even for Germans...ooops

On the way back I really had to force myself to concentrate on riding, because even the most mundane neighbourhoods looked super nice in the afternoon sun. Thankfully, this distraction helped me reach home stress free despite my aching legs and growling stomach.

Green, lots of green, and lots and lots of green - Berlin Parks

Swung by 2 parks after reorganizing my pallette a little the day before. I introduced "Bordeaux 362", which turned out to be a very powerful cool red, and "Naples yellow" (in designer gouache), to help with my opaque needs, and took away "Sepia Brown" (I can't even remember when I last used it)

Bürgerpark Pankow. I was surprised by how peaceful it was, even at the goat pen! There was even some nice music

Volkspark Friedrichshain. This one was a little more lively, but there were still a lot of quiet spots. The shadows from the tree were the most entertaining! It wasn't always sunny, but the sun was out often enough for me to capture the (occassional) shadows

 

1 day short - Zermatt

Learned that even an impossibly tight schedule allows for some relaxing downtime with my sketchbook. And it is always better to bring the supplies and deal with the added weight, than to regret not bringing them when time and location present themselves!

Anyway, time and location presented me afternoon in Zermatt with a mild sunlight and cool -4C weather. No need for vodka in water, no need for gloves, just need a quick hand to finish stuff up before my fingers freeze. For that purpose, I was uncharacteristically rude to a fellow Asian tourist lady who was trying to start some small talk with me about my paint supplies. I just said, sorry but I really need to warp this piece up as fast as possible. 

I decided to do the same chuch again, from a different side, this time with the snowy hills in shadow. The humidity was perfect and allowed for ample working time. I was standing in the ground of the local Mountaineer's cemetery and out of the way of the main tourist flow. I kept on hearing some distant chattering from somewhere behind me but didn't pay much attention...turns out the perfect viewing point of the Matterhorn was only a few steps away...and I must have looked really odd standing with my back to it the whole time...there were also frequent booms from controlled avalanches...still scared me a little even after I realized what they were.

Did a quick one here, with the peak of the Matterhorn disappears in and out of clouds. It was almost like there was a cloud machine hiding below the peaks on the right. I would like to spend more time on this, but my colleague was waiting and my fingers are starting to lose feelings (and nose starting to get runny) so I kept to the most basic colours and trotted back to the cozy hotel to defrost! (I almost had a panic attack on the way back when I couldn't find my wallet in my jacket pocket! turns out I put it into my big black-hole-messenger bag earlier and totally forgot...all was well)

Since I was exactly at the last page of a sketchbook, I decided to finish it off at the end of the trip. The weather was absolutely dreadful at Zurich and I was exhausted after a 5am start (followed by a 3.5 hr drive) So I decided to stay in the airport and wait for my flight home in 6 hrs. I ate lunch (and devoured an orange from the hotel), took a nap, charged my phone, then found a Air Baltic plane surrounded by action to sketch. 

Thanks to Malaga and Lake Como, this sketchbook barely lasted 2 months. A new record!

Definitely not Overrated: Milan + Lake Como

 After coming through Milan without taking a proper look twice, I finally decided to spend half a day there before driving my way up to Lake Como. Almost every discussion thread I read adviced against renting a car to go from Milan to Como, but I really needed to get the driving out of my system and I was ready to use any excuse to get my hands on a car

Day 1

I immediately discovered the joy of the strategic placement of Milan's Metro extrance/exits. They almost all emerge in the perfect spot. And because of the construction around it, I have railings to lean against, and a flat and roomy surface to put my water jar on it without having to bend down to reach it. Just perfect placement. So there I was, leaning back comfortably while sketching the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, along with some men who were waiting for their wives to come back from shopping. 

As I was almost wrapping up, 2 Chinese girls stood next to me and seemed to be shooting some promotional video for a product or service. They rehearsed a bit and shot multiple times with the same script "are you worried about keeping thin this summer??"...and then they were off looking for passer-bys to interview. The ideal interviewees need to be, in their word, proper Italian looking and easy-going

The Duomo is really a difficult subject. There are so too many details...if I want to capture the details, there is no way I can fit the whole building into one page. And if I do the whole building, I lose all the details on the fascade...which is actually one of the main charms of the building. The only silver lining is that one of the side was closed off, so I had a dead-end (almost) to myself with relative low tourist traffic. In front of me and directly at the fence (I was leaning against the metro entrance) were a young American couple and a tour guide. They were having quite an interesting session explaining the Duomo and the couple was impressed how old everything is here in Italy. And the tour guide said, well, you guys also gave us a lot of high tech stuff! In the end the tour guide asked, by the way where in the US are you from?" The couple replied: San Francisco. I almost choked. Well, well, well

I decided to do the Duomo again, but with some more details this time. I settled myself into the shadows of a column off the pedestrian shopping street. I noticed a person standing to my right for quite a while, and he eventually came over, asked "can you speak English?" and "you should pay attention to you bag" while pointing to my messenger bag at my feet, and then left. I amused myself by thinking what if I responded to his first question with "sorry, but I don't speak Australian"

I was planning to immediately head out to draw after settling into my Airbnb at Lake Como, but I was exhausted by the drive (only 1 hr, but I haven't driven in almost a year) and had to take a long call with a colleague. 

Day 2

I headed out the next morning to see the lake proper. The community park at Mandello del Lario was really just a few steps away from the apartment and right away the view was stunning. A few teenagers were jumping off into the lake from the pier and I felt it were mostly Italian families chilling in the park.

This view of the colourful buildings was what comes up most often when I search the town up, and it did not disappoint. It was super peaceful save a handful of groups walking by quietly. Once the dad of a family asked if I would draw him in? (The daughter appeared to be super embarrassed) and I, completely used to these questions, just said smoothly "if you stay there long enough :) all is good

This scene really had nothing to do with lake Como, but the snow capped mountain was really difficult to resist. I found a super quiet community park overlooking a private boat club. The strong shadows from the boat sealed the deal. I thought I was doing a terrible job but it actually turned out to be one of my favourite works.

In between here I took my lunch break and decided to swing by Varenna by train on my airbnb host's advice. Long story short it was a nightmare with the tourist crowd and heat and disorganization, so I immediately took the next train back to my quiet town. No view is worth fighting with the crowds. I immersed in the calmness back home and drew Mandello's ferry terminal.

This one is by far my favourite. I originally passed up on it because I expected to spend the entire afternoon in Varenna. Now that I have more free time I decided to come back. The shadows changed, but because of the narrow street it was still interesting (my airbnb is actually right in front of the pink house) This and the small opening to the lake behind me was constantly blowing refreshing wind

Day 3

The next day (Monday) I woke up to some not so good news about layoff. I was kind of concerned but forgot all about it as soon as I saw the lake again. The sky is overcast but it brings out another mood on the lake! I drove all the way to the northmost tip (bypassing Varenna thank god) and took a break at an almost deserted parking lot in Gera Lario. The northern side of the lake was noticeably less developed and more spacious

My last stop was in Como city. I was surprised by how tight the parking situation was. There was no empty spot when I arrived at the multi-level garage, and I almost panicked until I noticed somebody leaving and quickly took that spot. Phew. It was here that I forgot to take my water jar and brush (which was resting in my jar) with me when I left. I was distracted by a random guy who asked "is it okay if I just watch you paint"...to which I replied coldly "it's up to you" and then he just stood to my right awkwardly for a good 10 minutes, while licking his ice cream. 

Warming up for Spring in Berlin

I bike past this church almost every weekend and admire its beauty, but never got a chance to properly sketch it until this weekend. Because of its colour, it looks nice even in the dead of winter or on a super gloomy overcast day. 

The shops and food hall around it were all closed because it was a Sunday, so I had no trouble stopping my bike in front of a closed store front and used it as my supply stand. The new leaves were just shooting out in the most vibrant green. Even though it is not May yet, it is indeed time to whip out my "May Green"

 

Start of a New Painting Year! in Málaga

Finally got a chance to visit the quintessential winter vacation spot for Northern European dwellers. The flight time was more difficult to negotiate and I ended up taking 2 days off and spent 2.5 useful days in Malaga. Another colleague of mine also happened to spend his weekend here with his daughter and every step I took I dreaded bumping into him. Thankfully the city was big enough and we never crossed path.

I headed out just before 10AM and was setting myself up in front of some closed shop fronts. Just as I was starting however, one by one, the shop keepers came by and started opening shop (ooops). Thankfully the keeper of the jewelry shop (the entrance of which I was temporarily obscuring) was very nice: said good morning to me and then proceeded to leave the open shop for me to keep (?) for 10 whole minutes.

I barely made it one block away before I was distracted by a diagonal shadow (I'm always distracted by diagonal shadows). The church itself is not a popular tourist destination and traffic was light in front of me.

I then made my way to the somewhat crowded Plaza de la Constitución. There was some set up going on for an event later that day (I think?) and a transparent container was set up in the middle. Some menacing security guys were also present.

Before heading home for lunch break, I decided to sit down in a sunny spot along Paseo del Parque and sketch the city hall. I was in shadows almost all morning and was definitely shivering by this point. Alcazaba was directly behind this building (in red) but I never made it there...

In the afternoon I finally sketched one of the main attractions here: the Cathedral of Málaga. I'm usually terrible at warping perspective to fit tall buildings, but I think this time kind of...worked?? There was a work crew at the right side 

I kind of settled myself behind the main flow of tourists in front of the roman theatre. Some crew was setting up the blockade and posters for Malaga festival (film festival), so I also drew them in! When I was painting, a couple stopped in front of me and just asked "Picasso??" I was stunned a little, having some wild thoughts like "am I Picasso? do I even draw like Picasso??" Anyway, turns out they were just looking for directions to Picasso museum, which is actually just behind me. I noticed that they were German tourists, but spoke English to them anyways...since every time I speak German in non-German speaking countries I tend to cause sheer panic.

Day 2! I started with the morning light right outside my Airbnb. Technically it is supposed to be a bridge across a river...but "river" is just some dry grass land?? Anyway, the light was beautiful and I really liked the mountains framing the scene from behind

I decided to re-do the cathedral, but from the garden side. I basically settled my water jar on somebody's window sill...thankfully nobody got mad at me...(I debated drawing this scene the day before, but the afternoon sun was way too strong at this location)

A bit of a chaotic one done on the climb towards Castillo de Gibralfaro. In the end I didn't go further up from here because there were just too many people for it to be worth it...

After lunch break I went for the harbour and did some simpler pieces with clear shapes! It was starting to drizzle at this point, but not hard enough for me to call it a day. The big cruise ship was actually behind a tree, so I got its left end completely wrong. Instead of angular, it is actually kind of flat...oh well

Looking back from the end of the harbour front walkway. Didn't bother with the cruise ship this time because I already drew it on the previous page

I was exhausted and just wanted to get some groceries before heading home, but this perfect scene and a perfect spot to sit presented itself to me. So I had no choice but pull out my big sketchbook. The moving shadows of the cloud on the distant coastline was really a sight to behold...unfortunately I was not able to capture that...