Sketching in Porto

The first day in Porto was my most productive too - I just threw myself into sketching, and we went from one location to the next, chatting to other urban sketchers and working at the same time. We (well, I did most of the chatting actually) talked to people from all over the world - it was such an exhilarating experience - all these people who had travelled to one location, for one purpose only, urban sketching. Mind blowing. I even recognised an artist by her style of drawing - I didn't know what she looked like, but I knew her work (Pat Southern Pearce is her name, in case you're wondering).


So here is what I sketched on that first day (text added later):

You can't draw Porto and ignore all these terracotta roofs. And what surprised me is how green it is.
I painted this sketch in direct watercolour - no pencil, no pen - just threw myself into it. It was morning, and already hot. The sun was lighting the other side of the Douro, so there is very little shadow.

After a gorgeous lunch, we sat on a bench in the shade and sketched these two musicians. Porto, like most tourist destinations I guess, is full of street performers.
If I was to do this sketch again, I would add more shadows. Well, I've learned a lot in a few days!

Praça da Ribeira - busiest square in town. Fantastic views everywhere. Colourful houses. Dom Luis bridge (it wasn't the focus of my sketch). Umbrellas. Crowds. sketchers everywhere. And a pesky pigeon who tried to steal peanuts from the little jar on the table. Lots of seagulls too, everywhere around town - in the morning, I'd hear them descending on the streets, like a swarm of zombies, looking for food.

Well, I was bound to get tired at some stage. Plus the chair was really uncomfortable, on a slope. But this café was really cheap, so no complaints from me. I went inside that church (at the bottom of Rua das Flores) in the morning a few days later - wow! - big chandeliers, tiling, sculptures - and so peaceful. The little boy street performer (and his parrot) was in there, praying before the start of his day's work. He looked like a character from a Dickensian story. The father had one of these weird hens. I saw the little boy reading a comic book the following day.