Human Landscape (Lecture A)

Speaker: Lluïsot

Inspired by Tintin and Corto Maltese, he threw himself into travelling in order to see the world.

In his travels, more than the architecture, rather than the landscapes, what really draws his attention is human beings, their cultures, their ways of dressing, their features, their ways of understanding life and of living it, their markets, their shops, their religions...  All that evokes humanity excites him.

As a result of this fascination it became necessary for him to draw anything that He found surprising. When he started drawing he did not know about sketching, about this need of filling up a sketchbook. His influences stem from his childhood, from the sticker albums that were his small windows through which He could discover animals from distant lands and people with diverse cultures. He was also inspired by the scientific illustrations of Cook and Darwin’s expeditions, and by Napoleon’s archaeologists in Egypt.

However, as a cartoonist, his graphic style is a bit far from the scientific view of reality.

In 1983 he began publishing in the humor magazine "El Jueves". He has published in various newspapers and magazines, as well as in many children's books, young adult books and textbooks.

He has received awards such as the following:

Apel·les Mestres (1987) for the book "Vull una medalla" (I want a medal).
Bologna Regazzi Award (2002) - Best Illustrator, nonfiction category, for the book "A Season in Calcutta", a collection of drawings from my experience as a volunteer in the centers of Mother Teresa.
Serra d'Or (2003) - Best Children's Book for the book "Contes Terrorífics de Fantasmes"(Terrifying Tales of Ghosts)
Cavall Fort (2008)  for the comic "L'Illa misteriosa" (The mysterious island).
Lazarillo (2010) for the book “El sueño del viejo marinero” (The dream of the old sailor).

Travel to India

Travels

Drawing Lists (Lecture B)

Speaker: Miguel Gallardo

My fondness for the travel skecthbook came from the hand of my daughter María, who suffers from autistic spectrum disorder. When she was 8 started asking me to draw the lists of the people she had met. With Maria, I discovered the pleasure of drawing for its own sake. An old chap like me, who has always worked in the field of comics and illustration, discovered one day that drawing is a pleasure, and that is just what I want to express. Drawing is like riding a bike, cooking a nice omelette, being with someone you love, enjoying a day of sun or smoking a cigarette by the sea when that was not  harmful yet. 

Miguel Gallardo (Lleida, 1955) studied at the Massana School of Arts and Crafts (Barcelona). He contributes regularly as illustrator for La Vanguardia newspaper and different magazines and publications nationally and internationally, such as The Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker. He has won two awards at the Comic Convention of Barcelona, two SND (Society of Newspaper Design), and one Serra D'Or for the book "What happens to this child". In 2007 he published "Maria y yo" with Astiberri, a graphic novel that chronicles the adventures and travels with her daughter María of 13 years who suffers from autism.  the National Prize of the Catalan Government in 2008 in the comic category. In 2009 a documentary on the book was released under the same title,  "Mary and I." which was a finalist in the Goya Awards, Spain's main national film awards, in 2010.

Miguel Gallardo website.

Had to Be There: Drawing on Experience (Lecture C)

Speaker: Fred Lynch

Urban sketching is an experience as well as an art. It is extra-sensory. When we sketchers sit and draw for hours on the streets, we absorb far more than the passing tourist or pedestrian. We soak up every inch of the scene, along with its sounds, smells and local characters. Urban sketchers translate their rich experiences through drawings, and through these drawings, we share not only our sights, but our insights. Some artists use their sketchbooks to mirror what is going on in their minds by drawing while facing the blank page in their studios. Whereas Urban Sketchers, by hitting the streets, use their sketchbooks as windows to the world. They are hunters and gatherers.

It is often said that every picture tells a story. However, for Fred Lynch, every picture has a story. In his talk, Fred will share not only some of his drawings, but also some of the amusing and surprising stories of the pictures, which often appear on the Urban Sketchers blog accompanied by short essays. Drawing from his two ongoing visual essays of Viterbo, Italy, and Paul Revere's historic ride from Boston, he'll show and tell the experiences he has had as an artist, and share the lessons he passes on to his students as a celebrated professor of communication art.

Fred will also bring attention to artists who have spoken volumes through their on-site work. He will inspire attendees to think of their drawings not just as exercises in rendering, but as vehicles for communication and as opportunities for inquiry and exploration

Fred Lynch is a professor and chair of the Illustration Department at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. Fred is also a professor in the Illustration Department at Rhode Island School of Design (his alma mater). In addition to teaching, he is also an illustrator, artist and active sketcher, posting regularly on the Urban Sketchers Blog. Students' work from his summer course in Italy can be seen at DrawingViterbo.Blogspot.com. Fred's drawings can be seen at http://fredlynch.tumblr.com.

Demos and Lectures

Hello sketchers,

Time flies. We've been working on the Barcelona Symposium since last October and registration is just two weeks away! Be ready to book a spot in your favorite workshops when registration opens at 1 p.m. GMT on March 25th.

Today we are pleased to announce a few more things we have in store for you. We will offer three 90-minute artists demos and one lecture every day during the afternoon break. Here's the list:

• DEMO A: How to Make A Sketchbook, by Choni Naudín (Zaragoza, Spain)
• DEMO B: Sketching with Dry Twig and Chinese Ink, by Kiah Kiean (Penang, Malaysia)
• DEMO C: Digital Urban Sketching, by Josu Maroto (Donostia, Spain) and Mónica Cid (Lisbon, Portugal)

Regarding the lectures, Boston-based artist and educator Fred Lynch is our first confirmed speaker. Fred is chair of the illustration department at Montserrat College of Art and an adjunct professor at RISD (Rhode Island School Design.) We are delighted that he will be able to take a break from his summer teaching schedule in Italy to join us in Barcelona.

That's all for today. Looking forward to meeting you in person in Barcelona,

Gabriel Campanario
2013 Symposium Organizing Committee
gabi@urbansketchers.org