Sarod and the Beards

Quick sketch of a friends sarod in Pune and the people who tried their hand at it. Very strange one day trip. Enjoy!

Coffee at Aunty Maria's 24X7

Aunty Maria's Cafe at Hotel Fidalgo was the place to be that day. Old sketch. I did it in September. Enjoy. Will post from another old goa trip soon.

A Study in Green and Brown

On the weekend, I went to the Tobacco Square in Panjim to sketch. The difference was I carried nothing with me other than pencil colors, which I have no experience with. Although, the medium was new, I could still manage to sketch decently. As I was using colors, the challenge I gave myself was to sketch things that were green and brown in color. It was exciting to observe things only in two colors. It seemed like I was on a hunt for colors, although, brown and green were not very tough to find. I sketched, in the increasing order of abstraction, the lichen covered bust of Dr. M. C. Dias (eye level), The Mint House (eye level), and a planter with interesting geometry (first floor level, sitting). I think the next challenge might be to sketch in red. I enjoyed using pencil colors. Let's see. Enjoy.

Old Goa 2

My bike has had issues, that's why I couldn't travel, which is why I couldn't sketch. Although, I've been back at it. I went to St. Augustine's Tower yesterday, which I sketched. Here it is. Charcoal + Pen. Enjoy.

Old Goa

Old Goa, has a plethora of old structures and all of them have been competing in the race of most sketchable monuments since the time they were constructed. I went to Old Goa on 15th of this month to try my luck. I wanted to try out a different medium, therefore, I used a chiseled black marker with a 3mm tip. It was enough to give bold strokes, yet the effect was graceful. I was tired of adding detail with a small nib and thought that this was the apt medium to sketch with.

I sketched two monuments to start with. The first one was the  St. Peters Church (on the way to Old Goa), and the other one was the Chapel of St. Catherine. I chose a conventional view for the St. Peters Church (drew the cross in the foreground and the chapel in the background) and I chose an unconventional view for the Chapel of St. Catherine (I sketched the back facade and the perspective was a bit tricky. The slopes were aligned with the vanishing points). I messed up the second sketch a bit (the perspective and the ground to structure relationship), but I was still happy with the new medium I was using. The results were better than a pencil. Here are the sketches. 

A week in Delhi

9th and 10th of this month were an off in office for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which is celebrated with vigor in this part of the country. Hence, I saw this opportunity to go home to meet family and finish some important chores back home. In the meantime, I got some time to sketch when I was out with a few friends. I went to Nizamuddin Basti one fine morning. It was more than sunny and a good day to sketch. I didn't plan to sketch on the trip though. I just wanted to see the monuments in the Nizamuddin Basti, which sadly, I always had neglected. This time around as well, I could only see a masjid, the main Nizamuddin Dargah and mosque, Mazar-e-Ghalib, and the Nizamuddin Baoli. There is still a lot to explore in the Basti and I plan to go there again.

I only sketched the Mazar-e-Ghalib (the grave of the most famous poet of Delhi) and the Subz Burj, which stands on the traffic island on one of the Mathura Rd. intersections. The reason why Nizamuddin area is full of tombs and memorials, is because most of the folklore, whether it be the Mughal emperor Humayun (Humayun's Tomb), or a barber (search Nai ka Gumbad) wanted to be buried as close to the Sufi Saint (Hazrat Nizamuddin) as possible. Therefore, creating a sort of necropolis. All in all, this place is a must visit.

Here are the sketches of Subz Burj, Mazar-e-Ghalib and Fligh number 6E-335, Delhi to Goa.

Subz Burj

Subz Burj (Notice that the plinth is absent. I figured that drawing the plinth would restrict the fluidity of the sketch)

Mazar-e-Ghalib

Mazar-e-Ghalib

Back to Goa

Jamat-e-Muslameen

Last weekend, me and my friend went to Chorla Ghats. The ghats are a part of the western ghats, which are a beautiful site in monsoons. Biking till that place was even more exciting. The ghats are some 60 kilometers from the Panjim city.

On our way back to Panjim, we stopped at the Hazrat Pir ki Dargah. The dargah sits on the banks of the Mandovi river. The Dargah has a huge, beautiful tank in front of it. I just sketched this one sketch.

Jamat - e - Muslameen

Section through the Dargah and the tank

Sketching Indoors, Raining Outdoors

Uggghh.. I've never hated rains so much. That's also because I've never lived in an area before where it rains continuously. Therefore, I had limited options of sketching and being an architecture student, I was never interested in sketching indoors. I have always preferred sketching outdoors or architectural details.

Although, one has to satisfy the urge to sketch. I didn't make very many sketches. I only did one in watercolor and ink. On a rainy day, I was giving company to a friend of mine, who was waiting for a friend of hers, in Tea Cafe right after office hours. It was there that I sketched the spoon stand and the napkin holder, both done in ceramics, which are a very common site here in Goa. Spare me if its not very well done. This is very unusual for me.

It is now after some two months of moving to Goa that the rains spare us during the day (yes it still rains at night). I plan to go to Old Goa this weekend to sketch. Here is the sketch. Enjoy.

Quick Goa Post

On 4th of June, I came to Goa for the first time to give a job interview. I am presently staying in Goa and my job demands me for the minimum period of an year.

I was staying in Afonso Guesthouse when I came for the interview, which is just a block away from my office. The office and the guesthouse are located in Fontainhas; which happens to be the old Latin quarters. Fontainhas and Mala exhibit a strong historic character and define the Goan culture beautifully. I plan to sketch more of the houses.

Most of these houses have been maintained by their house owners who proudly think of it as a part of their heritage, although a few houses have been demolished and instead we can see new residences which do not respect their context. Although, its not too late. Our office along with the authorities is working on documenting the heritage structures in Panjim (including Fontainhas and Mala). Eventually a guideline for heritage areas will be worked on.

Here are two sketches. The first one is of a wooden door of a decaying old house and the other one is of the San Sabastian Chapel in Fontainhas (next to our office). Also, while I was at it, I tried my hands at watercolors. I used an ink pen with watercolors, so the ink got a bit washed away. I have to find an alternative to this. Maybe an alcohol marker. Will keep trying.

The Dripping Graphite of Leh

I finally managed to compile all the Leh sketches for the Travel Diary that I am writing for an Urban Design  teacher of mine. Here they are:

Goa sketches after a short break.

Sketch 1.0

Sketch 2.0

Sketch 3.0

Sketch 4.0

Sketch 5.0

Sketch 6.0

Sketch 7.0

Sketch 8.0

Sketch 9.0

Sketches 1 and 2 are of a house in stone and mud masonry. The lintel is a very important element of the design in these houses; as the city lies in an earthquake prone area. The lintel, visible on the facade of almost each and every house is hence made decorative and is ornamental.

Sketches 3 and 4 were made in the Leh Palace. That place is a beautiful maze carved out of the hill.

Sketch 5 is the schematic section and plan of the main prayer hall of the Hemis Monastery.

Sketch 6 and 7 are of the Thigse monastry. Sketched while waiting for the Monastry to reopen after lunch time.

Sketches 8 and 9 are of the Stupa atop the Shey Palace. The whole place is silent. All you can hear is the wind blowing in your face and your own heartbeat. Lovely architecture and location.

That's about it from Leh. I'll post some sketches from Goa as soon as I can.

Kashmir, Leh Trip

Me and a few friends went to Kashmir and Leh in late May. It was indeed a trip that I would never forget. Infact, I would love to go back whenever I have time and money. Since i'm out of college and have to follow my job schedule, I guess time and money both would be a problem.

Anyway.. here are a few sketches that I made of the Nishat gardens at Srinagar. I will follow this post with my sketches of Leh in a few days.

Keep checking for updates.

The Nishat Gardens at Srinagar, have been designed beautifully considering the topography of the region. The garden steps up with the natural slope of the mountains. There are 12 terraces in the whole garden related to the 12 zodiac signs. Each terrace is accessed with a few steps on either sides of the terraces. The terraces are also connected with a stream of water that cascades down from top and eventually ends up in the Dal Lake. The 12th Terrace is the Zanana and the rest of the 11 terraces are public. One can get a beautiful view of the Fort and the Dal Lake from this garden. Its definitely a must visit.

Diwan-i-Aam and Agrasen ki Baoli

Its been 2 months now that I came back from Ahmedabad; that beauty of a city. I love that city. Anyway, that also meant that my internship got over and nobody was there to pester me to go and see places around and sketch them out. Although, during these 4 months, I had already been trained to sketch, therefore, I finally figured out that I didn't need anybody to motivate me to sketch anymore. My internship motivated me and proved to be a boon.

Therefore, a while back, I went to Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Agrasen ki Baoli, with a junior. I have also visited Leh, Srinagar and Panajim since. Sketchy travels I must say. Here are the results..

Sketches from Leh, Srinagar and Panajim coming soon.

ATMA | Sketches

Ahmedabad Textile Mills Association building designed by Le Corbusier.

Sketched last Friday.. I'm happy with the frequency of sketches.. I just have to be more consistent and have to improve the quality of my sketches.

My senior colleague tells me that I mess up the connection of the built with  the ground. I'll try working on that now on.

Sarkhej Roja | Sketches

As promised... Sarkhej Roja, Ahmedabad.

The first sketch is of the Dargah, the second one is of a decorative non structural buttress on the wall. I have developed a liking towards charcoal.

I sketched Ahmedabad Textile Mills Association (ATMA) building today designed by Le Corbusier better known as "Mill Owners" building here in Ahmedabad. The sketches will follow in the next post.

Sanskar Kendra, Ahmedabad

Ah! I thought I had forgotten the password to this account.. but strangely I remembered. I'm being sarcastic to myself here!

I finished my thesis and started with my internship as a trainee in Ahmedabad. The office is nice. I'm encouraged to explore; even to the extent that I am told to visit the architectural heritage of this city and sketch it out, strictly in charcoal. Charcoal, is a medium that I was never comfortable with, therefore, I had always ignored it. So, I HAD to take it up as a challenge for myself. I was intrigued by the outcome. The first weekend I went to Sanskar Kendra, designed by Le Corbusier. This marvel provided an interesting play of light and shadows specially in the courtyard. The sketches, although failed to impress me.

Last weekend I went to Sarkhej Roja, to explore my ability to sketch in charcoal further, this weekend, I was happier with the outcome. My lines were more fluid. I had sketched only shadows, therefore, the negatives were perceived as solid planes exposed to sunlight. It was satisfactory, also, Sarkhej is beautiful.

Right now, I'm only uploading Sanskar Kendra sketches. The sketches from Sarkhej will follow soon.