My Travel Sketchbook(s)

Today we are going to talk about a few of my travel sketching experiences. This is an attempt to tell my story  as a creative,  how I’ve taught myself to  draw, and how my visual language is evolving…  but one city & one sketchbook at a time!

Alright, so my name is Farha, in another life I worked as a Quality Assurance Coordinator for Doha Metro, Qatar.. After successfully completing that project, I moved to Paris last year and have re-branded as an Illustrator, mainly focussing on hand-drawn editorial  illustrations, Children’s Picture books & Non-fiction books. 

I am also an Urban Sketcher, and to my surprise have able to meet and draw with  6 chapters in the last year. 

I’ve  added my website (you're already here, reading this transcript!) & instagram handle (@farha.farooque),  where I share a lot of snippets my art  process, travel drawings on the go, so you can check that out if you like!

But we cannot start our journey without talking about our favorite topic - Art Supplies! 😂 I am linking all my trusted kit here, so feel free to check it out

Sketchbook: Royal Talens Art Creation Sketchbook (A5)

Watercolor Palette: Winsor & Newton

Water Mist Spritzer: Derwent

Water-based Markers: Ecoline, Tombow, DOMS

Travel Watercolor Brush

Colored Pencils: Derwent Colorsoft, Koh-i-noor, Carand'ache Luminance

So ladies & gentlemen, may I invite you to fasten your seat belts, as we are about to take off! I’ve chosen a few of my favorite sketchbook spreads to talk through some travel drawing experiences - so that would be Paris, Lille, Berlin, Lanzarote, Pune & Goa 

So, pictured here is my lovely illustration group, my comfort zone, we have been drawing online together since the pandemic. However, In May 2022, this changed! We decided to organize an art retreat in Paris, and meet each other in real life, and start drawing on location live. Initially it was not so easy, I would freeze every time somebody stopped to look at my sketchbook or ask  questions…but being with this group really helped to get confidence and to develop the habit of going outdoors with a sketchbook.

So, here we are at a beautiful property called Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, which is the fifth-largest park in Paris since 1867, and the most famous feature of this park is Temple de la Sibylle or Temple of Sibylle, which is on a cliff 50 metres above the artificial lake

For a week, we challenged each other to various drawing exercises outdoors - drawing in parks, restaurants, cafes. Here we are all taking a coffee together at Cafe Olympe outside of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (very dehydrated & in the case of Geraldine hangry soon...) and instead of focussing on our beverages we instead began to drawing quick 1 minute portraits of each other! The Cafe owners were so happy to welcome us, exchanged wonderful conversations and and took photographs of us! 

Next we tackled buildings, and fell in love with the aesthetics of Monmartre, so we chose to draw the Sacre-Coeur.

Notes: Most popular after Eiffel Tower.

Paul Abadie = designer, selected from 77 proposals

Construction Start: 1875, End:1914. 40 years under construction, 5 architects

On the last day while waiting for the train, we looked out of the Railway station and drew all the cafes we spotted, with people drinking their coffee. This cafe called Aux Villes du Nord Especially caught my eye because of the red awning, and ofcourse, the Tabac/ Tobacco sign is very iconic

So after my group left, I was sad and solo again, freelance illustration can be an isolating job. I made it a resolution that I have to continue going outside everyday, even if it is for 15 mins or half an hour and sketch what I see. And thus started my daily sketchbooking practice, and on one of these solo sketchwalks, coincidentally, I found a group of people, just like me, sketching in a Botanical Garden! An Urban Sketcher just walked up to me, did an introduction of them and said ‘just come next weekend, yeah?’ As easily as that, I guess I became an Urban Sketcher from that moment onwards…Every weekend became fun, visiting new locations, discovering Paris in a new light altogether! In the first photo we have Brigitte, who introduced me to USK (very grateful), in the second, we are standing outside the Tribunal of Paris which is the largest judicial court in France, it has 38 storeys & 160 m high, and designed by Architect Renzo Piano, who also designed the Centre Pompidou.

I was very lucky to join USK Paris in the last week of May, because in the month of June I could attend the French National Symposium at Lille. It was 4 glorious days of sketch-walking, they provided us 5 routes, which we could choose from, form our own groups and draw whichever subject pleased us. Every evening we all gathered and shared our work over drinks and dinner.

Here I’ve sketched a few Heritage sites from Lille - a town square called Place Louise de Bettignies, it is the heart of the old town with amazing architecture. There are a lot of Restaurants, cafes, bars here, and on all days I found Urban Sketchers in this square capturing the beauty of it, one building at a time. Also in, case you wonder about the name, Louise de Bettignies was a French Secret Agent in the World War I, who spied on the Germans for the British. She operated under the name Alice Dubois. She was arrested in 1915 and died in captivity. Her family originated from Lille. She was awarded Legion of Honour, Crois de la Guerre & the British Military Medal

Next we have the Lille Cathedral or Notre Dame de Treille, its considered a national monument. They say there's a statue in there from the 12th century that has miraculous powers (Statue of our Lady of the Treille). The construction of this church began in 1854 and lasted a 150 years. In 1999 a modern facade was installed

The main railway station, and a very busy place. I couldn't wait to be done and move out of there asap. But the building facade is very beautiful

Here we are in the main square, which has magnificent buildings, I chose to draw this one because the windows were so beautiful. 

Now, its time to meet the most colorful and pink band that I've ever seen! They are called Ze big Bandhoulle, and they were performing at the Square in the Old Town

Now that it's time to leave Lille, we are back at the  Main Railway Station, there is a very sweet sculpture of German-French Actress Romy Schneider, It was amusing that people use her arms as a seat, while they're waiting for a train or for a friend. Also featured is a cute little house that I had to stop and draw before the train leaves. Let's go! 

Our next stop is Berlin, where as luck would have it,  it was a day of super heat, or ‘canicule’ - heat wave, which lead to technical problems in the train routes and there were massive delays and route changes. Does that sound frustrating? Not to me, I had my sketchbook, and ample time to look around, observe the railway stations, trains, watch people.. And record it all in my sketchbook! I’ve added examples of Gare de Strasbourg and Mannheim Hauptbanhof.

So at some point I do reach Berlin, where I was happy to join Berlin Urbansketchers for a sketch-meet at Natur Park Sudgeland - this park is unique in the sense that it is a mix of technology (decaying railway facilities), art installations and wild nature, which is amazing because it is originally a former Railway Yard

I was visiting my brother in Berlin, and while he was working I slipped out for some solo urban sketching and visited the Bundestag - which is the German federal parliament

Very close to it is Brandenburg Gate, this is the only surviving historical city gate. When the Wall fell in 1989, this gate became a symbol of reunification of East and West Berlin

So with the Berlin Urban Sketchers, I met Connie, who is a sketch-noter, who invited me to a home-cooked meal, we then went sketching in her neighbourhood and drew this fountain, you can also see a very playful dog who kept dipping in and out of the fountain water. I would learn that her name is Mathilde and she is a celebrity dog who features in a TV commercial.

We also met and drew Swedish musicians, who we had a lovely chat with later.. They informed us that they were on a Europe tour on a shoestring budget and Berlin was their 7th destination and that they had another 10 places to go before returning home to Sweden. And it's time for us to say goodbye too, because we  are moving on to our next destination 

Lanzarote is in the Canary Islands in Spain. Disclaimer : when I learnt that we were meant to go there to attend a friend’s wedding, I began planning for this trip asap. Oh, no, I wasn't thinking about what to wear, but more so ever, sending messages to USK Lanzarote to know if they can meet for a sketch walk, places that I could draw? Since it wasn’t a weekend, Barbara was very kind to meet me for dinner, where we did some food sketching over chatter, and she was also kind enough to help all the wedding guests with food recommendations, places to see, and we spent a wonderful evening with her. Featured here a beautiful Church in Arreciefe, the capital city of Lanzarote. Saint Gines is the patron Saint of Arrecife. Barbara told me that this church has some features designed by Cesar Manrique, who is a very celebrated local artist there, who helped give Lanzarote it's unique identity

Featured here is a sculpture called Buches, it is their tradition and they also dress up like this for a carnival which is called Parade of the Buches. The men are depicting fisherman, with a very specific attire, and they have these swollen fish bladders in their hands.

While I've called Pune home for over 16 years, I had never drawn this city. So it was a resolution to do that this time. My arrival to Pune, and the timing of Sketchfest was amazing. I had the best time of my life, walking through  and drawing the streets of Camp, sharing a chai with new buddies. I found my favorite street - Dastur Meher Road, all the buildings here are so charming!

I went to draw the Aga Khan Palace with its magnificent structure, twice, once with family and once with drawing friends

With  that let's see our new destination, Goa. Here I'm with Goa Urban Sketchers, we drew the Salvador Do Mundo Church, which is  near Pomburpa. Afterwards, we shared a lovely Goan breakfast together of mixed bhaji and poie 

Then I joined Aditi Deo on an art retreat, also in Goa. Here we have drawn the Basilica of Bom Jesus. There are many more drawings, you can see some of them in the sketchbooks on display

So with that, we  have come to the end of the presentation, but not the end of  this story. So what do we have in store next?

I will return back to Paris with all these amazing memories, with a plan to make some more...

In March we have the Bologna Children's Book Fair, it would be a good opportunity to meet the Bologna Urban Sketchers too. Then the French National Symposium in Toulouse, The Travel Journal Fest in Clermont Ferrand in September, USK Berlin in September. I hope to see any of you in these events, because  we are all connected, and I'd love for you  to be a part of my story. Thank you.