On a train 電車にて At a hospital 病院にて As urban sketching is about documenting what’s happening around us here now, I think I should record what our life is like under the coronavirus outbreak and all the confusions along with it – it’s time to get out to see the world. I’m trying to be as honest and sincere to what I see as I can. 新型コロナウイルスの流行でいろいろな混乱が生じている昨今。日々の暮らしにも制限がかかってきましたが、アーバンスケッチがわたしたちの周りで現在まさに起きていることを描くものであるなら、今こそスケッチブックを持って、自分の目でいろいろなものを見、描きとめるべきという気がしています。 My simple sketch kit. I started using a MD notebook (I copied a friend sketcher) for casual daily drawing/journaling a couple of weeks ago. Together with it, I bring a few pens with me – ZIG markers, Fudegokochi pen (pen with a tip creating a brush-like effect), fineliner, etc. The size of the book is A5, so there’s enough space on a spread to combine some drawings, a text, and a sticker/shop card/museum ticket if I have. 最近のシンプルスケッチのお供。2～3週間前から日々のカジュアルなスケッチやジャーナル用にMDノートブックを使っています。ペンは気分に応じて何種類か使い分け。今は呉竹の...

新型コロナウイルス感染拡大に伴い、USk Japanによる公式スケッチ会は当面休止とすることにしました。3月の月例スケッチ会は中止になります。ご理解いただければ幸いです。ただ、個人的なスケッチ会の企画やスケッチのための外出の自粛をお願いするわけではありません。こんななかでも3〜4月に日本に滞在される海外スケッチャーが何人かいるようです。それぞれ Facebookのグループ などで声をかけあい、ミートアップするなりしていただければと思います。よろしくお願いします。 We have decided not to organize official events for a while due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The monthly meet-up for March has been cancelled. However, we're not asking you to give up on arranging an (unofficial) outing or going out sketching. It seems a bunch of sketchers from overseas are visiting Japan in March and April. If you travel to Japan and want to meet up and sketch with sketchers in Japan, feel free to suggest a sketching in our Facebook group providing a preferred date and time (and location if you have any you like). Some of us will join you. Thank you. Sketch safely everyone!

I often sketch at a place which is not a popular drawing location. In famous shrines and temples in Kyoto, for example, you'd always find a bunch of people drawing and that is understandable. But if you see someone sketching on a nameless alley or at a small local (not instagenic) cafe in your neighborhood, you might wonder why. If you are the sketcher, you might worry if you're looking weird. Well, I think myself I'm weird, picking up something that no one pays attention to, and observing and drawing it. But, so what? 何でもない、誰もスケッチしないような場所でスケッチをするのが好きです。例えば京都の有名な寺社仏閣なら絵を描いている人を必ず何人か見かけるでしょう。けれども地元の名もない通りやインスタ映えしない小さな喫茶店で誰かがスケッチしていたら、ちょっと不思議に思うかもしれません。あなたが描いている張本人なら、自分が周りに変に見えていないか気になるかもしれません。わたし自身ちょっと奇妙だと思いながら描いていることがあります。誰も関心を払わないものを観察しスケッチしている自分に。で、奇妙だとして、それが何だというのでしょう。 Two sketches from nowhere... In the first place, if you enjoy drawing for no one else but you, you don't need to care at all what others think. But this simplest thing can be often the hard...

Throughout last year, we never had rain for our monthly meet-ups. In June, it was pouring the day before the meet-up. But the sky cleared up next day (and it was quite hot as well). In September, even though the forecast said it was going to rain, it was sunny throughout the day. Then we concluded I (the only member who joined all the monthly meet-ups) am a hare on’na (a woman blessed with good weather) and bring the sun. This month though, the sun was finally not with us. We had February’s meet-up on the 16th in Ueno. In the morning, it was raining and it looked like it would continue all day. 昨年の月例スケッチ会はいつもお天気に恵まれ、直前まで雨予報の日でさえ太陽が出て暖かい一日になるということばかりでした。月例スケッチ会に全回参加したのはわたしだけ。次第にわたしが晴れ女なのではないかという冗談がまことしやかに囁かれるようになりました。ところが、今月の上野でのスケッチ会はついに太陽が味方してくれず。朝からしとしと雨が降り、一日中続きそうな様子でした。 They were waiting under umbrellas, but... But, as I arrived at Grand Fountain in Ueno Park, the meeting place, it literally stopped raining. We were like, “wow!” I was surprised myself since it was just a ...

It was just before Christmas we had Year-end sketch session at Marunouchi, Tokyo with Paul Wang from Singapore. You might have red the report (by Momoko-san's post), it was such a fun time especially in the morning most of members got together in the terrace of Shin- Marunouchi building to capture Tokyo Station, there participants were able to see Paul in action since they shared a table. Unfortunately I had class to teach in the morning so I missed most of morning session.. But in the afternoon, I was privileged to sat next Paul to capture Marunouchi Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum scenery, then I was able to observe Paul's carefully applied watercolor strokes so close. Throw down is next fun thing, but seeing directly in action is the best! How influential to sketch together! I enjoy including him in my sketch. It was almost twilight then, we called it a day.