The Sketchpack Project Exhibition 

The Sketchpacks are hung in the "peepshow" windows of Artsource Studios,some having travelled many miles...the USA (Alaska,Chicago,Boston) and the UK (London,Kent)
Cape Town sketchpacks feature well known Artists,people returning to sketching and beginners all hung side by side in a glorious patchwork of colour and style.

I took some photos to show the magnitude of the work in situ.

       Two peepshow windows filled




I also continued sketching in September and created a cotout daily of the unfolding of Spring

The Sketchpack Project

 The Sketchpack Project is another Sketching Journey begun in 2011 partly as a response to sketching on a regular basis and partly as a thought to share different people's vision of their world day by day over a month.
After deliberating/sharing/discussing the zigzag format was chosen, 13 x 11cm.It could fit in a back pocket or a handbag,the paper thick enough to withstand light washes.
Cathy McShannon and I tried a test run in July.

The project was launched in the month of August for 30days, 15 days on one side, the other 15 on the reverse, the idea being that one had a choice of commitment. Participants were encouraged to start with a representation of self (be it only a thumbprint) and then record their daily lives.
The response was heartening, the feedback even more so.People started drawing again,others drew for the first time and realised how much fun it was. For some it was a personal journey which led to other spaces,for others pure delight.
I chose to draw Table Mountain every day, so much part of Cape Town and all its people.

August 2012 we reinstated the project on a slightly larger format...

August 2013 the format changed to slightly smaller than 2011 and we introduced coloured paper, Fabriano Elle Erre, as an option.
I also started a Group on my facebook page to make the project available online worldwide. This was a great nonjudgemental space of sharing.
I entrusted 7 sketchpacks to the postal service, one traveling as far as Alaska.

I shuffled through August with a collection of shoes...

There will be an Exhibition of sketchpacks returned, and they are winging their way back from Boston and Chicago,Alaska and London.

Urban Sketching Cape Town

2013 started with Colleen and I illustrating the letters of the alphabet day by day
U is for Ultramarine

My dream to be over the sea was linked to the discovery that the Urban Sketchers Symposium was to be held in Barcelona,the city filled with Gaudi's delights.
At about the same time as this discovery I linked up with Urban Sketchers Cape Town started by Lizette Liebenberg.
Our first sketchcrawl was to Kalk Bay Harbour.

Lizette and her partner Peter were heading to the Symposium.One of the Workshops given by Jorge Royan was cancelled. He felt compelled to honour his obligation to those registered by giving the Workshop online. Lizette invited anyone linked to Urban Sketchers Cape Town to join.......
Thus began another adventure which is Sketching Workshop, a facebook group of likeminded sketchers who share sketches and information.

Sketching Challenges

November of 2012 I decided to tap into a challenge on facebook @FATMUSLIM/#FMSPHOTODAY suggesting random ideas and words to illustrate.

November 3rd was 'breakfast'

I shared the idea with a friend,Colleen, who is a photographer and we continued the challenge into December.
December 22nd was 'something I miss'

It was a 30 day challenge so on the 31st December I congratulated us both with a bit of typography fun.....

Sketching one day at a time...

For Christmas 2011 my daughter,Tess,presented me with 12 small journals she had made herself. The greeting read 'Best you fill them wisely...i will be watching' and sketching every day is what i have been doing since then.

The sketches varied from exciting to mundane,a visual record of the year through my eyes. Above meet my trusty labradorable,Pepsi, as he appeared from January through to December.
The drawings were all done with a Pilot G-TEC-C4,available in 9 colours.

The idea of sharing my drawings with others and enjoying other people's work online was brought home to me by Danny Gregory's book "An Illustrated Life" which i dip into often.Checking out drawing websites brought me to www.urbansketchers.org which i follow on facebook.I would like to be part of this amazing community hence the blog which has been more challenging to set up than the sketching!