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| A selection of photos from the Doha SketchCrawl |
Enrico Casarosa, who established the Worldwide SketchCrawl, suggested that this weekend's event should be a benefit drawing marathon for Japan. Here in Doha, I arranged an event for the day before as some people work on Saturday, including several of my architect friends - for most of us our weekend is Friday/Saturday. After setting up an event on facebook, I then posted it on some event forums, plus put up and/or mailed flyers around the city and posted here. I suggested a minimum donation to join in as it seem that many people here have already given to various charities helping Japan.
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| ShelterBox emergency equipment © ShelterBox 2010. |
I have donated through the charity shelterbox, who provide emergency boxes, with each box supplying an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. Please check out their website. They are also in UK, shelterbox.org, and you can read reports about their work in Japan on both sites.
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| WIP. Pencil. A4 ©Sue Pownall |
Enrico suggested us crawlers collect sponsorship, so I printed out some forms and asked my colleagues at work. Some gave a fixed amount whilst others offered to pay a per picture amount, motivation to draw lots on the day, however the storms of the previous days made drawing loads doubtful. One colleague took a form into his classroom and got some incredible amounts pledged. Yet another colleague asked me to draw a picture of his sons for “a large donation”. Whilst, I find pencil drawings a bit flat and boring, I of course started the drawing that night. It is still a work in progress (above) but will be finished before work on Sunday.
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| My 1st A5 sketch. Brunch in the Atrium. ©Sue Pownall |
Friday arrived and it was pouring with rain. Here in the Gulf, in April, it is an unusual phenomenon, and we have had storms on and off for the last few days. I don't have an umbrella, so began to wonder how to draw and keep both me and my sketchbook dry. Our meeting point was the Atrium Lounge café
at the Sheraton and I arrived early to get my first sketch done and to worry if anyone else would come out in the rain.
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| 2: Orchids, coffee pot, dessert ©Sue Pownall |
At 12.30, start time, S called to say he was on the way and arrived a little later with 2 others, and before them 3 of my good friends turned up. Drinking teas and coffees, which the lovely café staff brought with big smiles, we drew each other, hotel things, even the biscuits which came with the drinks.
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| 3. F sketching me sketching him. ©Sue Pownall |
We stayed there in case anyone else was going to show up and until we were out of inspiration, but it was only the 7 of us when we moved about 2.30.
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| 5 .K & K with shisha pipe (no predrawing) ©Sue Pownall |
Outside it was still raining and very windy, so a plan B was quickly hatched. Jumping into the cars we went to a local's cafe at the other end of the Corniche and secured a table outside, but under a straw awning. Sketching recommenced whilst more teas and coffees were drunk and some shisha (hubbly bubbly pipes) smoked. At one point, an Omani sat at the next table with his friends asked to be drawn so F & I obliged and then gave him the drawings in exchange for a donation to our drawing fund.
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| 7. Khamis by me ©Sue Pownall |
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| Khamis with Khamis by F |
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| omg do I really pull such faces when drawing |
Finally, around 5, we posed with our sketchbooks and said our goodbyes, promising to sketch together again soon. I hope so as it was a lovely afternoon, although tiring from the concentration of drawing so much.
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| 31st WW SkC - Doha Sketchers |
Thank you all for turning up and making it a successful afternoon. Our donation envelope held 330 Qatari Rial, about $90 at the end of the day. My sponsorship and the amount for the pencil sketch are still to be collected.
Edit: A map of all the 31st SketchCrawls that took place and their results (currently a work in progress as the results come in)
View 31th World Wide SketchCrawl in a larger map
