Back in 2015, I had the opportunity to organize the first sketchcrawl of Urban Sketchers-Ilocos chapter in Baguio City in collaboration with students from the UP College of Fine Arts. Engaging with urban sketching as a collective and site-responsive activity, this event allowed me to learn more as a RCA of the group. There was no existing urban sketchers group in Baguio back then.
Together with the students, we explored various public spaces, parks, churches, and pedestrian overpasses with each location presenting a different atmosphere. Sketching in parks allowed us to observe moments of rest and social interaction, mga tahimik na sandali sa araw-araw. Churches, on the other hand, offered a contrast: spaces of stillness, reflection, and architectural weight. The pedestrian overpass, perhaps the most unassuming of our chosen locations, became one of the most compelling. There, the continuous flow of people, mga nagmamadali, mga naglalakad lang challenged us to capture movement, proportion, and fleeting gestures within a limited time.
Organizing this sketchcrawl was both challenging and deeply rewarding. As my first experience leading an urban sketching event, it required coordination, planning, and trust in the process. More importantly, it demanded openness to uncertainty, to improvisation, and to the dynamics of working in public space. Hindi lahat kontrolado, and that unpredictability became part of the learning experience.
What stood out most was the sense of shared purpose and community. The students worked side by side, exchanging ideas, materials, and perspectives. Although we occupied the same physical locations, each sketch reflected an individual way of seeing. This diversity of interpretation reinforced the idea that urban sketching is not about replication, but about presence, pakikinig, at pagmamasid.
This sketch crawl reaffirmed my belief in drawing as a form of engagement with place. It emphasized process over polish, observation over spectacle. By situating our practice in public spaces, we allowed the city and its people to shape our work in real time. The act of drawing became a quiet dialogue between the artist and the environment, isang tahimik na pakikipag-usap sa lungsod.
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