Tag Archives: urban sketching

Feb 2020 Unterwegs – Valentine’s lovebirds, grayscale and Pencil Cleanse!

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Unterwegs with Valentines lovebirds Feb 20 2020 by Suzanne ForbesMy husband and I saw this sweet couple on the U-Bahn on Valentine’s Day.

The elegant lady was giving her partner a comforting touch on the shoulder. She noticed I was drawing them and I gave her my card, I hope she sees this!

Unterwegs Feb 20 2020 Grayscale by Suzanne ForbesTen years ago Brody, a cool person I knew in the Bay, did a Grayscale costume and makeup for Santacon.

It was so incredibly good that I have thought of her look (also known as Desaturated Santa) every time I see or type the word “Grayscale” ever since. I thought of her when I drew this grayscale unterwegs on gray paper! You really don’t see anyone reading a full-size or even a tabloid size newspaper on the subway anymore, and I miss it.

Pencil cleanse WIP by Suzanne Forbes Feb 24 2020I am conducting an occasional Pencil Cleanse.

Before I started working as a courtroom artist and then in comics, there was a period, ’89 to ’91, when I carried a sketchbook everywhere but only a mechanical pencil to draw with. All of my drawings were pencil only, or ballpoint if I ran out of leads. And they were great! They had a slow magic and a loose rhythm that my faster, rough-pencil-sketch-which-is-immediately-inked drawings of today lack.

I’d love to take a month to draw ONLY in pencil, but I just don’t dare. I don’t want to lose the chance to document a great performer because I can’t move fast enough with pencil. So instead I am doing pencil-only drawings when the stakes are low, like with unterwegs.

IT TAKES SO LONG!!!

This one is in process, with a couple hours on it already, and hundreds of corrections, perspective adjustments, and scale fixes. And yet it doesn’t look like much, right? It is the bones and vitamins of drawing, though.

You can see hundreds more unterwegs drawings celebrating life on Berlin’s public transit system here. All unterwegs drawings are courtesy of my Patrons on Patreon whose monthly financial support allows me to make this free art available!

January 2020 unterwegs!

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Unterwegs with Stella Ahangi and Brigitta Kuesgen Jan 20 2020 by Suzanne ForbesWell, actually only two three January unterwegs and one mystery underwegs!

I met lovely ladies on the S-Bahn!

The city always has a gift. I went across town to see House of Living Colors‘ Endangered Species show at Sophiensaele, but there were no tickets available. However, on the S-Bahn I met these glamorous ladies, who were heading to Alex for their event at Berlin Fashion Week.

The lady with the hat is Stella Ahangi, the powerhouse creative behind Club der Glamourösen Exzentriker. Apparently they have Glam Walks with lots of stylish older people, that start right by our house!! The lady with the blue hair is Brigitta Kuesgen.

Unterwegs boys on the U Bahn Jan 30 2020 Suzanne ForbesI also saw these boys on the platform, during this trip.

They were such a story, such a world of two, so intent. One well-cared-for, with neat braids; one with outgrown haircut and trousers. People are infinite.

Unterwegs with headphones and phones Jan 10 2020 by Suzanne ForbesThe scene above is from my travels to Kay’s t-birthday party.

I am always fascinated by the rhythms of machine-usage, like this group of people: headphones phone, headphones phone, phone, headphones!

Unterwegs with book and phones Jan 20 2020 by Suzanne ForbesThe one above is the mystery unterwegs.

When I first saw it in the sketchbook last week, I had no memory at all of drawing it. When I set to work to finish it, some vague recall came back: it was on one of the new buses, and I remember being fascinated by how much the reader had going on, clothes-wise. Those wooden toggle buttons on her canvas coat! Her hat! But when it happened, where I was going, whether it was early last spring or early last Fall – I have no idea.

You can see hundreds more unterwegs drawings celebrating life on Berlin’s public transit system here. All unterwegs drawings are courtesy of my Patrons on Patreon whose monthly financial support allows me to make this free art available!