IT was a holiday. But when they were supposed to be relaxing at a beach or at the mall with family or friends, these architects were busy with their pencils and watercolor brushes.
Formed through their common passion for manual sketching and watercolor paintings, this group of Cebuano architects, dubbed “Arkisketchers Cebu,” aims to put life back into what they consider as the “dying art” of architectural sketching.
Arkisketchers Cebu was conceptualized during the chapter presidents’ meeting, which was part of the activities of the United Architects of the Philippines’ (UAP) Joint Area Assembly in Iloilo.
“Architect Jojo Partosa and I were brainstorming for a UAP Regional District activity. It turns out that one of his chapter members, Clint Ponsica, who came back from Singapore, was a member of Urban Sketchers Singapore. We also noted that a few of us were already doing outdoor sketches and paintings on our own, individually. That’s when everything fell into place,” narrates architect Loloy Castro, one of the group’s convenors. He then called for a meeting with UAP District C1 director, Augusto Lee, with other “outdoor sketchers” including Partosa, Richie Vios and Ryan Cabanlit, wherein they planned out their first outdoor sketching stint.
Unlike the Urban Sketchers of Singapore, who do a “sketch walk” for 45 minutes to an hour in every location, Arkisketchers Cebu chooses one place for each session, wherein they stay there for around three hours doing what they do best. The first sessions of the group were held in important historical and tourist districts of Cebu, attracting a handful of architects, young and old. They usually schedule their sessions on non-working holidays.
“I am very fortunate to have found a group of architects who have the same hobby as mine. As an architect, sketching with them has not only honed the skills that we got during our college days but it also allowed us to learn from each other especially from colleagues who have been sketching and painting for more years than us,” says architect and college instructor Ryan Cabanlit, who considers sketching as one of the things that kept him interested in architecture during his student days.
Next year, the group will be showcasing their works in an exhibit at Robinsons Galleria on Feb. 16-22. What makes this all worth visiting is that it is for the benefit of the Cancer Warriors Foundation. Talk about architects using their creative talents to help those who are in need.
Drawing, done by the hand, has always been the most effective design communication tool for architects. Every stroke contains the essence of their hard-thought concepts and their souls as designers. However, with numerous drawing softwares emerging, it is clearly evident even with many architecture students today that their keenness toward picking up their pencils, coloring markers, watercolor brushes and doing a straight manual drawing continue to fade. In time for this year’s National Architecture Week, Archisketchers Cebu’s positive spirits are keeping the enthusiasm toward manual architectural sketching and watercolor paintings alive among architects and future architects.