Some time ago I found an old wiro notebook in a drawer. A scruffy wiro bound notebook with a photo of 2 men in a kayak with a bear on the front cover. In that notebook I found terrible sketches drawn in pencil made while travelling in 1991. One sketch leapt out at me. It was a rough pencil sketch of Mt Ararat from a backpacking trip to eastern Turkey. The sketch really surprised me – it was a very basic pencil sketch, drawn using a .5mm technical pencil on a cheap notepad. The sketch is just black and white… To my surprise the sounds and smells of the day came flooding back. Meeting some Kurdish goat herders and their flock near the base of Mt Ararat, about 10km from the Iranian border on a bright sunny but cool, alpine day. Along with memories of driving across the mountain steppe in an old Renault 19 and the smells of chai and coffee in a Doğubayazıt pasta solunu. It all came back come flooding back! Why did it evoke such vivid memories? I’m not really sure to be honest. Maybe t...
I recently completed an article on Auckland's recent World Manu Championships for On the Spot – the magazine for graphic journalism created by Gabi Campanario. This was a fantastic opportunity to bring a quirky slice of Aotearoa culture and share it with the world through words and pictures.
Quick sketching on the spot at an event isn't that unusual for me, but this opportunity encouraged me to push a bit deeper. As well as capturing the manu action and crowds I was able to introduce myself to some of the competitors, drawing their portraits and asking a few questions. It was a long but very satisfying day sketching amongst the crowds and blazing sun and I even got to meet (and draw) one of the winners.If you haven't read On the Spot yet, head on over there and check it out. In this issue you will also find excellent articles by reportage artists from around the globe including; Eleanor Doughty, Rolf Schröter, Joey Mason, Thierry Chehab and Lis Watkins.
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