Tag Archives: urban sketching Berlin

June unterweg drawings!

Transit doggy by Suzanne Forbes June 26 2017Here’s some of the drawings I’ve made while travelling about Berlin this month.

In Berlin, where dogs are allowed on the subway at all times, dogs understand about missing or catching the train. They actually hustle to get to the doors before they close. Which I find just amazing.

Maps by Suzanne Forbes May 31 2017There are maps on the ceiling of the subway cars, which is sensible!

I am doing so much experimenting with tone, pattern and value areas in these unterwegs. They are my safe space to expand my style and way of documenting things.

Suitcase by Suzanne Forbes June 15 2017This drawing was made from a quick mental snapshot.

I glimpsed this woman wearing the HELL out of a jersey wrap dress, with great hair style, as she hustled for the M10 in Friedrichshain. I was going to the U1, and I got on the train and then realized I had no pencil or even a ballpoint for the sketch I usually do before putting down ink. However I did have a white conte crayon stick and I used that to quickly rough in the gesture and forms. You can see the faint traces of white lines if you look carefully. I could have pimped it up later with background and tone and white highlights, but I just liked the simple lines so much.

You can see previous unterweg drawings here:

May bonus round

May round one

April

March 2

March

January

December

November

May unterwegs and the Berlin Music Video Awards

Amanda at the Berlin Music Video Awards by Suzanne Forbes May 18 2017Miss Natasha Enquist invited me to see her perform at the Berlin Music Video Awards opening, but I missed her!

I was teaching at our ESDIP Illustration Program, and there are no cabs in Friedrichshain! At least not at 6pm on a Thursday. I thought I could just come out of Grunberger Hof and grab a cab, like you can where we live in the West.

Nope! Seriously, in our neighborhood you can get a cab in 30 seconds. Not in the East! So I got to The Nuke Club late. But I saw Natasha in her wonderful golden sequin hot pants and fishnets outfit, and met Amanda, who let me draw her, seen above.

Tomibaez at Berlin Music Video Awards by Suzanne Forbes May 18 2017I asked her if I could draw her portrait, and she was like, no I’m sorry I’m working, I manage the VIP bar, I’m just grabbing a smoke and a drink and a snack then I gotta go back to it.

I was like, “Don’t worry! I can easily draw you in the time it takes you to have a snack and a smoke!” She was super-nice and friendly. Her mom is a painter!

I also got to draw this nice young man, who caught my eye for his gingery coloring in the Berlin sun. He was shooting for the event, so he filmed me while I drew him!

This is one of the fastest portraits I’ve ever done, less than five minutes in the crowded courtyard at Nuke Club!

I finished up two May unterwegs as well on Thursday. How I love the faces and characters of Berlin.Unterwegs butch by Suzanne Forbes May 18 2017Unterwegs femme by Suzanne Forbes May 18 2017

You can see more Unterwegs here!

April

March 2

March

January

December

November