THE DYING GAUL

The Dying Gaul, Roman sculpture 1st or 2nd C.E. This masterpiece from the Capitoline Museum in Rome is here in Washington DC National Gallery of Art from Oct 15, 2013 - Jan 26,2014. The Dying Gaul was found in Rome during excavations of the Villa Ludovisi in 1621. This sculpture depicts a warrior in his final moments, his face contorted in pain just before he collapses from the mortal wound to his chest. As an image of a vanquished enemy, the sculpture embodies courage in defeat, self-possession in the face of death, and the recognition of nobility in an alien race. The Dying Gaul is a deeply moving celebration of the human spirit. It took me 3 hrs and I used black ink on white paper.

LOCK 6

LOCK 6. This lock is located at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C & O Canal) near Georgetown in Washington DC. The canal is 184 miles long and it goes parallel to the Potomac from Cumberland MD to Washington D.C. This lock and the canal was used from 1831 until 1924 where many goods came in and out. The main principal cargo in the latter years was coal which it came from the Allegheny Mountains. This is a beautiful place very near to South west Washington DC area where engineering meets nature. This fantastic place is well used by the locals for physical activities like running, fishing, or kayaking. The 1st look at the lock give you the impression of ancient ruins that just were recently discovered. The height of the lock is about 12 to 15 feet. I was bless to have the opportunity to sketch inside the canal because the water level at this time of the year is very low. During rainy season I will not have the same opportunity. I strongly recommend people to visit this little known part of the U.S. Capital history. I spend the entire day at this park and it took me 3.5 hrs of sketching with breaks in between. I used black ink on white paper.

ATHENAEUM

The Athenaeum is a very old historic fine art gallery located in old town Alexandria, VA, U.S.A. couple blocks west from the waterfront and a block south from King Street. It's a beautiful building that follows the traditions of ancient Greek temples architecture. What I love about the place is the wonderful vegetation around the building as well the very pedestrian friendly streets around the area. It's a very busy gallery as well it's a place for parties or celebrations like weddings. I walk almost everyday in front of this "temple of fine art" and every time I go by I pause to see/enjoy the architecture plus the beautiful harmony with nature. It took me 3 days before or after going to work and I sketched for 1 hr per day for a total of 3 hrs. I used black ink on white paper.

50th Anniversary March on Washington DC

During Wednesday 08.28.2013 was the amazing celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the march on Washington DC by the Civil Rights Movement and Dr Martin Luther King Jr. It was a very rainy summer day here in the mall however it was full of positive energy and diversity. There were so many people from different places around the U.S.A. and the world that came together in order to celebrate this important event in human history. I began the sketch around 1pm and I finished by 3:30pm. It took me a long time because I had to run under the big umbrella of a Ice cream street vendor car in order to continue sketching when they rain started. The owner of the Ice Cream street vendor car was very generous and she let me sketch until I finished. It took me 2.5 hrs and I used black ink and white paper.

MLK MEMORIAL VIEW FROM THE TIDAL BASIN, WASHINGTON DC

MLK Memorial view from the Tidal Basin. During the 39th world wide SKetchcrawl we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival here in Washington DC. This is an annual event where the city celebrates the beginning of Spring. The Cherry Blossom trees came from Japan during 1912 and it has become a symbol of this city. It's also a symbol of friendship between the U.S.A. and Japan. From this view you can see the Tidal Basin, the MLK Memorial and in the back the Lincoln Memorial. It was a warm windy sunny spring day in DC. This sketch took me almost 2hrs and I did it with pink, purple, red, orange, brown, and black ink in order to catch the warm spring colors of the Cherry Blossoms.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

The Smithsonian Institution (The Castle), it is a very interesting building to sketch. There are many interesting details and spaces to explore. It is very different compare to the other Classical style white color buildings around the mall. Specially the red sandstone colors and the late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs that it has.

AI WEI WEI CUBE

Ai Wei Wei Cube at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. I did this during 12.21.2012 Armageddon Day, which it was a very cold dark day and it began to snow. My wife and I decided to visit the exhibition and enjoy the art. The world did not end and the sketches continue on....;)

‎Frank Ching Lecture

‎Frank Ching lecture at Taubman College University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan. Friday 12.02.11.

Francis D.K. (Frank) Ching, University of Washington Department of Architecture from Taubman College on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/33296611

Meet the sketcher: FAIRFAX, VA > Guido C. Seoanes Perla

I spent my childhood in the Colombian northern Coastal Caribbean city of Barranquilla. Since I was a kid I was always involved in drawing competitions and in designing many different things. Currently I am a master student of Architecture at the University of Michigan Taubman College and I am planing to work in this wonderful field. I began my architectural education at the University of Washington in Seattle where I was a student of Master Frank Ching who started my passion for urban sketching. Everyone can use a simple camera in order to take a picture of a place and move on without understanding or caring a bout it.....The importance of sketching is that a person can appreciate the details of a place and he or she will began to understand it by just drawing which it helps the individual to preserve the memory for many years to come.

Guido C. Seoanes Perla

MLK Memorial Washington DC

MLK Memorial Sketch during the opening week August 2011. 1st sketch done of the memorial by a member of the public since opened.

Abraham Lincoln Memorial

I love Abraham Lincoln and his Memorial is super cool, this time a lot of kids wanted to see what I was doing and take pics of me.

Washington Monument

Washington Memorial, sketching after work and I got the attention of the Secret Service for doing so.

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill, I began to have followers and I got a lot of positive complements from people in the area.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial