Sketching Barcelona

The perfect introduction to the city's architectural heritage, Barcelona Sketchbook gives visitors and residents insight into a wealth of sights, both grand and intimate in scale. Many facets of the Catalonia capital and surroundings are recorded here, as Graham Byfield strolls with his sketchpad through the Ramblas, the glories of Antoni Gaudí, the great ceremonial buildings, and cafés and parks full of character. On the way, with a few pencil strokes and splashes of watercolor, he captures scenes of daily life, as well as a plethora of architectural wonders dating from the Middle Ages to the present day.Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona in the Middle Ages. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, it continued to be an important city as an economic and administrative centre and the capital of the Principality of Catalonia. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today a major tourist destination being one of the world's most visited cities. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is also an important port, has hosted two International Exhibitions and is known for its successful Summer Olympics in 1992.Accompanying the paintings and sketches are observations and notes handwritten by the artist, as well as a learned and informative introduction to Barcelona and its various areas by heritage expert Marcus Binney.

Unlock the secrets behind Barcelona’s artistic allure with this handy visual guidebook. Delve into the history of the Catalan capital’s most famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Antoni Tàpies, and discover today’s exciting creators working across many styles from figurative to abstract art; sculpture to urban art. Whether you’re a Barcelona regular or visiting for the first time, this guide will help you understand how the city acquired its unique and thriving art scene, as well as recommend ways to experience it more fully with a self-guided public art walking tour, museum and gallery listings and tips and suggestions of tapas bars, churches, arty day trips, art events and much more. Featuring exclusive interviews from some of Barcelona’s best artists, museum directors and curators, this book offers invaluable insider information that will lead to an authentic and unforgettable trip. You can also find out where to take an art class, a street art tour, see the best of Gaudí’s architecture and taste succulent local cuisine. Written by travel and culture reporter Ruby Boukabou (author of The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris, The Architecture Lover’s Guide to Paris & Sense in the City), this book is the perfect companion for anybody intrigued by Barcelona’s artistic pulse.

A visual diary of Barcelona, a real treat for sketchers and lovers of the city. Inspiration is everywhere, in all instances of city life. In this visual diary of Barcelona, a real treat for sketchers and lovers of the Catalan capital, urban sketcher Lapin creates a graphic narrative of his metropolitan surroundings to communicate a highly expressive and deeply personal vision of the city. Using vintage accounting books that he finds in flea markets, Lapin, armed with nothing more than a sketchbook, a fine liner pen, watercolor paints and his folding stool, depicts the images and phenomena of everyday city life - busy streets, bustling cafes, iconic monuments, graffiti-splashed walls, sidewalks thick with people. A sketching technique that pays meticulous attention to detail, his particular use of color and striking und humorous perspective distortions define Lapin's journalistic-like visual style. Telling evocative stories through his drawings, he also provides a fresh look at some of the urban transformations the city is currently undergoing, including green hubs and squares, parks and gardens. The artist defines himself as a "mobile illustrator", a kind of modern-day itinerant urban explorer and documentarian who immerses himself in his environment (in this case, Barcelona) and records what he sees. The result is a graphic reportage of the city's culture, from its emblematic architecture down to the ornamental concrete slabs used to pave many of its sidewalks and nearly everything else in between.

Sometimes funny, sometimes elegant, always exquisitely drawn; this annotated travel journal, portrays French illustrator Lapin's adopted home city of Barcelona.

A sketcher's guides through the city and surroundings. Each chapter has B&W sketching proposals, short place descriptions, and blank pages.

Make the world your studio! Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town. Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll find everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes. • 15 step-by-step demonstrations cover techniques for creating expressive drawings using pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. • Expert tips for achieving a balance of accuracy, spontaneity and speed. • Practical advice for working in the field, choosing subjects, coping with onlookers, capturing people in motion and more. • Daily exercises and creative prompts for everything from improving essential skills to diverse approaches, such as montages, storytelling portraits and one-page graphic novels. Whether you are a habitual doodler or a seasoned artist, The Urban Sketcher will have you out in the world sketching from the very first page. By completing drawings on the spot, in one session, you achieve a fresh impression of not just what you see, but also what it feels like to be there . . . visual life stories as only you can experience them.

?When viewed from above, Barcelona is another city. There's a different light, other colours, other rhythms, other sounds, other people...? Miguel Herranz wanders around the rooftops, lookouts, roof decks and balconies of Barcelona, sketchbook at the ready, revealing the secrets and the beauty of this hidden city located right over our heads. Falling somewhere between meticulously rendered illustration and the spontaneity of urban sketching, Miguel Herranz offers us an illustrated urban chronicle of Barcelona, the life stories of a city as seen from above: from panoramic scenes of neighbourhoods that stretch out into the sea, to the private life of the city's characteristic terrats, to all the details of the multiple eaves, gargoyles, chimneys and forests of aerials that inhabit these spaces. A secret tour through an uncharted Barcelona.

A monumentally informed and irresistibly opinionated guide to the most un-Spanish city in Spain, from the bestselling author of The Fatal Shore. In these pages, Robert Hughes scrolls through Barcelona's often violent history; tells the stories of its kings, poets, magnates, and revolutionaries; and ushers readers through municipal landmarks that range from Antoni Gaudi's sublimely surreal cathedral to a postmodern restaurant with a glass-walled urinal. The result is a work filled with the attributes of Barcelona itself: proportion, humor, and seny—the Catalan word for triumphant common sense.

The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. Authored by the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers (www.urbansketchers.org), this beautiful, 320-page volume explains urban sketching within the context of a long historical tradition and how it is being practiced today. With profiles of leading practitioners and discussions of the benefits of working in this art form, this inspiring book shows how one can participate and experience this creative outlet through modern-day social networks and online activity. You'll find more than 600 beautiful, contemporary illustrations, as well as artists' profiles and extended captions where these urban sketchers share their stories, how they work, sketching tips, and the tools behind each drawing. With sketches and observations from more than 50 cities in more than 30 countries, TheArt of UrbanSketching offers a visually arresting, storytelling take on urban life from different cultures and artistic styles, as well as insight into various drawing techniques and mediums.

Learn to draw by sketching what surrounds you everyday. In Observational Sketching, author Mariko Higaki—an ISDA Gold Award–winning industrial designer based in Japan—teaches you how to practice and learn to sketch by using well-established observational techniques. Perspective, proportion, lines, shapes, shading, and many other techniques can be learned through everyday practice and observation of the items you come in contact with everyday, from a backpack to your sunglasses. This book addresses how to approach sketching a range of shapes and materials and how to disassemble each object to accurately capture its unique design elements. Inspiration and examples from the author and other well-known artists accompany a variety of projects that you can try right away and skill-building projects that will strengthen your talent. Find within: An introduction to observational sketching The basic concepts and tools used in observational sketching Observation techniques Illustrated step-by-step instructions for creating observational sketches of 20 common objects, from a alarm clock to a wooden stool Hone your artistic skills with this daily sketching practice. Whether you are an urban sketcher or an industrial designer, this books should be part of your reference collection.