Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. March 13-19, 2023.

March 13-12, 2023. Days 385-390 of war.
We had some wonderful conversations this week. My parents told me stories about my childhood conversations with dogs on the streets, elephants in the zoo, and a picture that one of my brothers drew on the door. We talked about the difference between Ukrainian words for the frog and toad and how Google translate is failing sometimes with Ukrainian one way but works the other way. 
Tрey sang me a song (which is always a treat!) - it is called a Hutzulka Ksenya - and is a version of the Ukrainian tango and is mentioning a Ukrainian musical instrument which my parents' claim is the longest musical instrument in the world - Trembita :) 

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 3: Process Photos, Sketching Materials and Sketchbook Flip-Through

I started telling a story of the trip to Croatia in my previous posts:
Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 1: Cities 
Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 2: Views

And this is Part 3 - where I will share some photos of the sketching-in-process, as well as a list of my materials which I made to start the trip and some thoughts on what materials I used the most at the end of the trip. And to combine it all - a video of a sketchbook flip-through where you can see how it all look in real life.

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 2: Views

I started telling a story of the trip to Croatia in my previous post: Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 1: Cities and continue it with a Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 3: Process Photos, Sketching Materials and Sketchbook Flip-Through

Apart from the old cities, the places I enjoyed the most were the mountaintops. To me, there is no better way to get a feel for a place than to get as high as possible and try to make sense of the general idea of the land. And the seashore with views of endless islands and water of colors that change while I try to name them, captured my heart for good! I will have to come back and sketch these again! 

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 1: Cities 
Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 2: Views

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 3: Process Photos, Sketching Materials and Sketchbook Flip-Through

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 1: Cities

In February of this year I went to Croatia to visit my parents (I've uploaded a bunch of portraits from the visit here) - and now I scanned and sorted out a bunch of sketches to share here. 

First and foremost - February is an amazing time to visit Croatia - we were lucky with the weather of course but having all the historical places to ourselves was such a treat! Taking a tour guide (which we did for Split) is always a great idea! We enjoyed a curated approach to a city where one can spend years researching things and connecting epochs! The nature was stunning and I got my feet in the Adriatic sea even if for just a minute :) We tried some local fish dishes, famous lamb roasted on a spit, both red and white wines, and some gorgeous desserts! Here are some sketches from the visits to the old cities:

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 1: Cities 
Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 2: Views

Trip to Croatia (2023) - Sketchbook - Part 3: Process Photos, Sketching Materials and Sketchbook Flip-Through

Drawn reports in the form of the portraits - war in Ukraine. March 6-12, 2023.

March 6-12, 2023. Days 379-384 of war.
This week started with a conversation about one of my parent's friends. They finally got in touch with him and found out that he was ok but had to take his wife to the hospital. My parents were in a good mood about it because a) he was not only alive but restored his computer which was damaged when russian missile exploded in his backyard in 2022.  b) the hospital on the outskirts of Kharkiv was still working and taking non-war patients c) his wife was alive and, hopefully, getting some help! Unfortunately by the end of the week, all of Ukraine and Kharkiv in particular were shelled badly. The city was without power and water for a few days and my parent's friend lost his wife. The overall mood went down. Mom said: we feel like we are a suitcase without a handle.

We also talked about international women's day and some new Ukrainian authors that were honored (though my parents disagree with the choices, it is always great to hear about their alternatives). I shared a tulip that is growing on my table and Mom told me about an interesting new plant that she found but we haven't identified it yet. And they prepared some new Ukrainian words for me to learn.