ABOUT SKETCHBAG

FAQ

The first Sketchbag ever – “the prototype” – is a hand sewn piece, made of a pillowcase.

 

  • travelling, walking and drawing was always part of my life
  • got to know urban sketchers in Lisbon in 2011
  • in the same year I spent a month in Rwanda with street children – with my fresh sketching skills
  • in 2014 I was field researching for a children’s book – that is when I really felt the need to have a proper sketching gear – the lack of which was really an obstacle – see a subject, stop, start packing out sketching tools, etc. – subject is gone, my fellow travellers waiting etc.
  • the same summer, on an art festival in Italy, ecovillage Granara with Samu – I sew my bag, by hand
  • since then it is on me almost all the time – became part of me
  • carrying all sorts of things I need to have at hand: sketching/drawing/painting tools, small sketchbook, phone, a few banknotes, a few bisquits, name cards etc.
  • people stop me and ask about it – they like it

 

The process – the journey of product development

I started to develop it as a product in 2018 – in Porto Symposium so many people have stopped me to ask where can they get this

my first product development

12 usk testers – loved their enthusiasm and totally useful feedback – amazing experience to have others reflect on what I created

turning ideas into “material” reality – hard work. i am an idea person. from finding textiles, buckles, creating designs, making hand-printed front pieces – my favourite part – to communication, social media, marketing, finding the community it is meant for… very complex, fully experimential and explorational

What is sketching and Sketchbag about – for me?

  • it is always at hand – at the same time almost invisible, I hardly notice I am wearing it
  • no more excuse to sketching! I can be fast (subject not escaping), I can be very skillful (no hussle of packing out), I can be invisible if I wish
  • obstacles gone I can focus on drawing, my sketches have improved an awful lot since
  • I sketch much much more
  • walking – I love walking. I love to be mobile, light-stepped. I hate having lots of stuff. I hate too much logistics. I love to have two free hands.
  • fast AND slow – sketching is about slow lifestyle – slowing down into the moment – at the same time I can be quick in entering into sketching
  • be present, mindful, observing
  • be invisible (very useful when in a foreign culture)
  • both hands free any time (phone, pay, kid)
  • I can roll it up and put it into my bag
  • if on me: it is like a piece of my clothing – it is pretty, it is artistic, it is cool
  • its part of me
  • urban sketchers – see the world, one drawing at a time
  • visual facilitators – everything at hand, makes you fast, lets you focus on the group, the process, the drawing
  • travellers, explorers – small, handy, easily packed up – taken out, if rolled up very small, fits anywhere – offers you a unique way of seeing the world through sketching
  • families, communities – mindful way of being together – no clicking of gadgets, no rush through your experiences – you can stop, slow into the moment, draw and share it with each other
  • artists, illustrators, creative professionals – it is invaluable for me in field work
  • urban explorers, anthropologists
  • visual journaling
  • graphomans, idea people

URBAN SKETCHING AND ME

I am not a social media person, so I rarely post. So here I gathered a few of my sketching adventures – without and later with the Sketchbag.

ireland 2010

lisbon 2011 – first meeting of USK, the method, the philosophy, my first sketcher friends

rwanda 2011

chile-brazil 2014

porto 2018

őrség 2018