Event Review: Urban Sketchers Enugu — A View From My Sketchbook.

It’s a breezy July evening, and despite the week-long Sallah festivities coming to an end, Enugu’s Polo Park Mall — an active entertainment hub and center of commerce is still abuzz with activities. It’s a Saturday. Finding parking is not too tasking, and inside the mall is bustling with energy that’s vibrant and yet mellow. A bevy of young Fulani babes giggle as they walk across the food court collectively dressed in spaghetti strap tops and colorful Ankara wrappers, donning colorful head scarves and shiny silver drop earrings. Bored store attendants at the high-end TM Lewin store look like they could use some incoming traffic, whereas queues are starting to build up for ice-cream at ColdStone creamery. Four reverend sisters clad in blue veils and white wimples make their way into a utility store, while some young boys wait around for their turn as others toss a small white ball back and forth over a game of table tennis.

This effervescent space would serve as the assembly point for the Urban Sketchers Enugu group, a small party of like minded creatives who are enthusiastic about art, and gathered periodically to draw on location in their city. Having a theme aptly called A View from My Sketchbook, the art makers showed up yesterday at the mall with their sketchpads, pencils and ink to graphically record what they saw, without the use of technology. Attendees were graphic designers, illustrators, recent graduates, architects and each one brought their own medium and individual style.

After a quick introductory chat, each one dispersed into the crowd to find their personal angles. For some, it meant sitting on a defunct escalator that straddled two of the building’s three floors. Others would walk around to capture a backdrop of the tall outdoor ferris wheel spinning gently against the dull evening skies. Or target the fast food chain restaurants that littered the food court. Or whatever. The rules were simple and the sketches were freehand.

Overall the interaction was positive and good-natured. The event fostered camaraderie, local and cultural individuality, and was a nice way to spend two hours on the weekend, plus attendance was free and open to the public. At the end, pictures of the finished sketches were taken and uploaded to the group’s Facebook page.

For information about the group or past/upcoming activities, you’ll find details here.