A few weeks after meeting some local collectors at a mini-penmeet, an invite landed in our group chat for something bigger: a Museum Sketchmeet at the National Museum of Iloilo. There were clearly more creatives in our fountain pen community than I’d realized at that first small gathering.
The invite came from a member who uses his fountain pens for sketching and painting urban scenes. As usual, I was shy at first, but I let him know I wanted to join. The sketchmeet would be held at the National Museum of Iloilo.
Walking Into the National Museum of Iloilo
The day came, and I arrived at the National Museum of the Philippines Iloilo as scheduled. I was surprised by the number of tables set up when I walked in. Beforehand, I’d done a little research on the sketch group and seen around 10 regular members. I figured I could handle meeting that many people. I was wrong.
By the time the program started, all nine tables were filled with people of all ages. I overheard the organizers mention around 40+ registrations, and my heart rate immediately skyrocketed. My smartwatch was even sending me notifications about how flustered I was.
What Is Urban Sketching, Anyway?
The member who invited me described himself as an urban sketcher, which is its own small movement within the art world. Urban sketching means drawing or painting on location, in real time, instead of working from a photo back home.
The unspoken rule is that you draw what’s actually in front of you, imperfections and all, rather than a tidied-up version of it. The movement started as a loose online community in the mid-2000s. It’s since turned into local chapters in cities all over the world, including here, which is how a regional branch of the National Museum became a regular meeting spot for a group like ours.
Finding My Calm
Thankfully, nervous as I was, I’d come there to make art, and painting has always been one of the most calming things I do. As soon as I picked up my brush, I cooled down and focused on my gouache sketch for the next two hours.
Gouache gets picked for days like this for a reason. It’s basically opaque watercolor, which means you can layer a light color over a dark one without waiting forever for things to dry. Mistakes are also easier to paint over than they are with regular watercolor. For anyone sketching against a two-hour clock surrounded by people they’d just met, that kind of forgiveness matters more than any technical skill.
Toward the end of my painting session, my heart and mind had calmed down enough to notice the world around me again. I got the chance to talk to my seatmate, who turned out to be around my age. We got to know each other as everyone wrapped up their sketches.
What Is “Lapag”?
At the end of our sketchmeets, there’s an activity we call “Lapag,” a local word that roughly means “spread” or “lay out.” Everyone’s sketches get laid down on the floor, ground, or table so the whole group can see each other’s work. Having a spread of everyone’s perspective side by side is a fantastic way to close out a session.
It was only about halfway through the month, and I’d already attended two brand-new events. My social energy was thoroughly drained, but I enjoyed every bit of it. Both communities were starting to feel like home.
Around that same time, our sketch group was also gearing up for its next outdoor meet at Plaza Libertad on National Heroes Day.
Quick Answers
What is urban sketching? It’s the practice of drawing or painting on location in real time, rather than working from a photo. It started as an informal global movement in the mid-2000s and now has local chapters in cities worldwide, including sketch groups that meet regularly at the National Museum of Iloilo.
Why do artists use gouache for sketching? Gouache is opaque and fast-drying, so you can layer light colors over dark ones without waiting, and cover up mistakes more easily than with regular watercolor. That makes it forgiving for quick, timed sketching sessions.
What does “Lapag” mean? It’s what our sketch group calls the activity where everyone lays their finished sketches out together at the end of a session so everyone can see each other’s work.