Urban Sketching Symposium, Part 1: Discovering Paraty, Brazil

I really enjoyed meeting other sketchers from around the world and sketching, eating and drinking together for ten magical days in Brazil. Urban Sketching Symposium was hosted in Paraty, Brazil this year. Even though I learned about this town for the very first time when the Symposium location was announced, I'm glad I went to Paraty to discover its charms.

I arrived in Paraty two days before the Symposium began, so I had time to settle in and wander with sketchbook in hand, meeting other sketchers along the way.

Large chunks of rocks that lined the streets forced me to walk carefully, which also made me observe the surroundings and marvel at small details. The town is so lush and full of greenery that flowers were growing out of rooftops, and I was awaken by chirping of unfamiliar birds. I also miss eating cheese bread and fresh tropical fruits every morning!

The historical center is closed off to cars and small enough to be walked across in an afternoon, which makes it an ideal location to sketch freely. Horse-drawn carts are used to ferry tourists and cargo around town.

Most of the buildings in historical centers are unchanged for centuries. Brightly-colored window sills and doorways contrast sharply from white and light-colored buildings. Blue and white banners are hung over the main street of Rua do Comércio. This watercolor was sketched on handmade Laloran accodion-fold sketchbook, which was one of the symposium gifts. I love their sketchbooks, so I ordered two more small sketchbooks ahead of time and picked them up at the symposium. Big thanks to Ketta for lovingly crafting the sketchbooks, and João for delivering them!

While I was sitting and sketching at Praça Matriz, a folklore festival happened to start up: this is the case of being at right place at the right time moment.

Paraty is known to host festivals throughout the year, and sure enough, there was another festival coming up. Food carts were lined along the plaza so I made this sketch to add to my food truck/food cart sketch collection. Churros looked pretty much the same as Mexican churros I see at home, but this cart had a deep fryer powered by propane tank that allowed the vendor to sell a freshly-fried snack.

Sketching adventure continued when the symposium began....