It was around two months back when Russell Market, Shivajinagar suffered from a fire causing quite a loss to the vendors who have their business running from generations over there. I wanted to make a visit there and see what the situation is like but was hesitant about it because I was sure media people would have already crowded the market and adding to it with my presence, trying to mesaure their sorrows seemed a bit obtrusive to me. That's when I had decided to make a visit there in the next sketchcrawl.
I reached the market around 9 in the morning and found the vendors busy setting up their shops. The flowers were getting a new drench of water, vegetables getting stocked and fumbled out of the big sacks. I tried looking for the left out signs of the two month old tragedy but the dark wires and wall corners didn't suggest whether the tarnished look came out of a fire or just old age. This market couldn't afford slowing down and I was quite glad to see it bustling again. I found a seating spot in an empty shop and my friend Khushboo joined too in the sketchcrawl. This time I decided to sketch with photo inks as it takes away a bit of your desired control of strokes adding that needed play of colours and line quality. Here are my two sketches done at Russell market and Bamboo Bazaar.
After two sketches, we moved to Koshy's for some plain good cold coffee. Koshy's one of the places were you will often find faces that you saw the last time when you came. The same old men would be sitting discussing politics, sharing household news, catching up on the well being of other friends...in the middle of this Mr. Koshy would be seen chatting with his regular visitors and friends. While sipping on the hot coffee (the waiter didn't hear the 'cold' in the 'cold coffee') I drew a few of those old familiar faces. Khushboo showed one of the sketches to the uncle I drew and we got his address to send him a copy. The men on the neighbouring table took a notice of what I was doing and asked me to draw one of the guys sitting with them, which I happily agreed to. I have his address too to send the drawing. Here are the portraits from Koshy's.
I reached the market around 9 in the morning and found the vendors busy setting up their shops. The flowers were getting a new drench of water, vegetables getting stocked and fumbled out of the big sacks. I tried looking for the left out signs of the two month old tragedy but the dark wires and wall corners didn't suggest whether the tarnished look came out of a fire or just old age. This market couldn't afford slowing down and I was quite glad to see it bustling again. I found a seating spot in an empty shop and my friend Khushboo joined too in the sketchcrawl. This time I decided to sketch with photo inks as it takes away a bit of your desired control of strokes adding that needed play of colours and line quality. Here are my two sketches done at Russell market and Bamboo Bazaar.
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| Russell Market |
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| Bamboo Bazaar |
After two sketches, we moved to Koshy's for some plain good cold coffee. Koshy's one of the places were you will often find faces that you saw the last time when you came. The same old men would be sitting discussing politics, sharing household news, catching up on the well being of other friends...in the middle of this Mr. Koshy would be seen chatting with his regular visitors and friends. While sipping on the hot coffee (the waiter didn't hear the 'cold' in the 'cold coffee') I drew a few of those old familiar faces. Khushboo showed one of the sketches to the uncle I drew and we got his address to send him a copy. The men on the neighbouring table took a notice of what I was doing and asked me to draw one of the guys sitting with them, which I happily agreed to. I have his address too to send the drawing. Here are the portraits from Koshy's.
