Cartagena, Colombia

It was six in the morning in Cartagena when I woke up. I looked out the window and saw the clear sky. I dressed, put my shoes on, and packed the “office” bag with me. I left home and bought fresh water for the 20-minute walk into town. The path wasn’t interesting and so I kept thinking about what I had seen the day before and I could draw today. Inside the walls, in the center, it was difficult to choose what to draw. All the houses and corners would give a good picture.

At 6:30 in the morning the shops are still closed and there is very little movement of cars. The sun is still not falling on my back and the shadows bring volume to the silent streets. It feels nice to sketch like this in Cartagena. I stuck to a blue building I had seen the day before. I knew exactly where it was, I just had to choose where to sit. At that precise moment when I start with my loose geometry lines, a man passes on a bicycle … I had to capture it in the drawing. I imagined myself driving the streets with that bike with a white hat. The colors were the biggest challenge to highlight the shades of Cartagena. At last, I wanted to draw more, but the heat intensified and it was no longer possible for long sketches. I have been drawing on loose sheets and notebooks, so the loose sheets can be sell and the money help in the trip, while the book keeps and explains my travel stories!