Luís Simões, travel sketcher around the world
Project
Europe
1 year, 3 months
March 15, 2012 - June 30, 2013
After more than a decade at SIC Televisão as a motion designer, in March 2012 I set off in a motorhome across Europe with my parents to start my dream of traveling and sketching the world.
Play Video
Asia & Oceania
3 years, 5 months
1 July 2013 - 30 Nov 2016
I then took the longest train of my life, the Trans-Siberian, to explore Asia from end to end. It took almost five years and 40 illustrated notebooks. I traveled through India on a Vespa, documented the demonstrations in Hong Kong and fell in love in Indonesia.
Play Video about Great Guadiana route
South America
2 years, 1 month
27 July 2017 - 8 Sep 2019
Since then, the world has become my home, drawing a way of life and the bicycle a new way of traveling. With Anisa, we traveled through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina by bicycle, covering more than 12,000 kilometers.
Play Video
Africa
6 months, 21 days
8 Sep 2019 - 29 Mar 2020
After the experience in Latin America, I had definitely found the ideal vehicle for traveling and drawing – the bicycle. The next continent was Africa and, of course, by bicycle. We traveled through Namibia and Angola until the 2020 pandemic forced us to return home.
Play Video
Portugal
Our home... for now!
30 Mar 2020 - Today
The return made me reflect on the world tour that was already 10 years in the making. During that time, I published the first book in June 2021 called World Sketching Tour – Europe.
In 2021 and 2022, we took two electric bikes and rode around 3,000 kilometers in Portuguese territory. From that trip, we launched a new book in May 2024 called Portugal Bike & Sketch. Both books are author’s editions and can be bought here.
Play Video
Portuguese
I was born in Lisbon, Portugal. I have a degree in visual design and was a motion designer for 9 years. I’m an observer and I use the visual memory as if it is my compass. When I go out, I prefer to leave my camera at home and bring a notebook to sketch. I don’t have a preference in what I like to draw the most, but I’m often attracted by the picturesque and complex architectural views.
In 2012 I started a World Sketching Tour and since then, this has been my lifestyle. More intense, more for others, more open on how to look and judge. The tour made me get out of routines and safe places, which often leave me numb just seeing life go by slowly. Sketching has aroused my curiosity for “what will it be like on the other side of the mountain?”.
I work as an illustrator and collaborate with various brands to promote sketching, participating in exhibitions, conferences and giving sketching workshops all over the world. In 2024 I started as adventure travel leader for the Nomad agency.
- Sketches
Indonesian
I was born and raised in Surabaya, Indonesia. I graduated in Sports Science and worked in hotels as a personal trainer in Bali. I took a Yoga degree, gave classes, and in my free time I traveled around Bali.
My life was quite simple until I met Luís on his journey through Bali. In 2016 we decided to continue the World Sketching Tour together and travel to South America. I had never traveled so much in my life and I didn’t even know that you could go on a bike trip, but as I like sports, I immediately fell in love with the way we see the world on two wheels. Gradually I found my own rhythm as a traveler and being an active part of the project. Today I am the one who documents all the photography and videos and also all kinds of logistics for the project.
- Photographies
Luis and Anisa’s travel site. Sketches, books, bike routes, and tips to inspire and help other travelers on their bike tours and urban sketches.
Get in touch: wsketching@gmail.com
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