Morocco Sketches

March 16, 2015 | Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech Medina Entryway

I was drawn to the amazing entryways in the Marrakech medina. Almost every door has its own personality. I used ultramarine ink from Winsor & Newton in an inkwash to sketch this entrance.

February 6, 2014 | Marrakech, Morocco

Moroccan Commuters

Commuters in the Marrakech medina. Micron pens and Copic sketch markers.

February 6, 2014 | Diabat, Morocco

Black-winged Stilts

Black-winged Stilts from the Oued Igrounzer near Diabat, Morocco. Micron liner pens and Copic sketch markers.

January 01, 2014 | Marrakech, Morocco

Bab Agnaou Gate

I was obsessed with the Bab Agnaou Gate in Marrakech long before I finally saw it in person last year. This intricate gate, built in the twelfth century, is one of nineteen historic gates and is inlaid with floral decorations. In the late evening, the sun hits the gate directly, and vivid oranges and slate blues. I sketched the gate from my photo using sepia ink and copic markers.

October 8, 2013 | Marrakech, Morocco

Guerrab Water Seller

A Guerrab water seller in Marrakech wears traditional berber dress for this profession. Sketched with copic markers.

October 8, 2013 | Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech Skyline

The Marrakech skyline has this frantic, disorganized look about it, and united only by drab, sandy colors and thousands of satellite dishes. But I spent a lot of time up here while in Marrakech, and found that it made a wonderful place for birdwatching and observing life in this city. In the late evenings, the sky was filled with swifts and martins, and beyond them, high up in the sky, migrating hawks and cranes. Although from my vantage point, I could never see down below in the streets, I would catch people as they took a break on their rooftop, to change laundry or to grab a smoke. Sketched with copic markers and a sepia liner pen from Micron.

August 12, 2013 | Marrakech, Morocco

El Badi Palace

The El Badi Palace was under construction when I visited. All the construction equipment made me want to imagine it in a different age. In this sketch, I imagined the Palace in the seventeenth century, when it fell into disrepair and its main courtyard and pools were likely overgrown. Would have been an amazing stopover for shorebirds.

April 17, 2013 | Marrakech, Morocco

Map of Morocco

Map of Morocco. I used copic sketch pens for this Morocco map.

March 17, 2013 | Marrakech

Moroccan Truck

Truck owners in Morocco pride themselves in the distinctive details of their truck. This one in Marrakech had custom decals and hand-painted elements throught.

March 16, 2013 | Marrakech, Morocco

Moroccan Suzuki Truck

Morocco is famous for its big, overpacked overland trucks, but I was partial to this pint-sized Suzuki I found in Marrakech. Ornate wood, canvas and painted metal adorned the cargo back.

February 21, 2013 | Diabat, Morocco

Renault 4

The Renault 4 is everpresent in Morocco, and I was surprised by how many were in such good shape with their original stone paint jobs. This Renault is almost non-

existent in the states, but it is one of the sharpest car models in the world.

April 4, 2013 | Marrakech

Marrakech Vendor Cart

I couldn't figure out the purpose of this giant hand-push cart, seen outside the gates of the Marrakech medina. It was overloaded with used office furniture, and it reminded me of how transportation might look in a dystopian future.

February 20, 2013 | Morocco Sketch Journal

Marrakech Moleskine Journal

Some pages from my Marrakech Moleskine journal. I use my Moleskine as a trip planner, a self-made guidebook, and a sketchbook. This journal I sketched in nut brown and orange winsor-newton inks. Since there is no inexpensive guidebook to the birds of North Africa or Morocco, I used my moleskine journal to create my own. The process of sketching bird species from photos is very useful because it makes the process of learning their names much easier. In fact, the birds of Morocco tend to come in bland desert colors - many creams, tans and browns. Having just two inks to draw them in helped me distinguish them better.