Scooters
Posted: April 23, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Hoi An, sketchbook, travel sketch, urban sketch, Vietnam, watercolour sketch 17 CommentsThere’s a very welcoming café facing the east side of the central market in Hoi An. You can sit there for hours, undisturbed, drawing and enjoying a Vietnamese coffee or fresh coconut water. It was one of my favourite spots in the city. From there I watched the vendors selling yellow flowers and the ladies shredding fresh coconuts.
I realized quite quickly that there was a constant stream of shoppers parking their scooters in front of me. Instead of ignoring them, I added the scooters in as foreground shapes. In a scene like this where the middle section is full of colour and detail, I decided that it would be best to leave the scooters as near-silhouetted shapes. They are not the focus here. I drew them quickly, knowing that they would be gone very soon, and added a few simple washes of shadow colour on them. Like the yellow walls and the silk lanterns, they are everywhere in Hoi An and a street scene would not be complete without them.
I also did a quick sketch of the coconut ladies on another visit.
What a clever idea for the scooters and it works perfectly too!
Thanks Tony!
Beautiful colours. Really nice energy 🙂
Thanks so much Chris.
Shari, I love how you left the scooters sparky white. It makes the composition so interesting! Can look at this picture for hours and discover new details. Thank you for sharing!
Natalia, as I was scanning this I was thinking about your market scene and how exciting it was! I’ll never forget that crazy morning.
Yes, it was “crazy”. Thank you for staying back on that day! ☺️
I love the colours of this place and the lanterns! We need lanterns in our lives. The scooter treatment is brilliant. I also love that you could sit and sketch for hours at that cafe. What an amazing experience, thank you for sharing it.
It really was a memorable experience. My husband discovered this cafe when I was sketching on the other side of the market, and he was the one who brought us there to sketch. And yes, we all need lanterns in our lives!!
That morning is a wonderful memory. And, of course,I love this sketch!
Thanks Alison. It really was a wonderful morning!!
What a strong painting. The scooters really are effective. And the pastels are reflected at the top . Love this painting.
Judy, thanks!
Loving these sketches, Shari. MY Vietnamese experience happened this week at the mall. I decided to try Pho Bo (beef/noodle) soup. While waiting for it to cool, I took a bite of what looked to be a cucumber or zucchini slice that was served as a side dish. I simply touched it to my lips and nearly fell off the chair! Felt like a literal burn, and lasted at least two minutes. Shortly after that, In inadvertently touched my eye with the fingers I had used to pick up the slice, and again, felt like a knife had pierced my eye! This also took at least two minutes to wear off. I asked the clerk what it was on that dish: jalapeno!!!! So, be careful there with the food, unless you know you like jalapeno. It’s hard for me to understand how anyone can actually enjoy eating something like that….
Oh no Rita! I have had the same thing happen to me, but not on this trip. I like spicy food but I was very careful in Vietnam. The chili paste is actually not that hot but the fresh peppers are, so I stayed away from those. I am sorry that this happened to you. I hope you recovered enough to enjoy the rest of you Pho. So delicious!
I treasure the day we all just enjoyed sketching together. It really helps me to see how you handle the chaos of all the things for sale and the balance of the lights and darks. Leaving the scooters undefined almost makes them invisible which in someways they were, never there long enough, but always there. Love this sketch.
Kathy, I treasure that day too! It was one of the most relaxing days of our trip, wasn’t it. I loved having that fresh coconut and hanging out with all of you!