Inside outside
Posted: April 24, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Hoi An, travel sketching, urban sketch, Vietnam, watercolour sketch 6 CommentsWe arrived in Vietnam late at night, so it wasn’t until the next day that I could really see what Hoi An looked like. When I threw open the blackout curtains on our first morning I saw two things. The first view of the manicured hotel grounds was directly below our balcony: a turquoise swimming pool surrounded by lounge chairs, lush greenery, silk lanterns and a poolside bar. The second view — beyond the hotel — was the Vietnam that I had been looking forward to seeing (and sketching): a bustling street with noisy scooters flying by, an outdoor restaurant with tiny red stools, construction workers wearing Nón Lá (the conical Vietnamese bamboo hats), all of it lit by a hazy orange sun coming up in the sky. In preparation for my first day of teaching, I sat in the shade of our hotel entrance to draw this busy scene.
On the first morning of the tour, my group and I drew this view together. For this one I used ink instead of pencil for the initial drawing, and I also simplified the composition.
Note: I do not recommend the tour company that hosted my group. If you are thinking of going to Vietnam on a sketching trip, please email me privately for more details.
I am traveling vicariously through your paintings. They are always wonderful. Have you thought of publishing another book.? I bought your small one” Mostly Montreal” many years ago.
True gems – love all of the colours and how you delivered them – everything flows 🙂 thx!
Shari, I love your sketches—they perfectly convey the heat and the rich orange sun you described in the newsletter. So evocative!
Shari, thank you for sharing your feelings on the first day and the tour in general!
Hi Shari,
I LOVE your posts! I am going to Viet Nam in November, the trip leader for a hiking trip. But I always do some sketching on my own and someday would LOVE to join one of your trips. Do you have a tour company that you recoil Viet nam? This time I am set up, but would
Love recommendations for the future. SFe travels!
So glad the views are just what you hoped for. Great sketches! Sorry the tour company isn’t one you would recommend.