101_9 Brussels Town Hall

Another building in my 101 series – this one was really way to hard for my to do justice to on a Friday night, after a busy few days at work, while half watching tennis and listening to cricket - at the same time!
Special thanks to Gerard Michel who kindly sent me some information on this amazing building.

A few details - I need to develop a technique for drawing quick but accurate plans for on-location occasions.

090126 Australia Day

Australia Day – a morning sketching in a park on the outskirts of Sydney with its own historic homestead and farming displays. A lovely relaxing morning – it was especially nice to sit in a shady arbour and sketch Netherby Homestead.

Morning Tea would not have won any catering awards but it was delightfully ‘old style country Australian’ like you would get from your grandmother. The men and women(mainly retired) that run the show added to a lovely experience.

Also part of the park is a garden of many nations... We really didn’t want to spend the whole day here so I thought I didn’t really have time to sketch...but I couldn’t resist!

I was sketching at total panic rate here....trying to keep up with my companion who was taking photos.
Now I am back home to watch the cricket for the rest of the day.

090124 Too Hot to Sketch Outside

Was hoping to go sketching today - but no way in this heat.
Even sitting inside in an air conditioned room (AC is struggling today) the heat coming in the window was not really pleasant - dread to think how much heat will be radiating from that long driveway later in the afternoon.
I just discovered that at the moment of posting this Sydney is the hottest place in the world - 41C

090124 Iced VoVo

While doing my Food ABC I discovered this amazing quote from our 'new' Prime Minister's victory speech. Rather topical for this week, hey?

I don't really like Iced VoVos but they are pretty to draw. The background is loosely based on the back of the biscuit. I have no idea why they are called vovo.

090124 Food ABC

A new project
Sketchbook Project 2009.
Fill a pocket moleskine cahier notebook before February
the theme: 'Everyone we know'
My take - is 'Everyone we know loves food' such as.....

I am so predictable I know... but I had to find something that I can easily fill a book with.

The paper is not suitable for applying water to so I am doing it with WC pencils or crayons and working fast...
Unfortunately the ink and colour will come through and the paper crinkle but hey - that is ok... more fun!
I am seriously worried about how I am going to get this done in the time that I just have to get stuck into it and not worry too much about the individual pages!

090117 101_8 S Francesco Rimini

Can you believe it... I haven’t used my paints all week!! (but have still drawing nearly every day in the food ABC with WC pencils- just haven’t been scanning and posting them)
Anyway, tonight I felt the urge to get back to my 101 buildings project... It has been a while since I did one. Ah! There is something about drawing Italian Renaissance or Baroque architecture that just hits the spot for me!
This building, by Alberti, was never finished and is based on the Roman triumphal arch motif (for those of you who are interested)

090110 Solo Sketchcrawl

Unfortunately, I was not able to join in the Sydney Team for the Sketchcrawl which was a real pity as they had a group of 15 people. But of course I still spent the day sketching! I had a quiet morning at home and then went out to another of those special places on the Harbour shores (technically it is Parramatta River at this point) – this time a lovely landscaped memorial walkway in memory of the thousands of Australians that died or were injured during the war in Papua New Guinea, and a modern landscaped park created out of a commonwealth shipyard no longer used.

Happy Sketchcrawl to you all – mine is over but for some of you it is just beginning. Can’t wait to see your sketches and I hope you all have a good day.

090109 Holiday to Port Macquarie

Been away again for a few days - another girlie holiday with some relative visits as well (my grandma)

Went with my friends cousin's family of 3 boys to Timbertown a heritage place - while the boys were on the train I started drawing...

A bit of collage/ scrapbooking here.... the timber cottage sketch is below (I just had to include a print out of the photo from our first visit!)

Yes, it was a real girlie holiday - we do lots of talking over food which gives me plenty of sketching opportunities. If you are wondering, yes that is my pot and cosy - I know that I am a real tea-nutter taking my pot(and cosy) on holiday with me!

Dinner... it is a tradition that we have thai one night - pity that Port Macquarie's thai is not quite as good as it is in Sydney!

Lunch the next day- I didn't draw my food (must have been REALLY hungry!) but did draw the view. The old art deco movie theaters which now has McDonalds at street level.

Ok - coffee and cake - how could I resist?

An amazing dinner - we had so much fun either sketching or photographing the food which was sensational

All waiters/waitresses and everyone in the kitchen were shown my book so i thought they ought to sign it!
Great place to eat if you are in Port Macquarie!
We talked about my next visit with the staff on leaving - I will get the best looking meal - whether I feel like it or not. Chilli crab was suggested - mmm I think I would feel like that! Plus the special Apprentice chefs chocolate constructions for dessert!

I think this says it all!

090105 Random stuff

Sketching my friends comfy chair while waiting for the last minute packing

A nice quiet morning - unpacking and then about to start packing again for another short holiday, Ah! I love summer holidays

Another visit to the teahouse - unsuccessful shopping visit so I needed some tea and some sketching. My writing was just as much out of control as my sketching was but at least I had fun ... as usual!

090105 Berry Trip - Part 2

The final pages from our trip

A few super quick sketches I did either sitting in the back seat of the car or walking along the west rim at Fitzroy Falls

The architect in me can’t resist doing plans. This is hopelessly out of scale and I have probably been a little kind on the number of bags and items on the floor – we came prepared for everything!

Not confident to try to draw my friends so a blind contour with my pentel pocket brush pen (not the easiest pen to use for blind contours!)

Another super quick sketch

And finally a quick sketch to fill in waiting time – sketching is just the BEST thing to do when waiting

090103 Berry Holiday - Part 1

Have just got back from a three day girls’ holiday with 5 friends. Was a good test of my commitment to sketching...but I managed to fill in a few pages. Mixed bag though due to a few headaches, lots of distraction and not much time.

First morning at breakfast... (BTW as the general rule I tried on this trip to use a proper sable brush with a water container rather than a waterbrush)

Why do I sometimes feel like chocolate when I have a headache? I tried sketching as a distraction from my distress as well!

We were amused by the prices of the ‘extra items’ and thankful that our room seemed to have the ipod docking station/clock radio – what a bonus! Went out for a late dinner – I really couldn’t see much when I added the loose paint.

Another breakfast sketch – it is an interesting experience sketching before the brain is fully woken up!

Is the fact that I am recording this as a journal record a good excuse for drawing the column in this sketch – I think my brain wasn’t fully functioning yet – but it is an accurate representation of the view I had!

I am trying to draw people and events more often....

I was too hungry at lunch to draw my food – so I drew the state of the table at the end of the meal instead. BTW I got my friends to do a few “wreck this Journal’ pages to a little pocket moleskine cahier notebook I have – this was lots of fun and gave them something to do while I sketched!