Trevino fountain

I am now in Rome on my own for a few days. I think that between
relaxing moments I will try to fit in a few bits of baroque.

St peters

A fun sketch with eza from yesterday.

Bologna detail and towers

Bologna street view

The joys of trying to sketch at famous sites in Rome

Bologna

Was GREAT!!! 2 nights only

Now in Rome for 9 nights but with patchy wifi so not sure how much I
can post

Volume 7 here we come

Supposed to be packing my bags but came across the completed
sketchbook collection so far

Final Venice sketch

Although there are lots of things that we haven't sketch we are ready
to move to a new location
I have sketched 52 double page spreads in 6 days!!!!! (not including
Sunday which is my rest day) - this is an incredible amount even for
me - though a lot are not complete and I haven't had time to do any
maps!!!
Time to pack for the next Italian location.

An Australian architect

This trip is my long service leave trip - a period of 2.5 months due
to 15 years at the one firm. It is supposed to be a significant break
professionally- today being back in a contemporary architectural
environment made me realise It has indeed been a big break.

Hopefully it will help my design creativity. Certainly I found some of
the displays inspirational.

The Australian pavilion was AMAZING. I couldn't resist buying the book
for which you need 3d glasses.

The bear in the Hungary pavilion

The theme for the pavilion was people in drawing (the overall theme
for the biennale is people meet in architecture) and contained a very
cool installation of suspended pencils. Borro loved it and we thought
it was a good theme for my trip.

The bear and le corbusier

A bit random but couldn't help taking this at the biennale today

The bear at the biennale

Had a sketch- free period from 10.30-4.00 today due to visit to the
architecture biennale. We enjoyed it very much.

Breakfast view

This is where we have breakfast every morning - pretty special - well
amazingly special in fact!!!!

Grand canal collage

Eza and I have had a HUGE two days and are exhausted. I was the
closest to burn out all trip this afternoon. Numerous unfinshed
sketches today as well!!! But still sketching such as this one.

Salute

Disappointingly we were stopped sketching inside ... But instead we
got to sketch the outside of this Venetian baroque masterpiece in the
mid morning sun and shade.

Borromini and Palladio

Crazy girl with bear extemely excited to be at a Palladio building

At the pigment shop

Of course I bought some pigment - Venetian red and green and
ultramarine!! Is the bear saying - Liz why did you make that purchase?
Or looking guilty that he talked me into it or just over the moon to
be around such wonderful colour

The bear on the grand canal

Grand canal sketching

End of the day eza and I found a great spot to sit and sketch. Not the
perect view of the palazzo I was dying to sketch (ie I wanted to do a
front on elevation) bur this view was fun and not as hard as I
expected it to be!! Having trouble trying to get the balance between
getting a more accurate perspective setup and losing some of my
spontaneity and enjoyment or just going for it and using what i call
organic perspective in which I have more fun and explore the building
as I sketch not worrying about accuracy as much.

Murano

Had a funny day today. Had plenty of time in the doges palace to
sketch and also the cathedral at murano. Both times I rushed and made
a mess. So this sketch before we left the delightful island of murano
I tried to take slowly and paint neat. The colours in real life were
amazing.

Rialto bridge

So nice to have a sunny day!! Found it hard to get the right spot to
sketch but in the end found that best view (not on a boat) was sitting
on the ledge of the water bus stop. Of course we had to be careful not
to have pen on paper when the boat hit the floating platform.

San Marco interior

A very loose sketch - sorry for bad photo

While waiting to get inside San Marco

Borromini and scarpa

And exciting moment

When in Rome ... Or Venice

I drink coffee!!!

Extreme sketching - on the grand canal

Having fun!!!!

Exetreme sketching-The grand canal

I love challenging sketching opportunities. This was extreme. Not only
was the boat moving fast but it was raining and my sketchbook and I
were getting rather wet. Very kindly the German woman next to me (who
was wearing a raincoat) put up her umbrella for me.
Doing this has given me an idea of how to do it better later on - if
it stops raining! So stay tuned.

Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo

Had so much fun doing this. This photo has distorted some of the
verticals which are in reality straight but I didn't get the space of
the campo correct and had to squash the church to fit it in.

Yes - that is eza sketching in foreground.

Both me and eza have decided that we ate going to make sure that our
setup is better from now on. 'quite a challenge' she just said.

S Maria del miracoli

Our second sketch stop - had fun sketching this!!

San Giacomo dell'orio

Our first sketch of the day - day 2. It was raining so we sheltered
in the market colonnade for this.

First Venice breakfast

A very washed out Liz (due to migraine last night) sketching breakfast
and view in the rain

In Venice!!!!!

How exciting I am in Venice for 7 nights. Today eza and I got an
extremely early flight which has wiped us both out somewhat but we
still managed to do the classic sketch!! Struggling with a bad
headache coming on(not surprising after the crazy time I have had) and
somewhat overwhelmed with how much there is to draw... So wasn't quite
in the groove when I did this.

Most of you know how much I love Italian baroque architecture (I know
st marks is not baroque - refering to other buildings in Venice) - how
often I have sketched from photos so it is really strange to be seeing
some of the buildings in the flesh that I have previously sketched.
And strangely overwhelming - just WAY TOO MUCH that I REALLY want to
sketch.

Hopefully tomorrow after a good nights sleep we can make up for our
quiet start today!!!!!!

Final Earl grey tea in the Uk

Well ... One that I buy anyway. Of course I have my own in the hotel
room at night. Currently gillards from bath - gill it is great!!!!

Kew gardens

Didn't make it in to London this trip but managed to catch up with two
online friends today at kew. Katherine Tyrell and Alison staite. Lots
of fun. Wasn't concentrating much during this sketch but I think that
all the bits that are totally out of whack will remind me of the great
time chatting and watching katherines hatching at the time.

Final cooked breakfast for trip

At wonderful Farnham b&b. Paint just dry.
Head to Italy with eza very early tomorrow morning.
Final day in Uk - and off to meet some more artists!! What fun!

Sometimes getting from a to b is a challenge

Mainly everything has gone well on my trip apart from b&bs giving
away my bed on 2 occassions and trying to get to bath last Thursday.
Stuck for nearly 2.5 hours in traffic due to m4 accident and then
rental car broke down!!! Arrived 4 hours late at my destination At
least I felt safe at all times so much to be thankful for.
Naturally I sketched to calm my nerves.

Great Cardiff deli

Deli rouge - sensational sandwich and best coffee since leaving home.

Great Cardiff church

Tabernacle cardiff - sketched from deli rouge.

View out the window

Visiting my cousin in surrey. This is my first sketch of the day at
5.50pm. The latest for my first sketch of the day.

Castell coch

My tearoom and great houses continue. Today one of the best - maybe
the best - tearoom of the trip in Cardiff - Waterloo gardens (haven't
finished page yet) and then a delightful castle - which is a' folly '.

Great time with church friends - one of which sketched with me today.
It was great. We managed to find a sheltered balcony to sketch the
courtyard from- cold and raining today!!!!

In the pump room

With gill from journal craft. Lovely day catching up!!!!

Sketching in Cardiff

In Cardiff

Blenheim detail 2

Blenheim detail 1

Blenheim 2

Blenheim palace 1

A great day today at possibly my favourite Uk great house.

More hardwick hall

The plain facade with lots of windows is particularly different for me
to draw. Baroque over the top decoration is soooo much easiler. As I
was running out of time I tried a scribble version of the same
building from the most dramatic angle I cound find.

Hardwick Hall

My tour of great houses of England continues. After yesterdays
craziness of visiting two in a day, I just did one today (plus a
tearoom visit and driving for 4 hours!) So I had a good hour for this
sketch - making this the longest time I have spent on a sketch in the
past 6.5 weeks of my sketching grand tour.

As they say "hardwick hall, more glass than wall" Although I was
having fun, I did get a bit bored of all those panes of glass!!!

Tomorrow I am going to Blenheim Palace - you can imagine how excited I
am about the thought of drawing that!! Stay tuned....