Last week I taught a fun 2.5 hour workshop, sketching on the streets of Parramatta with the wonderful team from Campbell Architecture.

I taught this gang last year on Cockatoo Island (see here) sketching with edges, shapes and volumes. This time we were focusing on quick sketches of the varied architecture of Parramatta. 

We did a few edges and shapes warmup exercises and then started sketching with volumes, looking for horizontal edges (the left fan and the right fan), and then my approach to perspective (all concepts we look at inside my SketchingNow Buildings online course. We are currently wrapping up a Live Version of Buildings, so it was really cool to be able to introduce these ideas to a new group on-location.

Without prompting they instinctively thought in terms of underlying volumes and a number of them started sketching using perspective! So it was just a matter of explaining how to nail the eyeline and position the VIP. 

We were sketching in small A5 spiral bound visual diaries – the perfect format for quick sketches starting up.

The new-ish PHIVE building is a lot of fun to sketch!

After sketching St John’s Cathedral, The Town Hall and PHIVE we headed to Parramatta Park and then drew the Tudor Gatehouse in only 15 minutes!

Here are the results – so impressive!!!

  
This one was mine. 🙂

After the workshop I was invited to join them for a lovely lunch at MISC. in Parramatta Park. I sketched the food (including a half-eaten chilli as part of our Red theme this month on Patreon!)

Thanks CA team for a great day! Next time we ‘ll use more ink 🙂

A few weeks earlier I went to Parramatta to check locations…
All these sketches were completed in 5-10 minutes using pencil setup lines, ink, marker and then a little neocolor over the top. A simple sketch of PHIVE.

St John’s Cathedral

PHIVE and The Town Hall with the Comm Bank building behind.

And finally the old cemetery.

I’d love to do more sketches like this and teach more of this style of workshop!