I still have lots of Port Macquarie sketches to share (from the second week!), and it’s really nice for me to be publishing these sketches now in the middle of the Australian summer holiday (vacation) period. I’m back at work, but seeing all these beach sketches is giving me a summer holiday vibe.
In this article, I’ll share the sketches from Monday and Tuesday of the second week.
I decided that I needed to do something other than just visiting beaches and cafes, so I went on a rainforest walk and drove south to the Camden Haven River. Of course, I still visited and sketched at beaches and cafes!
Shelly Beach: I started doing a few studies of rocks as my desired spot to sketch from (the ‘caravan’ picnic table) was occupied.
Thankfully, the man sitting there moved on shortly after I arrived, so I could relocate.
There isn’t much shade at these beaches in the morning, so this spot is perfect!
Here is the sketch I did from this spot looking south. Shelly is such a beautiful beach – my favourite to sketch at during this trip.
It was then time for Brunch and another smashed avo – this time at Roam.
In the afternoon, I went to Sea Acres Rainforest and walked the boardwalk, stopping three times to sketch.
The two horizontal strips were pure experimentation – layering media and trying to create texture. A number of times, I had to wait for the page to dry, and as you will see below, I pushed the Alpha paper beyond its limit.
I was invited to dinner by Meg’s parents (we lived on the same street growing up), and so I managed a quick 20-minute sketch at Flynns beforehand.
Here is the page that describes the mixed-media experiments, a visit to Spotlight to get some patterns and fabric, and two quick sketches to capture moments from dinner. It was a lovely evening – thanks, C and J!
Another day and another sketch of Shelly beach to start the day. Oh ah! I love this place and I was SO enjoying doing all these beach sketches.
Then it was time for yet another smashed avo at a different cafe. I went back to Bandwagon, and as it was busier than my first visit, I managed to get some people in my cafe sketch!
I needed a second coffee and ended up back at Coast. I was sitting at a table away from the view, so once again, I was able to draw people.
I then drove south along the coast. I was thinking of sketching at Lake Cathie or Bonny Hills (places I remember from childhood beach holidays), but I couldn’t find a good spot at Lake Cathie, and major roadworks and delays at Bonny Hills made me reluctant to stop.
But I did stop by the Camden Haven River and sketch North Brother – more layer experiments. Next time, I will try to drive up to the North Brother lookout and sketch the view from there.
Another long delay on the drive back, a map and a quirky house at Lighthouse Beach.
Dinner with my friends V and V and more sketching at night. Once again I had lots of fun interactions with the staff and we got dessert on the house (on the condition that I sketched it!)
Another two wonderful days of solo sketching during the day and socialising in the evening.
10 Comments
Wow, these are really next level sketches! I love the two strips of green from the Sea Acres rainforest. And that tuesday Shelley Beach sketch is just amazing. Love the rendering of the water. And the sketch of the ladies with the umbrellas is so much fun. And it always amazes me that australian beaches can be so quiet. If we have a beach day in the Netherlands half the country will be trying to get to the beach. With massive traffic jams and no parking spots…. I miss those australian beaches…
Thanks Martine! A lot less people in Australia and once you go out from the cities the beaches are quiet during a work day! They were busy on the weekends though!
Maybe time for a Port Macquarie workshop. I am at Coffs but would definitely make the drive down.
Hi Andrea – that would be fun! On this occasion it was important for me to have a total break from work, to sketch for myself and hang out with friends. 😀
These are REALLY lovely, Liz! It’s fun seeing the beauty of these mixed media sketches! So far, I’ve only managed to incorporate ink + watercolor + watercolor pencil on location, but maybe I’ll get to a point where I can branch out more. This looks really fun!
Thanks Misty – there are other artists who combine up to 10 different media in the one sketch – I can’t do that yet. Everything is a process and journey. well done for using ink, wcp and watercolour!
I am traveling to Australia for the first time in just a few weeks. Your sketches make me even more excited for the trip (if that’s even possible). It’s also helpful to have a visual reminder about what summer actually feels like. I live in the north-midwest USA and it’s hard to pack short sleeve clothing when it’s well below freezing here. Thank you and happy new year!
Hi Terry – hope you have a great trip. Yes, the totally different seasons is always hard to get your head around. It’s the same for me going to northern hemisphere in January. Jan is summer for me!
Your trip looks like you just filled with creative energy and the juices were flowing! These sketches are so alive with the joy!
Thanks Jamie!
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