Sticking to my new resolution (making time when I go out) and a little Louis Kahn

June 2, 2015 | 2 Comments


After all the long blog posts recently… it is time for a breather. Not a break but at least one short post – or a short- ER one! I am never quite sure what will happen when I start writing but my intention is not to make this long.


I am pleased to report that my new resolution of making time to do a sketch when I go out is happening. This is yesterday’s spread including a 15 minute sketch with coloured DeAtramentis ink of another back of a shop as seen from my car after my gym visit.

On the right is a late night ‘brain dump’. I am trying to have at least 1 hour of ‘device down time’ before going to bed in the hope that it will improve my sleep. Doing a sketch or doing a written brain dump is on the agenda. So this is a sketch of Louis Kahn’s sublime Esherick House which is a fitting sketch for the day as I spent the day doing some architectural sketches using this building as my subject. I was intending to use Le Corbusier’s Villa Stein, but this was much more fun to draw – and easier too. How many of my readers are Kahn fans? I have been more into Le Corb but I still have incredible memories from Peter Kohane’s lectures about Kahn at UNSW. I have no idea whether this means anything to any of my readers, but I just had to put it out there!

Oh no – the rambling has started. It seems as if I am a hopelessly obsessive blogger as well as obsessive sketcher. But before I get onto today’s sketch, one more note….this second sketch was using coloured lines, but this time I added watercolour. What made the difference in my decision to leave one paint-less?


Today, I had a 6pm meeting at an architect’s office in Glebe. I arrived early (one has to allow at least 30 minutes spare for Sydney traffic) had this great view from my car. It was dark but put the interior light on – something I normally hate doing but I will do anything for a sketch! I used my sailor pen (with mixed grey ink) but it was hard work. Halfway through I wished I had used fog grey instead so I could use my Payne’s Grey WN Water Colour marker but instead I added warm grey pitt pens to help with the darks back home. Night sketching is fun – something I need to do more of.

 

2 Comments

  • Lawrence Goldfarb says:

    When I saw the sketch of the Esherick House, my first thought was "Is she in Philadelphia?"
    How could I have missed that. I live a few blocks from the house and originally moved
    to Phila because of Kahn. Too long a story for this venue, but my takeaway from your
    sketch is that since its raining anyway, I am going to sketch something from my Lightroom
    Library, rather than sit in the car.
    Thank you Liz

  • Liz Steel says:

    Hi Larry – one day, I will come to visit!!!

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