First sketches(es) back home post Brazil trip

October 6, 2014 | 2 Comments


I always love the experience of going out sketching the very first time after a big trip.

Previously I would made my way to the T2 tearoom within the first 24 hours of my return but sadly that is now a tradition of the past. I am interested in the dialogue I have with myself on such occasions
– am I approaching something differently?
– am I seeing my local area in a different way?
– how does it feel to be back home with a multitude of new ideas running around in my head?
It is a processing time – a chance to reflect on my trip.

The best thing about a sketching trip is that when the travelling is over – the real journey starts! The journey of absorbing the ideas and inspiration into your own work and daily life.

This year it was a few days after that I got my chance – doing a quick sketch of a local church on the way back from doing a chore. It was the day after I had written my “initial reflections” post so I had the big ideas from the trip compartmentalized in my head. So this day I was playing with shapes – putting the paint down first and working from there


Although it is a simple sketch there are a lot of things going on that I was happy with – the short period that it took to it , the fun and exploratory nature in which I worked, and the adjustments in colour and details that I did ‘on the fly’…and the fact that I was sketching something that is part of my daily life  recording my walk to the post office. And the completely random element – the back side of a post-it note from the previous page.


Oh! just for the record this was the very first sketch I did on my return. I was a bit of a zombie but still pushed myself to go out to meet up with the USK SYD gang within 48 hours of my return from Brazil. It was a wet day in Surry Hills and we started in a cafe The Book Kitchen  – lovely food and coffee/tea but it was noisy and crowded and of course I was sharing lots about my trip… so this was a bit of a reflex sketch.  A good example of not overworking (if that makes sense!) …how little we need to draw to describe a scene?

So those were the first two sketches post Brazil…. now have 2 weeks of daily sketching to scan and share with you….


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