Sketch Workshop in country town of Forbes. Australia
Erin Hill Sketch Students on location at Victoria Park Forbes NSW
What we didn’t know at the time was that this would be our last Workshop before Covid-19 stopped everything!!
What an absolute joy was our 2 day Workshop in the very outback country town of Forbes. No rain for months. And months. Virtually a dust bowl. Somehow the huge bush fires spared this beautiful historic grain growing region.
Then without warning the heavens opened. Rain rain and more rain. Pure gold. By the time we arrived for our sketch weekend, the fields and pastures stretching as far as your eye can see - were remarkably green. The town was overjoyed. New crops could be planted.
Our host Nicole was having our morning warmup sketch sessions on the shaded terrace of her gorgeous home. We set up big tables with small posies of brightly coloured flowers in vintage tea cups. One for everyone.
An enticing start for our very excited group, most of whom had never done anything like this before.
Tea and coffee with a tasty homemade cake was served so we’d feel ready to start our flower sketch, which is all about looking at shape. Our foundation for all sketches.
We headed off to a beautiful outdoor location Nicole and I had spotted the night before. Victoria Park. It had a pathway leading us around the Italianate fountain and towards the brick Federation Courthouse. The trees we wanted as a frame were perfectly placed, and if not then they’d be put where we wanted. A very good composition designed to lead you in to where our focus would be.
Everyone did incredibly well after my demo was done to show how to begin your shapes. You’ll see below, the thumbnails, the line sketch, Sketch with watercolour applied and lastly the water added to the fountain.
On day 2 we had a very fast warmup sketch! Two minutes - sketch the flower posies and apply colour. Next the same subject but use your other hand. So surprising and often the loosest work you do.
Now time for tea coffee and scones with cream and jam - we are in the country after all! Out here you can’t sketch if you don’t start with morning tea!
Demo time and how to apply chinagraph to our Victoria Park sketch was next. Follow that with layers of watercolour as we’ve learned to do. By the time we’ve completed this exercise it’s definitely time for lunch.
Down to Lions Park to sketch and lunch. What better fun can you have on a sunny Sunday. The cafe is a converted container with a very good range of food and coffee, with loads of seating scattered about to consume your purchase. Most of us had our own portable seats and one sketcher was very happy on the bean bags lying about.
This was the subject of our final sketch for the day. A cafe scene with a few ‘peg people’ featured to tell a story. Nobody feels comfortable sketching figures and forms for the first time but I was so proud of everyone just getting stuck in and trying. Every sketch was a delight. People turned up in every sketch with real character.
Thank you to everyone who joined our inaugural Forbes Travel Sketch Workshop. I felt very thrilled seeing you blossom and become dedicated travel sketchers. A huge thank you to Nicole for organising the weekend and having such lovely locations already sussed. I’m pretty positive everyone was very happy with their work!
There are thoughts floating about with suggestions of a weekend in Kingscliff, regular informal sketch days in Forbes, classes in Sydney and of course a week or two sketching in my French village. Click here.
You’re on a roll so why stop now!
PS. If you want to enlarge any of the pics above, just click on them. You can still enlarge even more!
Happy sketching everyone