Our Budds Beach, Surfers Paradise Location

Are we getting used to it yet?
To what you ask.
You know, the only subject on anyone’s mind at the moment!
Oh you mean - lockdowns, restrictions, border closures and masks.
Sure!!! We’re just about getting used to canceling our lives. Very tricky and one could get quite depressed with every news item.
But as I said loudly to myself this morning ‘this is how it is and prolly will be from here on, so it’s up to me to manage how I feel and not fall in a heap’.
For me this is where sketching becomes even more important than ever.
When we sketch we forget the world out there, we are too busy putting the yellow ochre on our sketch.We laugh at the things we do and feel quite in the moment. So so good. ‘Me time’.

We managed a couple of classes this week.
Budds Beach and Bangalow.
In one class it was about ‘whites top and sides, dark down the centre’. Do you remember the mantra? That was fun for our group and some were new to sketching so it’s a good one to start with.
When class started it was a perfect day by the river, sitting at an outdoor table. Then the wind got up and so did we. Over to Bumbles Cafe to a cosy indoor table. So nice.

Bangalow came to Kingscliff this week. In the gazebo in the garden. So warm and sheltered with petunias blooming all round. Oh and the lemon tree has yellow lemons on it now.
This was a philosophical kind of lesson and we were studying David Gentleman, one of my fave sketchers. The book we have this time is ‘My Town’ which is the latest. So inspiring how brave he is about putting down sweeping lines, this way and that. Plonk a couple of colours on and he’s done.
It was perspective we were looking at. How easily he floats his lines in and he knows where they go so they do work.

Take a look at what we were doing and you’ll see some homework for you too!

BUDDS BEACH SURFERS PARADISE Q’LAND. July 20th 2021.
Outside table then Bumbles Cafe

BANGALOW AT KINGSCLIFF NSW. July 21st 2021.
The Gazebo Studio

MOSMAN SYDNEY NSW
Waiting waiting waiting.

Of course since Sydney is in another week of lockdown and restrictions, Kirsten has been unable to carry on the classes with her very keen Intro to Sketching Course.

Kirsten will be offering a free repeat class so that everyone can refresh on what was covered in Weeks 1 and 2. Soon we hope.

LOOKING AT BOOKS. Looking at perspective. Homework.

This is an excellent exercise for getting your eye in for perspective.
Stack a few books/boxes up on some funny angles and take a good hard look. What’s in front is bigger than what’s further away. Yes it definitely is.
Look at the 2 sketches here and set up something with your own books.
We’ve used aquarelle pencil with a touch of water brush to complete it.
You’ll also see ‘scumbling’ - my word for hatching around areas you want to correct. Brings your eye right back in.
The graph should help a little too.
Do post and share. We really need to stick together during these hard times.

Below eye level. getting smaller further away.

Perspective looking above eye level and below. Where the lines meet is called the vanishing point.

Hope you had a few minutes of happiness looking at this week’s BLOG. More next week. Take care.

Lights Darks and Perspective