We’ve had such a great time sketching together in the USA, so why not carry on and join me on my upcoming Travel Sketch Tours. Get in touch and ask about any of them.
Read More
This week we had new sketchers making great progress in Sydney Australia, and in Natick Massachussetts USA. This is the joy of sketching. We have no expectations of being perfect. We simply put what we see on the page - our impression. And golly we laugh.
Read More
First sketch done even as we are heading to New York. New York.
How many’s songs have been written about this town. How many sketches have been done!
Well we are about to add a few more sketches to the many done before us. Ours will be quick impressions with my classic one color over another to get bright upbeat results. And we do.
Read More
One of the first sketches I did was one of the many magnificent homes here in this New England town.
It’s been a long time coming, as it has for us all. Each year for past two, we’d have all our plans in place, tell everyone we were on our way. But No. Another hit of we all know what and so it went on.
Read More
It was pretty chilly when we first arrived in Boston on May 5th 2022.
Luckily we had left a puffer jacket at our daughter’s home when we were last here - two years ago. Seen being worn stylishly above!!
Knowing that there was an Urban Sketchers event coming up the next Saturday May 8th - I was ready for whatever the weather threw at us.
A wonderful first day for Kirsten’s new sketchers and it’s a lovely welcoming start to have tea and coffee with delicious nibbles to calm your nerves.
Read More
This week was one everyone was very excited about. Eye level perspective. Woohoo.
There is one classic little church up the street - you won’t miss it - which doesn’t even have a name anymore. A passing gentleman said it’s just called The old Federal Church. Ah well.
We’re into Week 2 in the Kingscliff and Bangalow classes both in NSW.
Our subjects were Cafes Food and People. One of our favourites to be sure.
The Urban Sketchers Gold Coast meetup was a load of fun. Love our group.
Read More
In Bangalow we explored a village we hadn’t been to called Federal.
It’s less than one street long but every building is heritage and perfect for sketching. We sat sketching on the balcony at Federal Dome Cafe and a second sketch of the wobbly old table of succulents.
Truly whatever is around you is a sketch.
I’m surprised that I’m feeling this positive!
Is that whenever I take a class or plan one, I’m fully engaged?
Is it students are checking that tours are definitely going ahead?
Is it that despite all the horrifying things going on, I realise I can still carry on with my life?
We can certainly lend a hand to others who need it, but I’m much more able to help if I’m feeling up rather than down.
Read More
This is a very sad time for millions of people. Closer to home we’ve had devastating floods. People have lost everything.
On the other side of the world people are losing the freedom, their lives and their homeland.
May the Sunflower sketch will bring a little ray of sunshine.
It’s an upside world.
This week weve had rain. We’ve had heat. We’ve had Covid. Oh and now a war.
What else!!
But thank goodness we have sketching. There’s no room for anything else. We’re so focused on observing our subject and getting it on our pages. And by golly we do and we feel pretty happy.
Having a good time with great company is the best reason for sketching.
Flat Perspective. This is a great way to capture the essence of a pretty building, or little shop or even a grand cathedral.
We’re only sketching the front. Straight up, straight down, and straight across.
Think of your building as a box. Take away the other 3 sides and just keep the front. That’s all we’re sketching.
Some of our classes were doing just that this week and we ended up with a delightful collection of quite different styles. In fact something that’s not very interesting at all can really become quite stunning.
Read More
It does surprise people when we slow down enough from our busy lives, rushing from here to there and seeing nothing - that observing our subjects is actually meditating.
Particularly in a scene like above. Calm, relaxed, focused, breathing. Just a lovely moment in time.
That’s what we do before we start sketching.
Because we don’t sketch from photographs these are the bonus moments you get from sketching the real thing.
We were delighted to start our first term with full classes in Mosman, Bangalow and Kingscliff.
By keeping classes smaller we can look after everyone and where possible be outside. However inside with spacing and good airflow is fine. The best part is being together again.
It’s been a really good week for sketching.
Midweek we were at The Tweed Regional Gallery as a last class for the Wednesday group.
A little cloudy but the magnificent view from the cafe was all laid out before us. Coffee? Don’t mind if I do.
I’m beginning to think that everything we’ve been though in the last 2 years has begun to make me think differently.
Excuse me getting a bit philosophical here, but I think it’s been a good thing.
Steps.
Not something we give much thought to until you’re asked to sketch them.
The first thing is to establish is the shape of the steps and which they’re going. Up or down.
A very fun lesson albeit frustrating at times. But golly. That’s how we learn.
Colour was on our minds this week.
Often I hear people say ‘I don’t know how to get more variety into my colour.’
So we decided to do colour swatches using only the 12 colours we have, and see how each looks with some of the others over them.
Sooo interesting. Who’d have thought to put Hookers Green over Cad Red - gorgeous.
What about Cerulean over Permanent Rose. Wow.
So many surprises when you do this exercise and you the have reference to go back to.
We’ve been Travel sketching this week. That’s what we do.
And that’s what we teach you to do. You learn to find a great subject wherever you happen to be, plan it and get it on your page in whatever time you have. You don’t even know till you get there what you’ll sketch. Exactly the way it is when you travel.