Category Archives: Melbourne

sketching a Melbourne laneway

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Melbourne’s laneways with their street art and coffee shops are on the tourist ‘list of things to do’. They are great ! But I like these other older working laneways.

Cnr Little Collins Street and Baptist Place, Melbourne

Cnr Litte Colins Street and Baptist Place, Melbourne

I did some sketching when I had time to fill in before an appointment. I stayed around the area where I had to be and looked up, down, left and right for inspiration. And then I had to find a scene AND  with somewhere to sit and draw ! I sat on the  stairs of a doorway of a company that was closed on weekends. It was directly opposite the laneway I had been inspired by.

I knew that  I had 25 minutes to sketch and that I had to get the proportions and perspective correct quickly. Usually I start a drawing and measure  (holding pencil out in front of me) as I draw on the page directly with my watercolour pencils. However when sketching buildings I know I need to do a bit of mark making in HB pencil on the paper to note where important points are. Sometimes I end up with A LOT  of little marks on the paper. I often forget why I  have put them there.

Here is a rough overview of my thought process of sketching this laneway. (I wish I had taken an earlier photo, after about 10 minutes, instead, this is after 25 minutes.) It makes sense to me.

measuring relative proportions

I started with the parked van as the focus of my measuring . This was because I noticed that there were many similar measurements which I could use to mark out the paper. I have noted with arrows the measurements I used . After I made the marks I drew some horizontal and vertical lines, where tops/bottoms of some doors and windows were on the same line on the page.

Then the van drove away, so it was just as well I had got those lines down! These are the joys of urban sketching.

I started drawing the the vanishing point lines  for the angle of the windows and driveways.

I then finished with the HB pencil and used my watercolour pencils to build up the lines and colour. The main colour used is Faber Castell Light Yellow Ochre. The other colours used were Paynes Grey, Earth Green, Cool Grey IV and Schwarz Black.

I added water to the page with my Kuratake waterbrush, spreading out the colour.

My 25 minutes had flown by and I had to leave. I could have taken a photo and added more details and competed the sketch at home. However I really enjoy drawing on location and wanted to go back to my place on the stairs. Also, as an Urban Sketcher I follow these guidelines (when I want to post the sketch on the Urban Sketches online pages)

We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.• Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.• Our drawings are a record of time and place.• We are truthful to the scenes we witness.• We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.• We support each other and draw together.• We share our drawings online.• We show the world, one drawing at a time.

After my appointment I returned to the same place on the starirs and in the final 20 minutes  I  built up the page with more colour and added fine lines, without adding water. I reached a stage, where I was pleased with the result, colour, amount of detail and final scene.

Drawing in books

Last Christmas a good friend gave me a book to draw in.
But it is not a book of blank pages, but a printed book.
In fact it is not a book, it is The Acts of the Parliament of Victoria”  1894, Index 1890-1894. It is A4 size, only 24 pages but bound in hard cover and leather. It was bought at a second hand book store.

 


This gift was both apt and prophetic. Apt, because I have been a law librarian for many years, using the laws in research. But little did any of us know last December that I would move from Sydney (New South Wales) to Melbourne (Victoria) to work in the Supreme Court Library, where Victorian (and Commonwealth Laws) are enforced.

Last December when I received this I immediately knew that I wanted to draw grand and beautiful Parliament of Victoria building in the “Acts of Parliament” legislation.

I sketched some then and have continued this last few weeks. I have sketched on seven pages so far (see below)

 

Inside the front doors -The Vestibule

Floor tiles have beautiful colours and patterns


As a librarian it has taken many years to be able to draw in books. I was ok drawing on scrap paper, flyers, tickets. Then I drew on maps. I have recently bought old published cheap books especially for drawing in.. still working on those projects.

I am still not sure if the of concept drawing in this legislation is good or not. Is it legal ? disrespectful and irreverent ? It probably would have been thrown away otherwise. This is all online now and shelf space in libraries is at a premium. Sometimes it is impossible to giveaway old law reports and legislation. So it is a good thing that I am giving it a new and continuing life…

This pondering deserves another blogpost oneday.

 

Pacific Black Duck – Australia


Fitzroy Gardens , Melbourne

I am fortunate that the first part of my walk to work in Melbourne city is through the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens, with its traditional English plantings and ponds. I have discovered here are a few families of birds that live there : two Australian wood duck families, one with ducklings that are just past their fluffy stage,  peewees (mudlark), a kookaburra and magpies, crows and my favourite duck…


the Pacific Black Duck.
 
I liked the descriptions online that call it a sociable and a dabbling duck.  
 
The Pacific Black Duck is found in all but the most arid regions of Australia. Outside Australia, its range extends throughout the Pacific region. The Pacific Black Duck is one of the most versatile of the Australian ducks. It frequents all types of water, from isolated forest pools to tidal mudflats. The Pacific Black Duck is closely related to the Mallard (Source  http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anas-superciliosa)


 

 

 

I know where to find them by the pond and how close I can get to them on land before they dive into the water. The more I draw them the more familiar I become with the shape of their body and head – the curves and subtleties that give them their form and character.

 
I also know immediately which colour of watercolour pencils (Walnut Brown. Burnt Umber and Ivory mixed with a little Yellow) to use to draw them. I can pick the colours out of my pencil wrap and start straight away !
 
 
 
It has a dark body, and a paler head with a dark crown and facial stripes. There is an iridescent green patch on the wing. This is when the Derwent Inktense Teal Green comes out of the box !
  
 

ANOTHER Library ladder

Another beautiful library ladder and bookshelves in my workplace (see my previous library ladder sketch HERE)
 
This time I wanted to include a bit more context, with some of the surroundings.
 
I drew this in my lunch breaks. Five days, of half an hour each for drawing time.  
 
 
 
As a work in progress….
 

You might be able to see a second ladder in the foreground in the drawings below. While I was drawing the first one I decided I could not draw another – too much perspective and counting. I was a little tired of library ladders by then.

 
 
 
 
 
 
I drew light lines and marks in pencil first to get the perspective right.
The following watercolour pencils colours were used to draw this . All are Faber Castell except where noted.
 
and a waterbrush
 
Madder Carmine(Derwent)
Burnt Carmine
Payne’s Grey
Schwarz Black
Ivory
Light Yelow Ochre
Burnt Ochre
Walnut Brown
Burnt Umber
Raw Umber (Derwent)
 
 
 
 
I will give ladders a break for a while and go back to drawing books
 

Urban Sketching in Boroondara – Exhibition

There was a wonderful turn-out at the Melbourne Urban Sketchers group exhibition launch on Saturday at the Hawthorn Arts Centre. It was amazing to see all our works, framed and professionally arranged on the wall. I am very proud to have the opportunity to be part of the event.
 

I’ve only been in Melbourne for 2 months and in that time I’ve been sketching with Urban Sketchers Melbourne on Saturdays. We have been capturing the local scenes around the Boroondara area of Melbourne (i.e. Camberwell, Hawthorn, Kew etc). Now we get a chance to share our work with our family, friends and the community. I have had a great introduction to various Melbourne suburbs and sketch the people, architecture and scenes with my watercolour pencils. Because  I knew that some of the sketches were going to be for the Exhibition I have been challenged to draw on larger (A4) sheets of paper instead of my usual 13 x 19 cm Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook.

The exhibition runs 4 November to 6 December 2014.
 

 
A big thank you to Evelyn Yee whose initiative and organisational skills made this a
reality.

 

 
Here are my three entries up close.

 
                                                   
Melbourne Urban Sketchers is a diverse group of people united by a passion for sketching.
Urban Sketchers is a global community of artists that draw on location in cities, towns and villages they live in or travel to and then share with the world ! Our motto is Seeing the world one drawing at a time

Linden Postcard show

 Last Friday 24th October was the opening night of The Linden Postcard Show at St Kilda, Melbourne.  This is an open entry exhibition that welcomes entries from all artists but all entries must measure 8” (20cm) x 10” (25.5cm) .
 
I entered three drawings and so did some of my Melbourne sketching friends Evelyn and Jodi. This is a very exiting event for me as I have not entered many art exhibitions before. Opening night was great fun, meeting with other friends to see all the artwork.
 


Evelyn Yee and me in front of my Orange Cream biscuits drawing.

There are over 900  small format artworks adorning the gallery walls at Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts . Why is it called Postcard show ? One of the prizes is that artwork reproduced on a Postcard for Linden to sell during the year.
 
 
If you are in Melbourne, please visit. It is open until Saturday 6 December 2014. Here are my three entries. All are for sale !
 
 

 
 
 
and then we all went to dinner and I sketched my food
 
 
 
me in action drawing ! casual photo taken by the amazing art photographer http://www.mariacolaidis.com/ who also had entries in Linden (and sales on the night !!)
 

New city – New pencil colours

After a few sketches in Melbourne, I realised that the Faber Castell watercolour pencils colours that I had used to draw Sydney buildings in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook were not going to capture the buildings of my new city. 

It was only a subtle difference, but I could tell and was very aware of it. Often I feel that getting the colour just right can make or break a sketch for me. And sometimes colour makes an object or building recognisable, even if the actually drawing is way out of kilter!

SYDNEY




St Stephens Uniting Church


Sydney hospital and eye hospital

The sandstone of many of the historic buildings in Sydney gives the city some of its personality. It is called Yellow block  and is known for its warm, golden straw colour. The main public buildings in Sydney, completed from the 1850s until the 20th century were built in sandstone from Pyrmont where some 50 quarries operated.  Pyrmont yellowblock was hard, and had good texture, and colour, and it was also suitable for carving. By coincidence Pyrmont is the suburb I used to live in in Sydney . No quarries now, just streetnames, pub names the landscape continue the history

In Sydney I used to following watercolour colours to sketch buildings:
  • Ivory
       combined with either

  •  Burnt Yellow Ochre or
  • Light Yellow Ochre or
  • little Raw Umber (which is a Derwent colour)

 The other colour I used in Sydney was Magenta on the ironlace and rails of buildings.
  • Magenta



    MELBOURNE

    In Melbourne, the city buildings have more grey than yellow to the stone. There are also other building materials such as  the completely different bluestone.
    I made a quick trip to explore a new art store where I tested a few new Faber Castell watercolour pencils for their colour, with and without water, and I came away with a few potentials.

    My new watercolour pencils are:

    • Warm Grey !
    • Warm Grey II
     and for the red ironwork
    • Burnt Carmine
     
     

     

     

     I have only had the chance to try out my new colours a few times, but I already feel a lot more comfortable with the colours and I think they are going to work just fine.  I will still continue to use Ivory and just a touch of the other colours, but now have a new set of colours for my new city!

     

    Supreme Court
    Melbourne Town Hall


    and here are the tested watercolour pencils drawn on a page together

     

      Hello Mebourne

      I have been in Melbourne for two weeks, after moving from Sydney,  and have found it easy to continue my normal sketching patterns. I carry my Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook and watercolour pencils with me everywhere. I have the opportunity to quickly capture my new daily life.
       
       
      Corner of  Collins and Elizabeth Streets . commuters on their way to work
       
      At Flinders Street Station, looking at the timetables and platform notices

      

      Fitzroy Gardens

       
      I am also using my lunchtime to sketch the buildings around me. I have been very fortunate with the weather.
      Supreme Court Library dome

      Supreme Court Library window

       

       
       
      On the weekend
       
      I have sketched with Urban Sketchers Melbourne twice. At the moment they are focusing on sketching in the inner city Council District of Booroondara, which includes a number of suburbs including Hawthorn, Kew, Canterbury. It is in preparation for a urban Sketches exhibition at Town Hall Gallery Hawthorn in November. If you are visiting Melbourne, drop by and visit it. So I am getting to explore parts of Melbourne as well as meet new urban sketchers. I already knew Evelyn, Kym, Angela and Jodi from previous visits and am happy to be able to sketch and chat with them on a regular basis now.
       
      This Saturday’s visit was to Maling Road, Canterbury. A charming shopping village with beautiful shops, cafes and the weather was perfect too.
       
      Classic fruits store

       
      My lunch, of course

      Sketching in Melbourne

      Last week I spent three days in Melbourne.
       
      I had many adventures and did many pages of sketches in my Moleskine watercolour Sketchbook with my watercolour pencils. These are a few.
       
      This is the view from my hotel. overlooking the old Melbourne GPO tower . It also gave the view of the tops of lots of  buildings and the back of The Royal Arcade Coat of Arms. So much sketching potential not enough time.
       
       
      When I first arrived in Melbourne, I sketched while waiting for the hotel shuttle to arrive at Southern Cross Station.
       
      Then I explored Melbourne. My first stop was the beautiful State Library and its dome.
       
      one hour later I had to give up
       
      While I was at State Library I saw the Dromkeen Children’s Literature Collection and sketched a grandmother telling a story to her grandson. The exhibition was of original children’s book illustrations. Some amazing illustrations.
       
      In the evening I had arranged a meeting with Melbourne Urban Sketchers at the wonderful Luna Night Markets at the Queen Victoria Markets. Lots of crafts, food, great live music  interesting people all under the cover of the  markets. It was a crisp night, but I did not notice it until leaving. I was fortunate to sketch with Jodi, Angela and meet Erik, Ilsa and  Alyeesh
       
      This is my main sketch of the night. A few of us sat against a wall and sketched what we saw in front of us. This brightly clad group stayed at the table for ages ! Great subjects.

      People warming themselves by the fire sites
       
       
       
      The next day  I explored more of Melbourne
       
       

      I walked by this laneway -It is called Melbourne Place . It is  not a typical trendy café laneway, or one with the famous graffiti, but one that was in use. I had to move aside for a few cars to drive in, I also was asked  directions by lost tourists.

       
      I think that this is my favourite sketch of my stay in Melbourne.  It is at the street end of Melbourne Place. I had to sketch it too. LOTS of peeling paint
       
      .
       

       and I could not leave Melbourne without a sketch of Flinders Street Station. This was about 4pm it was getting chilly, I was tired and then the drizzle set in. I took that as a sign to leave and find somewhere warm.

       
      A wonderful time. I still have some sketches to complete and hope to visit again soon.
       

      Melbourne holiday sketching

      I have just returned from five days in Melbourne. It was 44 degrees for four days in a row – the four days I was there ! Very hot

      A lot of the time during the day I met with some of the Melbourne Urban Sketchers, which I have written about in a separate blogpost.

      The rest of the time I sketched alone or when I was with my friends Louise & eon, who I was staying with. My sketchbook pages for my time in Melbourne are journal of my days. They are reminders of what I ate, where I went and events that occurred and the people I was with.

      I carry the one sketchbook a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook 13 x 21, my watercolour pencils in a wrap and Lamy Safari Joy ink pen – note to self – Always bring extra ink. I ran out with two days go. Not a tragedy and I could have bought more. Instead it just meant that I used other pencils and left the writing until I got home.
       
      I starting with my traditional airport sketch – with extra excitement this time when the departure lounge was cleared.

       

       

      Some iconic Melbourne – Flinders Street & tram

       
       
      other sketches  – a motorbike parked outside State Library
       
       
       
       
       

      A building in Flinders Lane. It is on the last page of my sketchbook, so has some scribbles. I show people how watercolour pencils work on this last page – scribble scribble scribble, splash splash
       

      I did sketches at my friends – lettuce in pot that was sitting in the sink . I later printed it at home on a card and sent it as a thank you card for having me as their guest. We did eat some of the lettuce.

      We also ate out.Brunch at Mossgreen tearooms in Armadale on Saturday.  I have a page of notes next to write next to this sketch about our wonderful experience there. I sketched my breakfast while we were there. Scrambled eggs with salmon and dill.

      The waitress watched and chatted to us as it was nice and quiet and early. She also loved to sketch and we left her inspired and with the contact details for Melbourne Urban Sketchers.


      I took a photo of the tearooms from across the street and sketched it at home. I like to sketch on location, but I did not have the time and it was too hot.

      DINNER

      My friend Louise was cooking dinner from a simple recipe form the internet (she searched for something with spinach as she had a lots in the crisper) it was untried, but simple, so she tried it, I have no enthusiasm for cooking, but was happy to chat in the kitchen while she sliced, chopped and baked.

      I was inspired by their home grown garlic (small but very strong smelling) and had an idea to draw the ingredients, spreading over two pages.  It then moved to drawing all the ingredients and the finished results, which would hopefully be mouthwatering .

      As I have used my watercolour pencils for the past five year I am very aware of the colours and how to apply them and what will happen when I add water (some colours change a lot !) I also know how textures can be achieved, although I am still learning all the time. That is why I am passionate about using them …

       

      I then the decided to leave space to add the list of the ingredients and recipe.
      The pressure was on to draw the ingredients before they were added to the pan. Some were drawn after the pie was in the oven (an onion is an onion). I grabbed some spinach before it was added and other being chopped. I could make a whole blog of this.

      I realised that I would have to add tasting notes, as we were all a little disappointed at the bland taste .

      The next morning I was up before the others, in the kitchen, had take the left overs (just as well there was some) out of the fridge and drew them before the others were up for breakfast ! This was the day I was leaving……


      My plane to go home