Category / watercolour

by Leonie Andrews

One Small Step

Today we met up with friends to explore the site of the former Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station where the first pictures of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon were transmitted to the rest of the world. (Yeah-nah, not ‘the Dish’ at Parkes).

The infrastructure is largely gone, but there is now a set of information panels and a series of sculptural elements by Canberra sculptor Michael Harding.

The site of the former Honeysuckle Creek tracking station.
Other locals out enjoying the day!

Our intention had been to sketch on site, but it didn’t happen. We went prepared to BBQ our lunch only to discover that the gas in the BBQs had run out.

In the end we drove back to the Ranger Station and cooked our meal there. While not quite the view I was planning I did complete a sketch of the nearby rural landscape.  

Tharwa Landscape

This is the first sketch in my new sketchbook. So you could say “one small sketch” (sorry that’s so lame).

by Leonie Andrews

Progress?

The one thing I’ve noticed with the new sketching technique I’ve been trying out is that it takes a long, long time fir my paint to dry. In turn, this means it takes me way longer than normal to complete a painting. Indeed, it takes me longer than I usually spend having a coffee.

Last weekend, I  got this far with my sketch, probably 15-20 minutes longer than my coffee lasted.

As I finished sketching, I realised that there were several sections that really annoyed me. However, I couldn’t be bothered to spend even more time at the cafe than I had already.

The updated version

So last night I fixed the bits I wasn’t happy with. Extending the umbrella canopy to make more sense of the top left corner and adding the darker section along the bottom. “Don’t be afraid of the darks, [colours that is]”, as a sketching friend often says.

I’m happier with it, but is any artists ever truly happy with what they do?😀

On a more practical note, I also realised that one time saver I could do was to paint a base layer of high-tone colour onto my pages before I went sketching. This should save me 10 to 15 minutes of drying time at least.

Pre-painted pages

by Leonie Andrews

Exploration continues

I’m keeping on with the exploration of tonal sketches started with my class with Olivia Marcus at the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Poznan.  The more I explore, the more my own style preferences are entering the equation.

Sketching in the tiny book I carry on my walks.

One thing I have largely changed is not using black as an emphasis. Because I work predominantly in watercolour, I find the contrast between that and the black felt pen Olivia uses, can overwhelm my sketches. I’m exploring whether I can effectively substitute darker tones.

Sketching at Fyshwick Markets

I’m also testing out all different colour combinations.  Some are instantly more appealing, but I don’t want to come to conclusions too soon. As I have a whole lot of new paints from our goody bags from Poznan, there’s still a lot to consider.

At Tutto in Mawson. I also added some pencil to this one to pick out more highlights.
by Leonie Andrews

Sketching with friends

While visiting London recently, I  went sketching  with friends at Marble Hill Park, on the Thames, near Richmond.

One of my friends brought along some prepared papers, painted with home-made pigment, extracted from  Rose Willow Herb.

Sketching on the lawn at Marble Hill House

As often happens, I misjudged the proportions of my sketch and cut the top off the roof. Which is why I added a second piece of paper to get it all in!

The missing bit of roof!
The finished sketch.

I really enjoyed working on the pre-painted paper. It was a very good mid tone, as well as a fortuitous choice of colour and was easy to work over.

Suffice to say, a good time was had by all!

Our collection of sketches from the day.
by Leonie Andrews

Urban Sketching at the Portrait Gallery

It’s been several months since I went out with the Urban Sketchers Canberra group. The weather, being as cold as it is, didn’t seem to promise a large turnout, but I was wrong about that.

36 people in the group photo.

I decided to do a composite sketch, showing various aspects of the Gallery,  starting with part of the building exterior.

The entrance to the Gallery

I then moved inside, collected a stool, and found a spot where I could see a cluster of other sketchers. I also decided to incorporate some quick sketches of two of the portraits into the background of my double page spread.

Sketching the sketchers
With some colour added

Because I couldn’t use my watercolours in the gallery, I moved to the ‘family’ room where messy art could happen.

The final double page spread.

I planned to add some elements from the cafe in the bottom right corner, but I ran out of time. Maybe I can do that another time.