Four sketches from 2 regular sketching spots. Two from the cafe at the markets and two from our regular cafe. In date order.
Tag / cafe drawings
Everyday practice
Here are some sketches from my current ‘handbag’ sketchbook. I am trying to use up one of the myriad sketchbooks that seem to spontaneously generate in my spare room. This book isn’t too good with wet media so I mainly try and sketch in pencil. The pencils I am using are a Palomino Blackwing 530 and my el cheapo multicolour pencil I got in Japan at Sekkaido.
In rough date order … 
Trying to get some more interesting perspectives into these ‘regular’ events.
Sketching graffiti from a roof top carpark.
This is a work in progress. I do a bit more every time I stop here to collect the mail.
Again, trying to enliven a cafe sketch. It gets very busy at our local cafe on Saturday morning. There are lots of parents and kids relaxing after the kids football matches.
Art practice, not Art perfect
I was reminded earlier today that the phrase is ‘meditation practice’ not ‘meditation perfect’*, so I’m nicking that idea to apply to my art. I don’t know many artists who think their work is ‘perfect’, but sometimes I seem to operate as if that should be the default. So in the spirit of it being Friday I’m cutting myself some slack and having fun with my art ‘practice’.
Returning from interstate last week I was making this rather stiff drawing of 4 people who appeared to be related …
Waiting at the airport, 3 related women and one girl, coloured pencil
… when this bloke stuck himself right in front of my subjects.
What gets in the way of art, becomes the art!
The pen I was using wasn’t running smoothly as the cap is a bit loose and the ink dries and causes blockages. I sort-of revived it a bit by putting water from my brush pen onto it, so while the sketch is a bit pale, I think it’s way more interesting than my first effort.
The next day the pen wasn’t much better, but I couldn’t resist sketching this cheeky magpie, hanging around the cafe for a feed. The first parts of the sketch were pale and then with help from my partner we managed to get the ink flowing a bit better . Once that was done I realised that I had made a much more interesting range of marks than if the ink had been flowing properly.
Necessity becomes virtue as the paler initial marks allow for more interest in the feathers and offer a contrast to the background
I picked up that pen again today, but not before actually checking and re-filling it. This morning I didn’t find my fellow cafe-goers very exciting subjects, so I decided to include some of the graphics from the nearby reptile shop to make things more interesting. I decided the whole could be improved if I added some paint when I got home.
Cafe habitues with green paint
I then decided, in short order, that the result wasn’t quite what I was after. So I resorted to even more paint.
My fix
I’m feeling much happier about this version.
Sadly I have to report that since the big make-over of the small precinct where we go for coffee, that our dinosaur has ‘left the building’. It has been replaced by two trees some ground-cover plants and a lot of wood-chips. Making my sketches ‘interesting’ will become more of a challenge with the dinosaur.
*Phrase thanks to Headspace
Coffee, at last
It has been a long time between drinks, of coffee that is. In reality it’s been a while since I got my pencils out while sitting down with a cup of coffee.
Last Saturday’s offerings are as follows.
Red Glasses
Sadly just as I was getting stuck into capturing this striking older woman, there was a glitch in our coffee order. By the time it was sorted out she’d left.
Ghastly
Thankfully this man was in for the duration (of my attention at least).
Coffee shots
So it’s not quite Wednesday, but I took my book to the coffee shop this morning. It was a bit quiet, but two people sitting in the outside area caught my eye. Both were buffered against the arrival of winter temperatures.
This man was rugged up in a large jacket which exaggerated the width of his shoulders, particularly as he was sitting a bit low in his chair.
A few tables away sat a man in an interesting knitted cap.
Once again I am using my Koh-i-noor Magic pencils and a white Prismacolour pencil on my toned brown Strathmore sketchbook.
leonieandrews 