A friend joined us at the cafe this week so there was more chat than drawing. The wind was quite bitter so we huddled under the awning where the cafe blinds gave us some protection.
Thankfully another patron parked their motorbike in a convenient position for me to draw.
Motorbike, pen and ink with watercolour , 6 May 2015
Back to one of my favourite sketching subjects – the umbrella. This time in watercolour with a pen and ink background drawing.
Umbrella, watercolour, pen and ink, 29 April 2015
It was blowing a howling southerly on Wednesday, not quite as bad as that experienced by my family in the Hunter Valley of NSW, but bad enough. I drew these two gents who, like us had retreated into the cafe to get warm and enjoy a chat. I was trying to draw from the inside out, that is not starting with outlines but only adding them later as necessary.
Two old men chatting, pen and ink, 22 April 2015
It was cold yesterday so we were huddled underneath the awning next to the reptile shop to drink our coffee. At least we got the ‘desirable’ table right next to the tank of Eastern Long Neck Turtles. I love watching them swim about the tank, but they are also adept at just sitting underwater for long periods of time. I was particularly enamoured of the turtle stack in the corner of the tank.
A tank of Eastern Long Neck Turtles, pen and ink and gel pen, 8 April 2015
In my ongoing attempt to make more interesting cafe drawings I’ve been experimenting with drawing people’s feet and legs. This, of course, also has the benefit of not having to look at the person’s face while you try to draw them!
I started yesterday with this drawing and what do I see but I managed to sneak in a full figure after all. The composite nature of these drawings does mean that the scale isn’t consistent between the two pages. But I’m prepared to forgive myself.
Leg studies at the Italian Bakery in Mawson, pen and ink, 24 March 2015
As soon as you think you’ve got a strategy then everything changes again. Here are today’s legs and a bit more.
People and leg studies at Biginelli’s at Kambah, pen and ink and Copic marker, 25 March 205
I’d done what I could with the legs, when the people whose feet I’ve drawn on the lower right hand side of the page, insisted on moving their table right next to ours (we were outside so it’s fair game). At such close proximity even my foot drawing strategy was endangered. I was just about to settle down to read the newspaper when I noticed the gentleman who I’ve drawn in the upper right hand side of the page. He was a good distance away and was totally focused on reading his paper. Not only that but he was dressed head to foot in black which really brought my attention to drawing the shadows that were cast on his knee. And no, the poor man doesn’t have 6 legs that’s just where he ended up on my page – next time I might give him a page all to himself.
leonieandrews 