This sketch of breakfast at the Bean and Grain cafe, at the Fyshwick fruit and vegetable markets, was done in several stages. I started it several weeks ago but didn’t get a chance to finish it until last week. I decided to add my breakfast plate (after the yummy serve of bakery-made crumpets was gone) for a bit of extra interest.
Bean and Grain bakery and Cafe at the Fyshwick markets. pen and ink and watercolour,8 May 2015
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
The first few meetings of the Canberra Sketchers Group were focused on Canberra landmarks, such as the National Gallery of Australia and Lanyon Homestead, but this time we decided to hit the city streets – or more specifically Lonsdale Street in Braddon. In the perfect autumn sunshine of a Canberra Sunday morning, the street was jumping. Cafes full of patrons, people cramming the footpath and more traffic than a busy weekday lunchtime!
The group was pretty unanimous in heading to ‘The Hamlet’ where a whole pack of food vans are ready to supply hungry people and provide a subject for our group to sketch. There were various food vans to draw which occupied many of the group for the whole of our time on location.
Chasing Mr Morris food van in Braddon, pen and ink and watercolours, 3 May 2015
Food Vans in The Hamlet, Braddon 3 May 2015
While the food vans and cafes represent the new face of Lonsdale St, I decided to focus on what was rapidly being knocked down and bulldozed away. Prior to it’s rejuvenation, this part of Braddon was home to car yards and mechanics workshops. This sign is about all that’s left of that era now.
Old Sign, Lonsdale St Braddon, graphite and watercolour, 3 May 2015
While I’m not sad to see the car yards go, I am sad to see that local landmarks such as the Cornucopia Bakery and The Electric Shadows bookshop have ceased to exist. At least I know I’m not quite alone in missing that local history.
Grafitti, Lonsdale St, Braddon, watercolour and graphite
Here are some of the day’s efforts.
Some of the groups drawings, 3 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
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