Tag / pen sketch

by Leonie Andrews

Quick, quick, slow

Like many sketchers I always carry a small sketchbook in my bag for sketching wherever I go. These days I frequently take a larger book as well, that is if I remember it. Today I forgot the larger book so I sketched in the smaller one instead. In the small book I found two other drawings which I haven’t previously posted so here are two quick drawings and a slow one to finish off.

Firstly a sketch captured while I was scoffing fish and chips down the coast several weeks ago. Most people sit on the back verandah of this fish shop, solely for the view. Fending off marauding seagulls may also be necessary.

The Clyde River bridge (the other one) at Bateman's Bay NSW, pen and ink, 16 March 2015

The Clyde River bridge (the other one) at Bateman’s Bay NSW, pen and ink, 16 March 2015

Yesterday I was sitting at the green waste re-cycling centre whiling away a few minutes while my partner tied a tarp over our load of soil. This is what I could see in front of me.

Red Hill from Corkhill Bros at the Mugga Lane tip, pen and ink, 30 March 2015

Red Hill from Corkhill Bros at the Mugga Lane tip, pen and ink, 30 March 2015

Finally I spent rather more time on this drawing of the pallets at the back of the fruit shop, Jabals Halal Market, at Mawson.

The back of Jabals Halal Market, Mawson ACT, pen and ink, 31 March 2015

The back of Jabals Halal Market, Mawson ACT, pen and ink, 31 March 2015

by Leonie Andrews

This could be the start of something big *

You just never know how things will start. You see several sketchers ‘found’ each other through the Urban Sketchers Australia group and we decided we’d see if there was enough interest to get a Canberra group off the ground. When the call went out just over a week ago for sketchers to meet at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) this Sunday morning we weren’t sure just how many people would turn up. We were really pleased that there were 9 people who answered the call. The NGA offers all sorts of drawing opportunities so after brief introductions everyone went off to find their particular place to draw.

Some of the group comparing their sketches, 8 February 2015

Some of the group comparing their sketches, 8 February 2015

Several of us went to the Fern Garden, one of the rather hard to find gems of the Gallery, as access is only via the back end of the building sort of stuck behind a carpark and service areas. I love the shape of the tree ferns so that was where I started.

The Fern Garden, designed by Fiona Hall, pen and ink, pencil and watercolour pencil, 8 February 2015

The Fern Garden, designed by Fiona Hall, pen and ink, pencil and watercolour pencil, 8 February 2015

Other people had quite a different view of exactly the same area. Forget the ferns, this sketch by one of the other participants, was focused solely on Hall’s underlying structure of pathways for the garden.

The pathways in the Fern Garden, Copic Multiliner, 8 February 2015

The pathways in the Fern Garden, Copic Multiliner, 8 February 2015

Later I moved around into the Sculpture Garden, which was proving to be a popular place to be. I completed a second drawing, this time of Bert Flugelman’s iconic Cones. It was also a popular choice to draw, you can see Sharon B’s version here.

Cones by Bert Flugelman, pen and ink, Copic Multiliner, liquid graphite, 8 February 2015

Cones by Bert Flugelman, pen and ink, Copic Multiliner, liquid graphite, 8 February 2015

The two hours we allocated to drawing went by so quickly. We reconvened at the cafe to share our morning’s work. There were sculptures, architecture, gardens and chairs. Lots of watercolours, ink, pen and pencil as well.

Canberra sketchers, our first get together, 8 February 2015

Canberra sketchers, our first get together, 8 February 2015

An another shot of our collected works.

Another view of the finished sketches, 8 February 2015

Another view of the finished sketches, 8 February 2015

It was so much fun that we are doing it again next month. If you’re interested in coming along just meet us on Sunday 1 March, at the coffee shop outside the entrance to the National Gallery of Australia at 10.30 am.

PS we will be exploring other areas of Canberra, but the group decided that there was still plenty of material to be explored at the NGA so we’ll have another session there before moving to other venues.

PPS if you can’t wait until then you might like to go along to the National Portrait Gallery’s monthly ‘Drawn In’ event, on Sunday 22 February from 1-3 pm, where you can draw with the accompaniment of the Night Cafe Jazz Trio.

*I hope you enjoy this ‘vintage’ clip of Steve Allen, (the composer of this song and TV host), with his guests, including a surprising cameo towards the end of the clip. This Could be the Start of Something Big

by Leonie Andrews

China Drawings

Thanks for all of you who were following my drawing travels through China in October and November. I have finally gotten organised and have set up an album on Flickr with the full set of drawings on display. You’ll be in for a bit of a session as I ended up with some 60 plus pages – no one was more surprised than me.

If you’d like to take the trip again you can find the album here.

Sketching in Guilin

Sketching in Guilin

by Leonie Andrews

Slack cat Sunday

We were having a lovely time sitting in bed and reading this morning when our cat decided to join us. Not wanting to disturb her I grabbed what was to hand, some pull out pages from my partner’s magazine, and my nearest pen. I made three sketches of the cat.

My cat and her shadow, 10 November 2013.

My cat and her shadow, 10 November 2013.

Cat asleep on the bed.

Cat asleep on the bed, 10 November 2013.

Cat on the bed, 10 November 2013.

Cat on the bed, 10 November 2013.