Tag / Urban Sketchers Canberra

by Leonie Andrews

Kambah Woolshed collage

I was out with Urban Sketchers Canberra at the Kambah Woolshed, this past weekend, attempting to make a collage in a very stiff wind. 

Every collage brings new learnings – particularly when working in a representational style – compared to the more common free-form approach.

Kambah Woolshed

Working from the background to the foreground is the most practical way to start. Of course, I still trip myself up and have to re-glue or correct sections.

Having a clear picture of the tonal values is critical. Particularly when deciding on the background to the subject.

Sometimes, the tonal values don’t get completely nailed down until late in the process. The thin diagonal line on the roof on the right side was close to the last piece I added. This made so much difference to the roofline.

The collage and original subject

After looking at this piece when I got home my partner pointed out that one of the columns didn’t appear to be in correct perspective. He was right. I’d carried it through to the roofline when there was a section of planking that ran in front of it.

Here’s the final version.

The finished collage after one final tweak

I continue to be surprised that this process takes pretty much the same amount of time as my regular watercolour sketches do. I’m happy with the result.

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.

by Leonie Andrews

DESIGN Canberra sketches

DESIGN Canberra Festival is currently on and our local chapter of Urban Sketchers has been actively partcipating for the first time.

We ran a Drop in and Draw session in Civic Square on Thursday and a Sunday sketching event at Callam Offices on the weekend.

Our first event was marred by strong winds. I found this out the hard way when I got slapped with a big spray of water from the fountain I was sitting next to.

Some of the brave few that turned out to sketch.

The University of Canberra’s temporary architectural installation in Civic Square.

The statue of Ethos, by Tom Bass, at the entrance to the ACT Assembly building, with fountain (notice the water splotch in the dark grey section of the paint).

Sunday was marginally better weather wise. Callam Offices looks like a futuristic space module dropped into the Woden Town centre.

It was designed, amongst other things to demonstrate construction to survive potential floods. Hence it is set above the ground suspended around a series of concrete cores.

Designed by architect John Andrews and built in the late 1970’s these buildings are currently used as local government offices. It was originally intended that 26 modules be built, but only 3 were completed. Sadly one of Andrew’s other major Brutalist buildings in our city, the Cameron Offices has largely been demolished, which is pretty awful, but par for the course as far as our local lack of interest in heritage buildings goes.

My watercolour of one of the building cores.

Along with my main sketch I painted a detail of this ventilation outlet.

Tonight we are off to hear a conversation between the architect John Andrews and Tim Ross (a great promoter and documentor of Australia’s modernist heritage). I am really looking forward to hearing more about Andrews ‘ work.

by Leonie Andrews

Urban Sketchers at the Shine Dome

Our urban sketching group met today to sketch at the Shine Dome, home of the Australian Academy of Science and one of the modernist masterpieces of this country. Designed by Roy Grounds and completed in 1958, the building is often referred to by it’s nickname as the ‘Martian Embassy ‘.

Behind the Shine Dome is a more recent edition to the Canberra skyline. The Nishi Building, 2015, with it’s green wall, includes offices and commercial space and incorporates, on the right, Hotel Hotel. This complex was designed by Fender Katsiladis Architects and March Studio, and landscape architects Oculus.

Watercolour, pencil