Sketching at the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens

At $25 per person, guess who *didn't* go for a punt tour on the lake. Here I’m trying out a sketch with no pen work (just some pencil). 

I thought this was some historic cottage…

but it was just a rest area called William Tell Rest House. I rather like this relatively free  method of alternating pencil and watercolour and working out the composition as I go along instead of being literally accurate. 

Here’s the view from where I was sketching from, the little rest house is far away but I made it the focal point. 

View of the pond from the William Tell Rest House side of the lake.

Here's a bit about the punt tours.

Pencil, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 5.5x8.5ins. 

More Melbourne Sketches

With all the interesting buildings in Melbourne and the relatively mild winter there’s been no excuse not to sketch whenever we’ve been out.  I carry my trusty Handbook Journal and brown ink pens with me all the time. Here are a few done in the past three weeks. As I'm the photographer, that's always my spouse in the photos (he's recently been introduced to urban sketching, in fact any sort of drawing).

This art deco block of apartments in South Yarra was built in the 1930's. Sketched on a very warm winter’s day.

I particularly like this one of a train as it crosses the Yarra River. (I happen to like trains).

You could say it's a rite of passage for an Urban Sketcher in Melbourne to sketch Flinders Street Station. 43 years ago I caught the train from Box Hill to Flinders Street everyday and then the tram up Swanston St to work. I'll come back another day with my bigger sketch book and paints.

This next building was a challenge to sketch. Opened in 1929 The Forum had the largest seating capacity of any cinema in Australia. 

Presently a venue for film and concerts, sketching it's minarets and Moorish Revival exterior gave me a headache. I took some liberties with spacial placement.

#TombowMarker,  #LamyPen, #HandbookJournal 5.5"x5.5"

Rediscovering Melbourne

Rediscovering Melbourne again after 40 plus years is helping us keep sane while house hunting.

Enjoying the impressive Degas exhibition at National Gallery of Victoria. Melbourne.

Looking down on St. Michael's Uniting Church from Westpac Bank Building. Melbourne.

Victoria House, South Yarra, Melbourne. A building across the street where we stopped for coffee.

The foyer of the Regent Theatre, Melbourne while waiting for the start of an opera performance of "Tannhauser" (with our new Seniors card discounts of course). I can't believe it, we saw a performance of "Tannhauser" in Melbourne 40+ years ago!

#FaberCastellPittPen and #TombowMarker, #HandbookJournal 5.5"x5.5"

Abbotsford Convent Sketchmeet

So nice to finally get to sketch with USKMelbourne! 

This is the most imposing of the 11 historic buildings in the Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne. Formerly the Convent of the Good Shepherd, this ex-monastic site on 16 beautiful acres is now home to several art galleries and cafes. 

My sketch (including colour) was finished on site. I should have taken more time in getting the angles correct because I failed to capture the soaring nature of the building above me. It was a very enjoyable day (and such an interesting location!).

 The sketchmeet finished up at the back of the building for the usual show-and-tell and group photo.

#FaberCastellPittPen, watercolour,#Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 5.5x8.5ins.