(Un)eventful trip to Sydney

Getting over the flu and nursing an injured knee on a recent visit to Sydney, Australia meant sketching friends' backyards...

and the view from skylights. 

I did manage a trip to the Sydney Fish Market where heaps of Asian tourists were having expensive meals. Our meal of fish and chips was watched over by greedy seagulls.

Faber-Castell Pitt Pens, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25”x8.25”.
#HandbookJournal 5.5"x5.5".

More Dog Portraits

I sketched some of the (human) participants while waiting for Kya the model dog for a recent Drop In Studio session. 

Kya an Australian Labradoodle was not at all shy.



This next one was of Bryn. Here I was trying watercolour first followed by pen. Bryn is a therapy dog, a Shitzu/Bichon cross, he slept the whole time. This was the last therapy dog painting session.  Drop In Studio, McMullen Gallery. U of Alberta Hospital. Edmonton.

See my earlier post “Dog Portraits” for more on these sessions.

Ink and watercolour in Stillman & Birn Alpha Journal and watercolour paper.

First Snowfall 2015

I’ve sketched this scene many times before in different seasons but this is my first in winter. We had our first (very late) snowfall a couple of days ago and chaos on the roads and a shut down of the trains kept me at home. I started the sketch at 2pm, filled in the colours at the time the sun started to set around 4pm. 

By the time I finished, it was too dark to take a photo so I took it the next morning. 

Pen and ink, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25”x8.25”

Dog Portraits

For something different and because I like dogs, I attended several dog sketching/painting sessions at the McMullen Gallery, U of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton. The gallery’s weekly Drop In Studio (for patients, staff and visitors) got a bit of a boost with actual dog models, all therapy dogs in the hospital. The media were at this session last week. 

Here are my sketches of Gurdy the oh so cuddly Bulldog.

The artist leading the sessions is Father Douglas who is the present exhibiting artist with his show - "Songs of the Soul" featuring surreal portraits of dogs inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience. (Runs Oct 24 - Dec 6, 2015). 

Pen and ink on watercolour paper.
For more on the McMullen Gallery.
#McmullenGallery

Pedways

I seem to do a lot of waiting at Southgate Station and indirectly this means a lot of sketching too. This is the overhead covered pedway across the southbound lanes of 111St. Very welcomed when the temperature is minus 30C.

Election Day Canada 2015

19th October 2015 was election day in Canada…and what an election! The longest federal election campaign in Canadian history (78 days) and an unexpected landslide victory for the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau. 

The winner was announced 10 minutes after the polls closed at 7.30pm in my province of 
Alberta. This means that late voters in the province of British Columbia which is an hour behind Alberta knew the result before they even caste their vote!

I love sketching people on the train and on 19th October was able to add a sketch of a person reading the Metro (a freebie paper) with the headline “Get Out and X”. A little memento of a big day in Canadian history. 

Pitt pens in Global Handbook Journal (5.5"x5.5"). 

Fall Colours

We’ve had particularly impressive golden colours on the deciduous trees this year. A storm 3 nights after I did this sketch stripped most of the trees. I guess I've left it too late to sketch more of the Fall colours.

While I was pacing around on the street deciding on the best vantage point to sketch from, a man stopped to ask if I was lost. He seemed nonplussed when I explained what I was doing.

This was the first time trying out my Handbook Journal (watercolour). Thumbs up for the paper – it takes pen and ink nicely and no buckling. Minimal see-through, I'll be able to use both sides. The whole journal feels light and a good size to hold when standing to sketch.

Pen and ink, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25"x8.25".