More Virtual Sketches

I don’t usually go in for sketching cityscapes but it was an opportunity to try out a new idea – painting the bare trees in a grey colour (which is what the bare twigs look like from afar). 

Here's a Sunday virtual sketch with Facebook Group Virtual Sketch Melbourne in Market Street, Melbourne. Being able to "walk" around the area sure helped with getting to see the building better. 

I was surprised that the sketch worked quite well on such a small scale in a Moleskine watercolour journal.   

Here I couldn’t help sketching this lovely Japanese building in Kurashiki, Japan during a virtual sketchmmet with Facebook group Virtual Travel Sketch. I was using my favourite tools – Sailor fude pen, watercolour and Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook. 

I like using a waterbrush even though most artists are disdainful of its capabilities. I like the round shapes the tip leaves and somehow the thick holder and slight stiffness of the bristles seems to cause less strain on my arthritic fingers. Here I used it dry like normal brushes.   

First sketch: #Sailorfude pen, watercolour,#MoleskineWatercolourAlbum, 5x8” Second sketch: #Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”#virtualtravelsketch #virtualsketchmelbourne

Virtual Sketches in Footscray

In August and September while we were in lockdown, I came to really enjoy sketching old homes in Footscray (an inner-western suburb of Melbourne city). I love the eclectic mix of architectural styles and the power lines criss-crossing overhead in this suburb. 

These sketches were done during virtual sketchmeets with the Facebook group called Virtual Sketch Melbourne which uses Google Maps to designate venues for each sketchmeet. 

Adelaide Street. 

Swan Street.

Footscray is very culturally diverse, reflecting the waves of migration experienced by the city – Greek, Italian and Yugoslavian followed by Vietnamese and East Africans. It is recently undergoing development and gentrification. 

Warleigh Road.

Southampton Street.

After some recent self instruction, these sketches are looser, a bit bolder and I use more water. These techniques combined with using my favourite materials – Fude pen and watercolour in Stillman and Birn Beta and Moleskine watercolour sketchbooks make these some of my favourite sketches. 

For more on Footscray, click here.

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5” and #MoleskineWatercolourAlbum, 5x8”.

Fully Vaccinated

On 28th August we added ourselves to the measly 33.9% of Victorians fully vaccinated.

The doctor said we should give ourselves a treat.  John promptly ordered McDonald's for lunch!

#FaberCastellPittPen, #Moleskine Sketchbook, 3.5" x 5.5” 

 

Virtual Sketches

During our last lockdown (which is still on-going but with some slight easing of restrictions), I came to enjoy virtual sketchmeets with the Facebook groups Virtual Travel Sketch and Virtual Sketch Melbourne. They use Google Maps to designate venues for their sketchmeets.  I started to enjoy these sessions after allowing myself to continue "walking" around my chosen spot in the designated venue on Google Maps while sketching it instead of choosing the spot and then using an offline photo of the spot as the photo reference.  

During my "walk" around the streets of Randwick, NSW, Australia I got lost and ended up at No 1, The Avenue. Here was an interesting house to sketch! 

There's lots of weird things going on near the roof line (the top windows are too far apart) but I like the Urban Grey De Artramentis ink straight out of the bottle (I’d been mixing it with black before).  

Here's another virtual sketch of a house at the corner of Fitzroy St and Ackland St, Melbourne. After the success with the lighter Urban Grey de Artramentis ink in the above sketch, in this sketch it was a “fail”! Too light and I had to redraw some lines to make them darker. I think I’ll go back to mixing Urban Grey with black to get a darker tone.

After the blunders of the previous sketch where the tip of the roof top didn't line up with what was below on the next floor I took more care with the second sketch. 

With #virtualtravelsketch and #virtualsketchmelbourne

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5” 

Painting Loosely

 Further on in my attempts to sketch and paint more loosely, I started to use more water in my paints. In these sketches I am beginning to have a better understanding of the meaning of "wet"! 

It helped that I was using a Stillman and Birn Beta journal which is wonderful for very wet painting. 

In the first I did watercolour before pen.

Plaza Cathedral, Cadiz and Escolta St, Manila with #virtualtravelsketch

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”

Continuous Line Drawing

Back in late July, I set myself the task of learning to sketch more loosely. A way to achieve this was to practise Continuous Line drawing. Here I've tried it (more or less) on a scene. This was new as I'd only ever tried Continuous Line drawing of simple objects. 

I love it! It's super fast and so enjoyable with not having to bother getting things straight or dead accurate. Aging eyes and arthritic fingers make me too old for photorealism. The grey is perhaps a little too pale. 

This was a virtual sketch with #virtualsketchmelbourne.

Markers. #stillmanandbirn nova, beige.

Sketching Teacups

I've been somewhat lax with posting but here's some experimenting and telling of stories while in lockdown a couple of months back.  

J brought this cup back from Poland after a work trip many years ago. 

AJ gave us this cup (with matching mug now thrown out) more than 20 years ago. 

These sketches were done with watercolor only (no line).

Watercolour, #RosemaryDaggerBrush #MoleskineWatercolourAlbum, 5x8”