The High Street in Berwick

Sketching at the High Street, Berwick. A nice way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon before the storm clouds set in. 

Berwick is a suburb 41 km south east of the Melbourne CBD. It was named by an early leaseholder after Berwick-on-Tweed in England. Dating back to the 1850s the oldest part of Berwick (called Olde Berwick) around the High Street shopping area still has an appealing English country village feel. 

#LamyPen, watercolour, #MoleskineWatercolourAlbum, 5x8.25ins.

The Berwick Inn

The Berwick Inn Hotel was established in 1857. It was an important meeting place and major staging post en route to the gold fields of Gippsland to the east. I had a hard time with this sketch as I was standing close to the roadway, the wind came up and my sketch got wonky.

This was a more comfortable sketch as after standing to do the initial rough layout I could sit on a park bench. Colour was added at home as the wind got too uncomfortable.

Addition of a map of Australia to show the location of Gippsland.

#LamyPen, watercolour, #MoleskineWatercolourAlbum, 5x8.25ins.

Sketching at The Berwick Show

We spent an enjoyable day at the Berwick Show (Victoria, Australia). This is an annual agricultural and horticultural show well known for it's large cattle exhibit.

Sketching sheep judging offered a lot of opportunities for practicing fast sketches. At times I was sketching "blind" ie. not looking down at my sketchbook. I found that first drawing a foot of the person and then working upwards from this anchor seemed to work well even though this is not a comfortable sequence.

This reluctant jiggling sheep won the top prize. 

Belly-up for the judge to have a look see.

I didn't know they sheared goats! 

#LamyPen, #DeArtramentis Document Brown Ink, #HandbookJournal 5.5"x5.5"

Narre Warren Equestrian Trail Fail!

Urban Sketchers are about telling a story, not just about producing pretty pictures. 

It was such a disappointment to come across this equestrian trail in Narre Warren, Victoria, Australia only to find the commanding view marred by power lines! 

This area used to be a basalt mine but between 1983 and 1996 became the Narre Warren landfill. I guess it's some consolation that the gas is being used to generate electricity which is fed back to the grid.

The area was dotted with production wells collecting landfill gas. What an eyesore!

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

The Old Cheese Factory

This beautiful spot was in the 1860s the site of the Springfield Homestead, Cheese Factory and Kitchen Wash House. The buildings surrounded by lovely gardens are now a popular venue for weddings, social functions, community group meetings and a monthly farmers’ market. On weekends the Homestead Cafe is open and serves wonderful Devonshire Teas (nothing can beat scones baked on the premises). 

I started putting in colour with watercolour pencils but changed my mind and decided to wait till I got home to use my watercolours.

Not sure I made the right choice. The homestead has disappeared in the busyness of the surroundings. This is a recurring problem of mine, I should have decided on what my focus was to be and left what was unimportant uncoloured. 

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