Taiko team up

Over the last month Australia’s TaikOz and Japan’s very own Kodo have been touring the country together, both groups specialising in Japanese taiko drumming. It was a brilliant concert, it was so full of energy and the character of both groups came through. Here is a snippet of what I drew that night, if you would like to see the rest of my drawings please visit my blog. Cheers!

More from Rookwood

I dont know what it is about cemeteries that I enjoy drawing but Rookwood has always been on my checklist of places to draw, so when the Sydney Sketch Club headed out for its Open Day I thought it was a great opportunity.

Although I never managed to actually meet up with the other sketchers (due to my inability of reading maps and understanding bus shuttle services) I headed up to the older Anglican section. Many of the graves in this area dated around the early 1900s and many seem to be neglected, which from an artistic point of view, is appealing.

As sad as it may be, some of the graves I saw had flowering trees growing from it which I thought was really heartwarming, and the weather was so perfect it was really peaceful and pleasant sketching away from all the noise. I couldn't think of a more idyllic location.

The last place I visited seemed to be an area dedicated to fallen Australian soldiers with a simple, but striking memorial called The Crown of Thorns. It goes to show how big Rookwood is, I used to come quite regularly with my family, as part of my culture's customs, but I never knew of this area.

The deceased are just as interesting as the living.

Trying to mix Australian greens

After the initial buzz with markers, the challenge has now started to get more realistic colours without buying more colours. There is a huge range of colours in copic markers but I trying to limit what I carry around to between 15-20. Australian greens are NOT standard bright greens, are they, so the best way is always to mix. You can see where I have been mixing colours done the side.

Btw shocking changes this week.... I have taken my watercolour kit out of my bag (still have them with me in the car) and I am using a a4 size sketchbook with even thinner paper than the Canson universal book. This is in fact a moleskine cahier ( the thin paper). It is a strange feeling not to have my watercolours with me but I am having a little break from them and also from long sketching sessions – markers are quicker as there is no drying time. This was a quick 10-15min sketch this morning before work....I know I have done this view before!!!!

You can see how are using my markers in a plastic clip lock bag very conveninet in my front pocket of my bag.... By the way, I would love to see what everyone is using in their kit these days...(a photo is fine but it is more fun to draw it!!!)

Sketching at Streets Beach Southbank Brisbane

Rookwood Cemetery Open Day for Family Fun

Hi, Friends, have you ever played around in a huge cemetery~(*o*)~ ? 
Yes, we had a plenty of BOUNCING living souls on the grave yardʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ !! We, Sydney sketch club enjoyed "Rookwood Cemetery open day".
Well, this post is orginally at my own blog, Sadami's Graffiti. In the feedback, readers tell sensation, interest, freshness and, furthermore, great fun in this event! (*if you like, have a read of comments in my blog. Quite interesting!) 
So, I'll share this with you! Here we go!
             

The event includes a parade, a bus tour, heritage tours, birc-a-brac, grave digging demonstrations, entertainment, etc. All money raised, goes towards restoration projects within the Cemetery.
In the parade, a horse-drawn hearse carrying a coffin interested me most. Wow, gorgeous. The driver and people around me had fun together. (*all my sketches are A4.) 

There, the most cute and lovely character was this old bicycle riding gentleman with a lorikeet! Isn't he charming? The kind gentleman invited me for riding. (*I should have tried it!)  
I played up the guy's personality in the sketches. Other people around me said, "It's him! It's him!" Ahahahaha!

Also, white doves were released twice. May peace be on people and the earth. 

Traditional dancing was a very much fun. All the people were in retro costumes.The mood and movements fascinated me very much. This group members and I enjoyed a long chat.

Sketching always gives fresh ideas for illustration. Bald and brave. Light brush strokes in a quick movement make interesting references.

When the event was over, I sketched the cemetery. 
"How to live each moment," is my concern. I tell myself, "Everyday is my birthday!"

Friends, Happy Painting! 
Enjoy sketching!! 

Brisbane, other urban sketching : Alissa Duke

Other sketches from my two weeks in Brisbane and travelling on the airplane. I did lots of other drawings as well, on planes, beaches at my friends apartment .  http://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/

This is a lovely , but busy area in Brisbane, but I found a quiet place to sit before ork each day and sketch. I was fortunate to have lovely weather. The heat has not set in yet.

The view from my office window. Sketched in biro , over a few days, before anyone else arrived.

Walking along the bikeway on Coronation Drive on the way "home"from work. The light changed so quickly and I missed capturing  the colours I wanted to draw

The view from a friends verandah, looking over Bridbane city. Perhaps the sky as not that purple but the city silhouette was black.

On the bus from Toowoomba to Brisbane - other passengers - in pencil

and at the airport on the way home to Sydney ......(via Adelaide)

Brisbane, lunch hour: Alissa Duke

I recently spent two weeks in Brisbane for work and spent my lunch hours sketching. I was fortunate to meet up with two Brisbane sketchers JJ and Asuka and they met me by the Brisbane River to sketch. I sat in the the same place everyday and there was so much to sketch. It was wonderful to make these interstate USK connections and I will let them know next time I am going to visit.

Neutral Bay, Sydney

Neutral Bay, Sydney, a photo by david.jack on Flickr.

View of North Sydney from Neutral Bay. I'm using a new brush called COPIC MULTILINER SP. It's a rapidograph BUT with a brush nib. 

Harvest Moon Celebrations

On Saturday I turned up for the lunar Moon Festival celebrations. It's largely to celebrate the change in the seasons and falls on the day the moon is at its highest and brightest in the sky. There are many legends that are attached with this too, but I think the one I was told is actually attached to a celebration in July.

Anyway, as a member of a martial arts school in Sydney we practice lion dancing. Most of our performances occur during the New Year Festival, but this is the other big one on our calendar. And we visit shops and restaurants in Chinatown wishing them good fortune, and they return the good fortune by giving us a red packet with money in it attached to a head of lettuce or choy. However, it is either tied at the top of the doorway or from the awning and the lion must retrieve it, even having to climb a 10 foot pole secured only by the grip of 6 guys.

If you would like to see more drawings from today please visit my blog site. Cheers!

Another quick morning marker

here is another quick sketch during my morning walk - done with my copic markers. This is the sports centre in Crows Nest - you can see the underside of the tier seating. Having fun mixing greys with these markers. (i haven't touched my watercolour kit in nearly 2 weeks - that is a record for me!)

Lunching with my daughter at Westfield Carindale Food Court

Glory, glory to South Sydney...

I took two of my nephews to the semi-finals of the NRL (Australian rugby league competition). One of the boys follows Souths or the "Rabbitohs" so it was a huge game for him, but we all got caught up in the moment. This team has been under-performing in the last couple of years but have had an awesome season this year. They played the Canberra Raiders who didn't play as well as they had in the last couple of games to make the play-offs.

The game was at Homebush, and it was the stadium (albeit now a smaller modified facility) used for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. I drew this when the two teams came out to warm up before kick off. We were sitting in Souths territory, not far from "The Burrow" where all the die-hard faithful sit.

I tried drawing the players as they were going through their warm ups. I had to rely on "snapshotting" their movement in my mind than hope for them to stand still long enough to draw. 

Around Crows Nest

Here are a few marker sketches that I have done lately... Having lots of fun with playing with a new medium.

Full set of my marker sketches are here on flickr (including a lot of thoughts including pros and cons)

Sketching at Riverside Centre along the Brisbane River with fellow Sketch Crawler Alissa Duke