Christmas sketching in Melbourne

A small group of Melbourne Sketchers got together for our annual Christmas Sketch in the city. We spent a couple of hours sketching (attracting some curious onlookers), then got together for a card exchange, and lunch.

It was a fun session. Here are our collective efforts completed during the couple of hours. Each of us submitted a sketch for exchange and went home with a sketch completed by another sketcher.

 

I had 2 colours with me. Here are some of my sketches. The following two were completed at Christmas Square at Collins Place.

  

There is a big Lego Christmas Tree at Federation Square and I found a nice spot away from the crowd to sketch it.

 

And for sketch exchange, I made a card with inks (below). On the right, I captured Santa in my selfie. Happy Christmas everyone, and all the best for 2016.

Presentation by Paul Wang and Liz Steel, and Sketchcrawl in North Melbourne

What a treat to have Paul Wang and Liz Steel present to the Melbourne Urban Sketchers last Saturday (11/4). It was very informative for us - via slideshow and video, we saw some urban sketching events in other cities, Paul’s work over the years as well as a glimpse of his approach. We also heard about the upcoming symposium from Liz that got many of us excited.

 
The morning presentation was followed by sketching around Errol Street in North Melbourne.

This is the sketch I completed during the session, just outside the Town Hall and looking towards a row of shops.

Paul Wang facilitated the show and tell after sketching.

There was more sketching afterwards at the Auction Room cafe over drinks and food, and later at Joe Taylor Bar over drinks. It was a fun day that started at 10am and for some of us ended after dinner. 

Urbansketching in the city

Sketchcrawl in the city to capture the Melbourne Christmas spirit…

A lady collecting for those in need below.

 

At ‪Christmas Square in Melbourne below - lots of colours, elves, antlers and people.

 

Enjoying a cup of chocolate at Koko Black in Royal Arcade - taking a break from Christmas shopping.

Sunday morning cyclists

Sunday morning cyclists catching up for a chat over coffee in by the beach in Port Melbourne.This is a very common scene as Port Melbourne has bike paths and great cafes for a stop before they head of to continue their ride.

Christmas ribbon

Christmas decorations are up in Melbourne. This is the pedestrian bridge across the Yarra River in front of Southgate.

Melbourne USK exhibition at Town Hall Gallery

First a video

And a nice write-up byTown Hall Gallery

82 pieces of work all lined up on the floor – during installation

Work in progress

Looking great.

The launch – packed!

The show goes on till Dec 6 at Town Hall Gallery.

Sketching at the University of Melbourne

Melbourne USK Sketchcrawl at the University of Melbourne – first sketch over breakfast. The university was quite quiet since it was a Saturday.

Lots of heritage buildings here.

A red Vespa and her little cousin, a red push bike :) – surely I had to sketch them.

Annual Zombie Shuffle in Melbourne

“Zombies” gathered at the Treasury Gardens a couple of weeks ago. It was a great opportunity to draw as the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. I did not manage to get many zombies in my sketch so I got 2 of them to hold my sketchbook. Such a fun day to sketch and to people watch.

Old Treasury Building, Melbourne

I drew the Treasury Building in Melbourne a few days ago. It was a cold winter day and braving the cold, I managed to complete the above sketch on location, but had to go indoors to colour it.

It houses the original gold vaults in Melbourne. These next two drawings were completed sometime ago and I have forgotten about them until just now. We were in fact escaping the heat of Melbourne's summer early in the year and had gone down to the basement to draw.

The basement was also where the caretaker of the building lived in the 1900s.

Melbourne USK Sketchcrawl in Maling Road

Our sketchcrawl yesterday was at Maling Road in Canterbury. It is a lovely little street; quite quaint with retails shops – not the usual big brands but nice little boutique shops and a number of antique shops - and many coffee shops. This is Maling Room, a cafe (used to be a post office) we went to after our sketchcrawl.

Sketchcrawl at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

We had a nice day in Melbourne last Saturday – just perfect for our sketchcrawl. It was neither cold nor windy.

Some of us found some nice seats outside a cafe for coffee, scones and mulled wine. This area is by the Yarra River, with lots to draw – buildings, boats, ferries….

I did not complete my sketch. I returned to the same spot after lunch to fill up the bottom of the sketch but unfortunately, I had to give up as there were too many people walking past and lingering. Maybe I will return there sometime during the week when it is less busy. But for now, this is it.

The building with the yellow on the top is Eureka Tower with the famous attraction, Eureka Skydeck on level 88. In front of it, is Crown Hotel (the green building). The building with the cranes on the top is Freshwater Place, a residential building. In front of it is the yellow slanting roof of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Building. The Melbourne CBD is just on the left of the bridge.

Sketchcrawl in Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne

It was a cold and rainy day, but urban sketching went on with over 20 sketchers gathering in a rotunda in the gardens looking out or sketching each other. A few went to sit outside under umbrellas!

It was another fun session with awesome results.

I found it a challenge sketching in the gardens – plants are not really my thing – but I had fun anyway. Here is my piece, below, sketched with a stick dipped in ink, and watercolour.

Easter Bunnies

Happy Easter. I was at the Bendigo Easter Festival (Victoria) and this is my favourite sketch of the day. These huge Easter Bunnies were there to pose for photos. There tops were actually psychedelic. They were cutest when they walked – quite a sight with their big bums swaying excessively.

Art Town 2014

Melbourne Urban Sketchers participated in Art Town on 29 March 2014. It was a fun experience to draw and capture the precinct. Besides Melbourne USKers, there were artists working in various media, including photography, oils, installation and sculpture. We had various sketching sessions – along the footpath, at coffee/lunch and at a railway station.

We had an awesome collection of work at the end of the day, which the artists could submit to an exhibition.

Melbourne USkers are modest - only 10 works were submitted, and they all looked amazing on the walls of Chapel Off Chapel Gallery.

A few of us went to the opening of the exhibition. It was an enjoyable evening – a celebration of our efforts and times spent drawing. Congratulations on work well done.

Melbourne Urban Sketching in Brighton

We held a sketchcrawl in Dendy Beach in Brighton this week. Dendy Beach is home to the iconic colourful bathing houses.

 

We met at 11 am and caught up again 2 hours later to share our work. It was fantastic to catch up with the regulars, and meet new sketchers. Here are some of the work drawn by the group; most are colourful (above).

 

I enjoyed sketching the colourful bathing boxes – what fun with so many colours!

I was early and sketched over breakfast at a nearby cafe - a kayak in the foreground, Brighton residential homes behind it and the city in silhouette in the background.

Wednesday afternoon boat race in Port Melbourne

This is Port Melbourne, and every Wednesday afternoon there is a boat race. I love the colourful spinnakers balloon out as they catch the wind, especially on a sunny afternoon.

Australia Day sketches

Australia Day falls on 26 January. There were many events around the city on that day. I sat under a tree at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne - a memorial of those who served and died in the Great War of 1914-18. There was an impressive airshow of 6 red planes which got everyone’s attention for about 15 minutes. It was a warm day and many people were out enjoying the events and the sunshine.

I am including the sketch of Flinders Station below, which has an Australian Day banner, although I did not draw it on Australia Day.

For many, it was also a celebration of a long weekend. Australia Day fell on Sunday this year, so Monday was a public holiday.

Sketching in Brunswick Street, Melbourne

A trip to a favourite art shop for supplies ended up with sketching over lunch. This is my messy page (above) capturing the scene around me, while my coffee and lunch got cold. At least I had fun.

I had drawn this building before (above - it’s across the road from where I was sitting) but I had not noticed the condition of the roof. There were several gaps or holes which I tried to capture. It’s still a beautiful building, but in need of some maintenance.

This is a sketch from last year. I am posting it to show where I sat – outside and under the shade. From there I could see the sign “Alimentari” on the oval sign (also see next image)…

There is a flower shop next door, with a spinning wheel – the big yellow petal – that kept spinning the whole time.

This area - Brunswick Street in Fitzroy- is interesting in that it’s quite arty; with lots of grungy as well as funky retail outlets, great food, good coffee and is a great location for people watching.

Christmas Square, Melbourne

Christmas Square is a temporary set-up in the city. I think it’s for kids although there were many adults there. My morning started off beautifully but the city got too busy and I couldn’t wait to get home.

I had a nice quiet time sitting at a cafe drawing this scene (above), having a coffee and pastry. It was a good view of the square (actually more like a rectangle where the tall Christmas tree is) with the Melbourne Town Hall in the background.

Then I went into the square and it was very busy (Christmas Eve). I managed a quick sketch, then decided that the city was too busy for me and went home.

Melbourne USK Sketchcrawl at the BIG DRAW

Are you in Melbourne on Jan 4, 2014? Come and join us - we are drawing at the BIG DRAW at Federation Square:

More details:
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/programs/public-programs/the-big-draw/date-8807?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=mn-program&SQ_PAINT_LAYOUT_NAME=mn-program

> When: Jan 4, 2014 (Saturday)
> Time: Meet at 12:30 pm. We will draw and meet up again at 2:30pm (the event ends then) for our usual photos, coffee and catch-up.
> Where: Meet at the BIG SCREEN (stage) at Federation Square.

I am really looking forward to it. See you there.