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. 

A day out sketching in Hawthorn (Melbourne USK)

With over 20 Melbourne sketchers soaking up the sun in Hawthorn, we were set for a good day. There is so much to sketch on Glenferrie Road as its a hub for shopping, cafes and Swinburne university. We are having a group exhibition of Boroondara in Nov at the Hawthorn Art Centre. So everyone was keen to get some solid sketching in. We managed to replenish at Once a Tailor which had a big (kind of a secret) room out the back.

Jay painting the Catholic Church scene (Lynch St, Hawthorn)

Once a Tailor, Glenferrie Road

With an early start Angela and I found a VW parked on Burwood Road. We met the owner of the van and he said he would walk to the cafe so we could finish sketching it. We sent him a scan of our sketches as a thank you. It had cool crochet rugs on the seats.

I decided to sketch the Hawthorn Town Hall with its giant clock faces. It has the different times that I was sketching the hands. I have heard people do one for when they start the sketch and another when they finish.

After lunch I sat out the front of the laundro-mat and sketched the top of the buildings along Glenferrie Road. I got a few people come to chat.