BIG DRAW Confucius Day 27 Sept 2014

Concentrating on trying to capture some of the activity in the quadrant at Auckland University for the Confucius Institute celebrations

The Chairman

Been doing a bit of waiting around lately: time to kill and a good thing I had my sketchbook with me.

Drawing in Mission Bay …

Yay … in the process of overcoming my fears about drawing with a group, I have recently joined a Sketch Group and today was the first time out with them for me.   We should have been drawing the fountain at Mission Bay, but we arrived to find that it’s been drained and has a high fence all the way around it, so we all went in different directions to draw, and had the show and tell back at the Stone House.  Maybe some of the ladies in the group will turn up next time.

Cross Hatching Demo

Cross Hatching Demo

Kitchen Drawing

Sneakin’ Around

 

I tried this method of working as part of Sketchbook Skool Semester 1 homework.  Background blue is a wash of Dr P.H. Martin’s India Ink; pumpkin coloured layer is liquid gouache and the sneaker was done “Contour Method” (do the whole outline first, then fill in the middle/details) with a permanent black pen.  It didn’t take as long as I thought it would, but it was much more difficult than if I had sketched with a pencil first, then pen.

Roast Chicken

On Friday I visited friends in Ness Valley (Clevedon) and couldn’t resist this shot.  Had the door all lined up in my sights and just as I was about to ‘click’, a very, very large pig and this chook wandered into the composition and just stood there looking at me.  Fortunately the pig wandered off, but as for the chook … I can almost smell the sage and onion stuffing

There wasn’t mush room for rain…

While I was dog-minding Charlie at my friend’s house during Waitangi Weekend, we chanced upon this wondrous sight while out walking in St John’s Bush.  I didn’t have my phone or camera with me, and as rain looked imminent, I finished our walk and had to collect the camera and walk all the way back to get the photo.  I knew they would be spoiled if it rained.  Isn’t nature spectacular?

Left Hand Journal pg 46

Hillary and I did a few yards today in more than one sense of the word… first 55+ lengths water walking (with vigour) at Jellicoe Pools, then breakfast at the local ‘Library Cafe’ – a beautiful historic building in Onehunga.  Hillary patiently tried to teach me to do a map of my journey, but I am like a child with ADHD especially when I work with my left hand!