A Sketch and a Symposium

On Saturday almost two weeks ago (already!) we had a sketch day at Norscot Manor, a recreation centre which houses the Watercolour Society of South Africa. There was a wonderful demo first of wild and free watercolour by Angela Eidelman, and then some of us scattered ourselves around the grounds to sketch. I think a few people were expecting a sketching lesson too, which I wasn't prepared for, but think that will happen sometime soon. I need to practice... see why below...!

Though I did too much talking and not a lot of sketching, it was lovely to meet some new potential Joburg sketchers and a blogging virtual friend, Cathy of C comme... her descriptive version of the afternoon and sketching experience is here. I did a hasty, rough sketch while sitting chatting at the restaurant. Only once most people had left did I sit in the green shade and sketch the scene above - putting everything in, homestead, arch, pergola, palm, oak, bench, birdbath and koi pond... I must learn to edit my sketches!

Now for the need to practice... because I have... been invited... to go to the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Lisbon, as one of the international instructors, would you believe!! I am beside myself not only with excitement, but a large dose of nerves. I was hoping to go to the symposium, as a student not a teacher, knowing there is so much I need to learn about sketching cities and architecture, and to be on the other side of the lectern so to speak, is something new and well, gobsmacking. But it will be fantastic, and there will be help and support and camaraderie, and I hope I'll meet some of you there.
To Gabi Campanario and his Lisbon Urban Sketchers team, thank you so much!

A Week of Hard Work

I was utterly exhausted at the end of an intense four day's looking, drawing and looking and drawing some more - but so satisfying to spend 8 hours, with a lunch break in between, not thinking of anything but how to achieve that tone and that particular shape or texture in charcoal. The first session of the year's course went by quickly after lots of preparation and worrying over whether I was doing the 'right' thing. Luckily, there was no right thing, just your thing, as the variety of very different work that the students produced proved. On the last day I grabbed a few minutes to scribble a sketch of the classroom with some of the new artist friends I met there.

Good Hair Day

 For sketching that is... not so much my hair, which has given me angst since the time in Kindergarten 1 when we were having our first school photos taken and the teacher tossed her brush in despair after attempts to neaten my flyaway locks. Though I did get a pretty good haircut, considering, on this visit to the hairdresser, where I used the time with foil and potions in my hair to sketch the heads around me. Lebo, my stylist knew I was sketching the girl next to me with her shining, lustrous mane, from her reflection in the mirror, but was so engrossed in what she was doing, didn't notice me drawing her too, superimposed on the other sketch.

After turning the page to start on something else, she asked if I could draw her and I showed her that I'd done so already (top left). She was surprised and thrilled and had to show it everyone in the salon! The sketch on the left was done out of the corner of my eye while hovering awkwardly backwards over the basin.
Later at home my daughter popped in to show us her new 'do' - she'd described it as mostly chopped off and cherry-red, but there is still plenty of hair left and I'd describe it more as a deep burgundy, which I tried to render with burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and sepia.

I'm starting my big drawing/painting course tomorrow - have done lots of preparation and am expecting a hard week's work.