Monday, October 14, 2013

Street Tales



Sketches from last Friday's trip into Newtown - I decided I had to have a good go at sketching some of the buildings and architecture - something I'm not at all confident or comfortable doing as some of you know! After much holding up of pencils to measure and estimate angles I was quite pleased to get a reasonable rendition of Gwigwi Mwrebi St down, but want to get a looser and more interesting look to my lines - much more practice needed. I left off all the graffiti as my lines might have disappeared in the confusion!                                                             When a big truck parked in front of my view, I turned to the two women selling cigarettes on my right who had been chattering non-stop from the time I sat down next to them. They didn't seem to notice, or care, that I was drawing them. I liked the way the graffiti on the highway pillar soared up behind and above them, kind of illustrating the tales they might have been telling - I needed a longer page!

9 comments:

dinahmow said...

"Wow" is so overworked...but, you know what? I struggle to come up with another word. As the site loaded, I thought "hmm...this is not the site I was expecting..."
I am so used to and enamoured of your lovely, free brush strokes, this took a moment to sink in.
Lovely! (And inspirational.)

Sadami said...

Oh,Cathy, you're not alone! Architecture always bores me. It sounds you and me both really love humans and human interactions, even on papers, don't we!
Cheers, Sadami

Cathy Gatland said...

Dinah, thanks for being Wowed! :-) It'll take me a while to get free with architecture, but I do want to get there!

Hi Sadami, yes, people are the main interest and attraction - they're just so interesting!

Polly Birchall said...

Great sketch.

Anonymous said...

I like your street sketch. You did great perspective. And the two people sitting are very interesting. I like the woman with the red dress and striped stockings sitting against a graffiti-ed wall.

I find it very interesting what Sadami said about how architecture bores her and she likes people. While I like to see people in other's works, I really like architecture and landscapes. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by people all day long, all the time?

Cathy Gatland said...

Thanks Polly :)

Carol, I'm getting to like architecture more - thanks to urban sketchers! - but do find it so difficult. Perhaps that's true about people though - I sometimes feel quite isolated and am really drawn to human interactions and activities - have always been a people watcher... And hey, you're surrounded by buildings too!

Unknown said...

nice sketches! impressive!

painting

Cathy said...

Oh my word these two ladies with the graffiti, are just fantastic!!!!!

_____ for now said...

Oh wow. I'm in awe!! Do u by any chance mentor ppl? I've been sketching since the age of 13. I'm 20 now but still have a long way to go. I look up to arstists such as yourself