Outside SciBono, Newtown - cold!!

Winter has finally hit us with a vengeance - it was a freezing cold day last Friday when we'd arranged to go sketching in town, so we searched until we found a spot in the sun and out of the icy wind. First, a not very inspiring, but typically 'Joburg' one overlooking the parking lot of SciBono Discovery Centre over a cup of coffee at a restaurant, then we moved over to outside the entrance where high school students had gathered after their tours. 

 While I was drawing these kids, others came over to have a look and were keen to be in the next sketch, so I abandoned the first one in line and got onto the next one. I added colour to the first later at home - not sure it wasn't better as a simple line drawing - and I wish I'd brought my longer sketchbook and drawn the buildings soaring  up above them, as they were.

I had decided to sketch with a water soluble fountain pen and watercolours on Friday, trying to challenge myself out of a bit of a sketching slump - coincidentally just before Marc Holmes did a post about this technique - have a look at his beautiful results. Mine much messier, I used a Pilot disposable V-pen which dissolves  readily with a bit of wash. I do enjoy the slight unpredictability of what happens with the ink and colour, and the softening of chosen sections of linework - but maybe too random and slapdash here, I will apply more forethought next time!