Friday 19 February 2016

Exploring Sydney with a sketchbook

Heading into Sydney Harbour by ferry is fabulous.


Sydney is a beautiful city, and it is a joy to take people around to see the sights. Arriving by ferry into Sydney Harbour, going under the Bridge, is quite something.






Luís' first view of the Opera House

When Luís arrived in Sydney, on his World Sketching Tour, we simply had to start his experience with an ad hoc Sydney USK group meetup to draw the iconic Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, with its view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and then the Rocks - the oldest part of Sydney.




Liz, Luís and Jane
Much as I love this building I haven't sketched it very often. Watercolour and pen on A5 Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.

Day two at Manly beach.  I wanted to see the Brett Whiteley, Lloyd Rees and Cummins exhibition that was about to close, and we swam at Manly then walked around to Shelly Beach for lunch.

Luís explored the city on day 3 - there is no shortage of sketchable buildings and he managed a terrific view from St Andrews Cathedral to my favourite, the Queen Victoria Building.











Then it was time for a day at home - playing with paints and colours and testing out his revamped palette. 







Day 5 was a trip to the Blue Mountains. Not much was visible initially so we headed for a great pastry shop in Blackheath so he could taste, and sketch, his first Aussie meat pie.   




I had a chance to sketch the sketcher. 


By the time we had finished, the mist had lifted and our view from Pulpit Rock was stunning. We sat and painted for a couple of hours with the sound of the bellbirds rising from the valley. Then returned for a very quick sketch of the Three Sisters before heading home as I had to teach in the evening.



Day 6 was up the Northern Beaches - Whale and Palm Beaches - and day 7 in and around Leichhardt and Annandale and a visit to a Portuguese pastry shop in Petersham, then a traditional stuffed calamari lunch - a little taste of home.

So what is left on our Sydney list? Paddington terraces, the Botanic gardens, Newtown, the Gap and Bondi...you don't run out of things to sketch in this city