Lotuses are blooming

Finally a sunny day to draw the lotuses. I can't let a year go by without it. They need a big sign - we were there a long time and everyone called them water lilies. Not so many flowers - yet. It has been so cool that maybe more flowers will come if warm weather continues.

After lunch, we sought out interesting trees to draw. Couldn't find last year's favourites, so we discovered some very interesting ones we hadn't seen before. I have to draw these trees again on a bigger page & starting earlier in the day. I can't say what they are, because I couldn't find a sign.

Last Spring Sketchabout

We started the Spring Sketchabout at the Palace Garden. As I'd been to the zoo, and my sketchbook is full of animals already, I decided to draw a lion. This one is truly king of the jungle - well, the Palace Garden anyway, as he has a crown of roses.

I snuck off down the stairs away from the main group to draw this jacaranda. They are blooming all over Sydney at the moment. I wanted to be sure I drew one this year, so - no time like the present. They are so ethereal looking.

We took our lunch to the lawn behind the Main Pond, where we always meet to catch up and look at one anothers sketches.We sit in the shade of this big tree and I always look at the intricate patterns of its bark. I've wanted to draw it before and this time I summoned the energy. I didn't think to look what type of tree it is, so I just called it 'The Lunch Tree' because that is what it is for me.

My last sketchabout

Unfortunately I wont be able to make the last sketchabout. However, I hope it wont be the last time I visit the Gardens to draw. It has not only been exciting and full of surprises, but has helped me enormously in the progress of my own work. Thanks to Kerry and everyone involved in Sketchabout.

Sketchabout 4 - Liz's Sketches

This week I tried to get to the garden early for some focussed sketching before the excitement of the sketchabout – but the weather and the Con open day had other plans for me...

Just before I reached the garden it started raining and blowing a gale – but of course I still sketched with the threat of rain - this is a wonderful art installation made of building fragments. I have wanted to sketch since I discovered it but it has either been rainy or way too hot to sketch in the sun...so at least I have the first sketch now...but of course I want to go back some day!

Next- a lovely surprise in the Vista Pavilion - an open day at the nearby Conservatorium of Music with some events in the garden - so I had to sketch it! A Clarinet Quartet was playing a very mixed medley which finished with Gershwin’s Lady Be good – so no guess what lyrics were rattling in my head for the rest of the day!

Another great group today and thankfully it did not rain! About 25 people - really getting to know some of the regulars and lovely meeting new people each week!!

I started by sketching the Ikebana scuplture which was a little challenging - had a lovely chat to fellow sketchers in the middle.

Then time to actually draw a detail of some leaves and an another Moreton Bay Fig – I love these trees. More chatting to new sketchabout attendees - it is such a lovely social event. I do find it sometimes hard to sketch and talk at the same time but have worked out that I can manage to get them to a 80% stage while chatting away...but I leave that last 20% to complete in calmness at home. Therefore, what others see at the end of the day is sometimes a lot different from the final version.

I went in search of Sadami and found her sketching musicans back up at the Vista Pavilion and then I joined in sketching- just as a jazz performance started- it was WONDERFUL!!!


Another great day- see you all next time!!!

Trees in the Gardens courtyards

These trees have been drawn in the courtyards of the Gardens on rainy Saturdays when we sheltered from the rain under the verandahs.

The first drawing is the lower branches of a palm that is in the courtyard of Rathborne Lodge, a beautiful old house where the exhibition of sketches and artists' books will be held, right at the end of the Autumn of Art.

The next one is in the Cunningham courtyard and fascinated a lot of the artists who were sketching there that day. Mine is not accurate as far as the criss-crossing goes. I was teacher, and just doing a quick drawing between going around talking to the participants in the class.

The tree palm is in the courtyard near the Maiden Theatre. I used Fast Sketching Techniques to demonstrate a simple way of

sketching this complex tree. The succulents, of

course, are in the succulent garden, where the class went to sketch this week.

Government House Sketchabout

Hmm, this weekend seemed to have a political theme to it – State Elections on, sketching at Government House... Anyway, I had an hour to kill before we met for Sketchabout, plus I was damn hungry. I found the Palace Cafe and saw the wonderful gates. I think the only other time I had seen them was in one of Liz's sketches. So while I was waiting for my piping hot coffee to cool down, I decided to paint them.

After last weekend's Sketchabout I had looked at my RBG map and noticed that you could enter the Gov House grounds, thinking I'll have to check that out one day. How funny that we ended up there. I really just wanted to concentrate on the palm tree in the foreground, but my sketch just rambled on.

After sketchabout was officially over for the day, I wanted to do at least one more sketch before the weather got worse. I headed towards the Rose Garden Pavillion, but alas, yet another wedding was taking place there. Then I found this gnarly Holly Oak down from the Pioneer Garden and thought it the perfect subject matter. When I sat down I noticed the Pin Oak, and felt there was this relationship between them.

Liz's sketches from Sketchabout 1

Well today was the first of six Garden Sketchabout ...and can I just say up front that it was WONDERFUL!!!!!

Alissa and I got to the gardens before 11.30 and shortly after arriving we found a sketcher already in action! She joined us in a 'warmup' sketch at the lotus pond.

In true Liz-style I managed to sneak in a second warm up sketch before we went to meet up with all the sketchers at 1pm. What a great turn up - over 40 sketchers I think! This page also contains a quick sketch of a chinese lantern that I did while talking to a sketcher from England! I also love drawing maps of where I go each week and a business card of the restaurant from the afternoon tea which didn't fit on the upcoming page (too many cakes- but more of that later!)

After an initial welcome the sketchers scattered all over the garden. I was doing too much talking (so out of character?!? NOT!) and found it hard to concentrate on sketching. It is occasions like these that training your hand to 'reflex sketch' comes in handy.

Another sketch from the same spot - funny I am always drawn to the built structures visible in the garden!


We then had a wonderful session at the band lawn - meeting more sketchers, swapping sketchbooks and a group photo.

9 of us from the Sydney Sketch Club finished the afternoon with a special Sketchabout afternoon tea at the Restaurant. Do I need to say that we had a great time in many ways!

Finally, for me, I walked back across the Harbour Bridge and sketched the gardens in context. Although not drawn as part of the sketchabout I am including this so overseas visitors to the blog can get an idea of how important the garden is to the city of Sydney!

What a wonderful wonderful day - I am one hyped up but somewhat exhausted little sketcher now! And we do it all again next Saturday!