Good to be back

After not posting for a while, there is alot to be said about what has happened in the life of this blogger since the last post. But, all that can be said in this space for now is that I may have found my feet! With the help of new found acquaintances, I have found studio space and have started painting towards an exhibition at the same time I found a job. And I will admit to have neglected my sketch pad all the while until about a week ago so I will be posting a few sketches to rejuvinate life into this blog in the days to come!

The Anonymous Crowd

This weekend in Auckland is the Anniversary Weekend and a walk around the city this morning gave me an insight into what's it is going to be like with events happening everyday all around the harbour area. In fact coincidentally, I am attending to drawing events on the water front this coming week. Two events which I am eagerly looking forward to. Having said that, the next couple of days brings along with it, people in crowds as was evident this morning at the Via Duct Harbour. The theme for this weekend's sketching events for me will be "The Anonymous Crowd". It will be sketches concerned primarily with people, lost in their private little activity in the middle of all the mayhem. The anonymous passer-by seen through the eyes of yours faithfully. 

The sketch below was done this morning whilst scouting our a good spot for yet another drawing event around the Britomart and Via Duct area this morning. This elderly citizen was lost in the act of unravelling the clues to his crossword puzzle. Along with this drawing and a quick picture I took of him, am hoping to paint him soon. For now, here's "Quizzically Fit", the 5 minute sketch of this active mind at the  mall.

Check back over the course of the weekend and feel free to comment and share the posts. Cheers!

Mechanics’ Bay in Auckland Harbour is home to several important organisations that are tasked with the job of keeping watch over the boating activities in the Harbour. These include, the Coastguard Northern Region, Surf Life Saving Northern Region, Auckland Coastguard Inc., the Police Maritime Unit and ARC Harbour master  The Auckland Marine Rescue Centre and the adjoining buildings house these organizations and I spent about an hour around the area doing a few sketches. Below are  sketches of the Auckland Marine Centre and the Mikano Restaurant and Bar. Below are a few quick sketches I did around that area while staking out a new place to go fishing. Working in monotone or grey scale at times, I have strived for simplicity. I have also been trying to work fast, pushing myself to complete each sketch as quickly as practicable with the fewest of lines I feel possible.

St Patricks Square

St Patrick’s Square marks a turning point in my career as an artist. It was here that I attended my first Big Draw event in Auckland and I did so without knowing how much this would inspire me to learn to draw and sketch and to better myself as an artist. And I will forever owe this to Esquires, a meet up group for sketchers that I am now a proud member of. Time and time again, since that eventful day I have returned to St Patrick’s Square to draw and I have no doubt that I will continue to return there time and time again to sketch until I leave this beautiful city. Here a few quick figure sketches I did on my latest visit there.

Emily Place

I've walked past it on my afternoon strolls many times and every time I do so, I can’t help but ask myself the same question, “Why is this apartment named  Brooklyn?” .

According to its web site, Brooklyn Apartments is a unique and highly sought after art-deco style heritage building and its proximity to the CBD and places like the AUT, Law School and motorway and Emily Park.  But my interest to sketch it at one time or another is nothing like that of someone looking for an apartment to rent in Auckland that had the qualities stated above. I simply wanted to capture the building that intrigued me by the mare fact of its name. And so, I sketched it. And while I was at it, I took the opportunity to sketch people who had come out to sit on the bean bags strewn on the lawn at Emily park. In the course of doing this, I also  came across another building I’d like to sketch but that would  best be left until I have sketched it for now, here is Emily Place and the Brooklyn Apartment entrance.

                   

From the Queen Street Wharf

I return to Queen Street Wharf time and time again, to fish or when I am missing home. You see, the sea for me makes me one with my self. When I am close to the sea, I feel at home.

 Over the weekend I spent a considerable amount of time sketching while the fish was not biting and below are some of the sketches from that session.

As always the weekend brings out a lot of people so these are a few I captured before returning to the fishing. Despite not catching any fish that day, I returned home satisfied that I was able to do a lot of sketching to make up for the loss.

Sky Tower and The Big Draw Meetup

It is as if a great overwhelming energy has all of a sudden taken over me, I simply cannot stop drawing. I cannot leave the apartment without my sketchbook and I draw every moment I get a chance to. Even at home if I am not conversing with Barbara (my wife) or simply hanging out with Dreo (my daughter), I am drawing. This drawing craze that has overcome me seems to have rubbed off on Dreo. She incessantly draws nowadays and her corner of our apartment wall is lined with line drawings and water color drawings. I have completed my first sketch book and have started my second sketchbook here in New Zealand. Going through my completed sketchbook, I came up with a few sketches I have not yet added so here they are plus a something  from Dreo’s works to brighten up my more serious mannerisms. 

Sky Tower on the morning of Christmas 2012 at around 6:30 am.

From the final Big Draw Event of 2012 at St Patricks Square in Auckland.

Dreo's first 'mixed media drawing. A combination of collage, pen, pencil and water-colour pencil.

A few from "The Via Duct Harbour."

Thought I'd share in this blog, a few sketches from my Via Duct Harbour visits. I like to go there a little bit after noon, when cast shadows are out to play. I find the subjects more interesting then and the boats and yacht's are a big attraction as subjects for me and thus the following sketches:

The bottom two sketches are of the same boat. Sketching out in public is not easy and I had to get accustomed to the inquisitive stares of people passing by. Thus the effect on the top sketch of this beautiful boat called "Ranui". 

Returning to same spot about a week after, and I must say after many more live sketching experiences, I came up with this. More controlled this one, however, I still like the spontaneity of the above sketch. As far as I'm concerned I am not just done with sketching "Ranui" yet. There are a few more sessions with this beautiful boat. 

Judges Bay is a Historic site in the history of the City of Auckland but that is best left to another blog however, summer has brought out a lot of beach goers to the bay who possible subjects to sketch in the different poses and activities. But this has not been what lured me to this site for sketching. The challenge to paint or draw different subjects on different planes, keeping them in proportion is a challenge I have out myself to and this bay is the perfect place for such an undertaking. It has little hills and slopes which are inhibited by beach goers on a nice sunny day and perched here and there one only has to come up with a setting a good composition and all that's left is capturing that with a medium. Urban sketching at the edge of the city! Wonder if such can still be defined as an Urban sketch by +Urban Sketching standards. Below is a picture of the spot I sketched.