There is never a moment when I don't have fun with my sketchbook. I found this lovely , lively scene in a small town nearby. An old , old house had been converted into an antique/bric-a-bac shop , reminiscent of those I had experienced in Long Street and Loop Street, in Cape Town , South Africa. As it was a lovely sunny day, a canopy had been erected and customers were browsing the bits and pieces. I really enjoyed doing this sketch. It reminded me of a wonderful man called Bobby who had been involved in this type of activity all his life. He would have loved some of the items and they would have definitely landed in his small shop called Jinty's Junk in Church Street, Cape Town.
TIP For those who love sketching as much as I do, there is always a subject
around the corner and even in your own home. Why not sketch your desk, telephone, computer or the utensils in your kitchen. You improve with every sketch you do. I am aiming for a sketch a day next year. Not sure if I will have the discipline but it is worth a try. I challenge you to give it a go too!!
I absolutely love urban sketching. Sitting with my sketchbook and taking in my surroundings is so therapeutic. I have learned so much about the area where I live, simply by sketching. One tends to overlook things that are interesting in their own right. Here are a few of my sketches of local buildings and attractions. I am now a member of the German Urban Sketchers community and it is so interesting to see the different styles. Urban sketching is not only for experienced artists. Anyone can take part , whether you are new to sketching or an old hand. No one judges you and your sketchbook is yours to enjoy and to experiment. The more you sketch, the better you become and it is such a joy to watch the progress and see your book filling up with memories. A sketch is far more valuable as a memory than a photo. It takes time to sketch (even half hour ones like mine) and only a few seconds to take a photo.
Hope you enjoy these and maybe try some urban sketching yourself. Urban sketching can also be simply the things that surround you in your home, garden or street. I have even sketched my breakfast and my feet whilst lying in hospital recently.
The last three were sketched quickly at a vintage airshow in a nearby town. There were thousands of people (mainly guys!!) and it was difficult to find a space to sketch. It was fun drawing aircraft for the first time in my life. Not easy but I enjoyed the challenge.
The Mindelheim Art Society ,of which I am a member, is holding an exhibition. It will be in a lovely old Castle, in the small town of Turkheim not far from where I live. The theme is 'movement' which covers lots of options. I will be presenting two of my works. This one is called 'The Wind Whistles' or in German 'Der wind Pfeift'. As usual an animal is nearly always a part of my painting. My style has changed from very realistic and paintstaking to one which is more impressionistic. I am enjoying working with a painting knife which gives lots of lovely textures. I use a brush for the finer details. Here it is. Hope you like it. Your comments would be very much appreciated. Click on the photo for a larger image. I am busy on the second work which I will upload when it is finished.
