Amsterdam Sketch

Our next stop was Amsterdam. Once again, I loved the architecture (I seem to have a theme going here). All the tall building lined up against the canals was stunning.

We visited the house of Ann Frank. I have never read her diary, but I knew the story from the film. It was so moving to be there and read her thoughts and feelings about what was happening during the war. Very sad. It was also interesting to see how people lived during the war.

My Sketch

Amsterdam

Barcelona sketch

My fifth sketch is of Antoni Gaudi's 'Sagrada Familia' in Barcelona, Spain. It is such an impressive piece of architecture and fascinating that when he designed it, he knew it would never be completed in his lifetime. I can't really imagine what it would be like to design something so incredibly detailed and sophisticated, and know that it couldn't be completed in your life time. Like many designers he was a perfectionist. He left thousands of instructions and drawings on how to complete the whole cathedral. However most of the plans were destroyed in a fire.

They are aiming to complete the building in 2026 (100 years after Gaudi died). It is incredible to stand inside. Gaudi designed the ceiling to look like a a forest canopy - as though you are looking at the sky beneath trees in a forest. Beautiful!

My sketch of Gaudi's 'Sagrada Familia'

Below is the photo I took:


My sketch doesn't do it justice. But it is just a sketch! :)

Sketch of Venice

My fourth sketch is of Venice. I really loved Venice and once again couldn't put my camera down. The place we stayed had a lot of character. The first room we slept in was quite funny. When we were shown the room we couldn't stop laughing, because we couldn't actually stand up in the room and the bed could barely fit! It was up in the attic. But we didn't spend much time at the hotel anyway - we had too much exploring to do!

Second and Third Sketch

My second and third sketches are of a couple of landmarks in Italy. I loved the architecture and history of Italy. In each city I couldn't put my camera down. We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice and Verona.

While in Rome, we stayed within walking distance of the Colosseum. We did a guided tour, which was very interesting and we also did a guided tour of Vatican City. Our guides were great - trained in history and art, they were full of knowledge and interesting facts.

We visited The Leaning Tower of Pisa on a cold and very wet day. So it was just a quick visit!


These sketches are taking longer than expected!

I thought I'd share my technique, in case you're interested. I first sketch in pencil from a photo I took on the trip. I then colour using Derwent watercolour pencils. I was going to use watercolour paint, but the pencils are so much easier and less messy while you're travelling. There's a few different ways of using them to get different results. So it's good to experiment before applying it to your final picture. After the water has dried, I use a Papermate fineliner (fine 0.4) to outline and put in all the detail.

I'm happy with the results. I'm not looking for a photo perfect finish - I like the graphic quality and my own hand drawn touch!

First Sketch

First Sketch

I finally started my sketchbook (that I mentioned in this post)! This sketch is of our first destination Greece! We are sitting on our favourite beach Trugonu on the island Rhodes. It is a stunning pebble beach (very different to the beaches in Australia). Many cruise boats visit there throughout summer, for tourists to swim in the beautiful water. It is so crystal clear that you have no idea how deep it is.

This was so much fun to sketch. I can't wait to keep going tomorrow.

A Nice Way to Start the Year

Our accommodation

This year on new years day we took a train ride up to Killcare to camp with family and friends. It's a beautiful spot on the Central Coast in New South Wales.

Beautiful beach at Terrigal

I also had a chance to visit a few nearby towns and check out some of the local galleries. I may have found a few more outlets for my work! I'll keep you posted!

I hope you have all had a fantastic and relaxing start to 2011!

Belated...

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!

I hope you all had a fantastic year and enjoyed your new years eve celebrations! I spent it with some lovely people in Sydney. We had a view of the Harbour Bridge and watched the fireworks!

I loved 2010 and am really looking forward to 2011 - I have a feeling it's going to be a great year!!!