06/29/2012
Melbourne Sketch-About
Back in May, I reluctantly agreed to take a one day sketch workshop with my dear friend, Christy. I love doing these things with her but it was literally the day after I returned a 5 day trip to NY to attend Surtex. I knew I would be tired and not in the mood for a day-long outing but she begged so I agreed to let her pick me up at 6:30 that morning and drive us over to Melbourne to take a sketch-about workshop with Diana Hollingsworth Gessler. All I can say, is "Thank you Christy! and thank you Diana!"
Right off the bat Diana greeted us with her catch-phrase which I love and have since tacked in big letters on my studio bulletin board:
Diana is a lovely and talented artist. Her workshop was pure delight! She has published several beautiful sketch books and teaches a great class full of tips on how to take notice of your surroundings and ways to quickly make your notes and drawings into delightful books of colorful memories. I so enjoyed the entire day and I greatly appreciate the valuable insights she shared. I recommend her workshop to anyone out there of any skill level. Everyone can be an artist and enjoy sketch journaling. Sign up for one of her workshops here.
That day was the catalyst for serious change. Do I need someone to show me how to sketch? No, but do I need someone to kick me in the ass... YES! It was such a wonderful, carefree day and just the jump-start I needed to open the blank sketchbook and get lost in the pure pleasure of drawing again, for no one but myself. I am grateful for that gentle reminder that creating art can and should be fun! Something that has long been missing while I've been consumed with creating commercial art for a living...and something I intend to change!
First on our agenda was creating an interesting cover page from the research she had done of the area. Of all things... Melbourne beach was known for it's large mosquito population!
Picking some fun and historical facts to illustrate is key when creating a sketch journal about your trip. After a quick tour and chat from our lovely host, Marty, we sketched the Ryckman house and the park next door. Adding an element of architecture and something botanical as well as a "surprise" (the fire hydrant) gives a variety of design elements and keeps the pages lively and interesting.
Next on the stop was lunch at Billie's On The Beach - 5* Urban Spoon rating... fabulous food!! and what about the view!
There were lots of quaint items to sketch here, but food and chatting used up most of my sketch time. It is turtle nesting season here so the sign above our table proved an interesting and quick art element. Before we left, Billie's husband surprised us with a unique and authentic key lime pie served in half a coconut shell. Delicious!
Next stop - a visit to the historical town hall, full of so many antiques and artifacts, was a feast for the eyes, so choosing one element and keeping it simple was the suggested lesson here.
Back at our destination point, we all created what Diana calls "Talking Heads", little quick sketches of ourselves to drop in the pages of our sketch journals now and then. A simpler version of what Norman Rockwell did in many of his paintings! ( I am in the top left hand corner.) Then we passed around our book and let everyone put their heads on our pages and sign them. A really fun ending to a really fun day!
Thanks Christy, for dragging me out and thanks Diana (the one in the hat) for a really fun day!
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