September drawings, part 1

While I was in hospital, I ended up painting and sketching a fair bit. A nice way to spend time.

One of my first self-portraits. I look quite serious but I was working hard on this sketch!

These are more abstract. I am really enjoying this new gold paint.

In these paintings, it represents air, which becomes as precious as gold when one can't breathe.

Tunisia

Well it has been a while since I posted anything, but I have been rather unwell. Now that things are coming back to normal, I can start posting some of the things I did while I was unwell and just before.

At the end of August, I went on a short holiday to Tunisia at the Club Med for a week of sun and doing nothing.

It's a shame the scanner didn't pick up the silver paint that shows how the water was shimmering.

a fast trip to Rock, Cornwall

We went surfing in Rock, Cornwall, for the Bachelorette weekend of my friend Nicky (who is now Mrs. Watts). I had intended to sketch the surfers, but it was rainy, wet and quite misty, so instead, I drew the large pine tree outside the house we were renting.

a day trip to Oxford

Went to Oxford for the day with my new friend Ines from Seville. It was good fun, we did the tourist thing, and I did a quick sketch while we had a coffee.

My own personal Sketch Crawl

Last Sunday, I decided to do a little sketch crawl (not a pub crawl!), and ended up doing 6 sketches throughout the day.

I first headed off to the Columbia Road Flower Market, in East London, a place I had not been since I started rowing 3 years ago, since the flower market is only open on Sunday mornings. I had forgotten how busy the market is, so I first ditched into a side street and drew this little oyster seller in between customers (I wouldn't have been able to see him otherwise!).

Then, I tried to go sketch the actual flower market... which proved rather difficult to do as there are so many people, I just kept getting bumped all the time, and although I had found a small spot to stand still, I had to move every 30 seconds or so due to my little spot being a passageway. I gave up after about 20 minutes and went for a coffee! This is what I could sketch below. The market has lots of fun little shops with great names like "future vintage" for a vintage clothing shop, and a stone and plaster ornaments shop called "stoned and plastered"...

Cycling back towards town through the City (the financial district), which was pleasantly quiet on a Sunday, and I spotted this little left-over of a church, surrounded by new office blocks all around that made it seem so small and abandonned. I just had to sketch it.

I just couldn't miss the opportunity for a quick sketch of St.Paul's Cathedral, on the way to the South Bank. I love this dome. Thank you, Christopher Wren!

On my way to grab dinner with a friend, I was mesmerized by a wonderful violin player in one of the arches between London Bridge and the Tate Modern. He was not only handsome (something that I sadly was not able to draw) but he played Bach beautifully. I just had to sacrifice myself and draw him all the while enjoying the music.

And finally, the day ended with a treat: Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre on the South Bank. This sketch isn't the best, but I got caught up in the story (hmm, wonder how it's going to end...). I had the unfortunate idea to try to retouch it with a thicker marker later. big mistake. Ah well, live and learn.

Sitges, Spain

I drew this on the beach in Sitges, south of Barcelona, 2 years ago, and decided to finally paint it with my new watercolours. I painted it from memory, and later found a photo which confirmed what I remembered. I absolutely love these colours, they are so lush and intense.

Putney Bridge

Here is a view of the Thames from Wandsworth Park. The river does get quite brown sometimes from the strong tide (up to 7m), but also, lately, the Environment Agency has been dumping raw sewage in the river as the treatment facilities cannot handle all the rain water and the sewage. Not great for rowers...

Tinto Coffee - my favorite place

I discovered a wonderful little coffee shop in Fulham that I absolutely love, Tinto Coffee. I will definitely become a regular.

and it seems I already am a regular. I escaped from the house to go enjoy the rare sunshine a bit last week, and was inspired by a fellow Urban Sketcher to draw my snack. The cupcake was delicious!

Henley without the rowers... or the spectators

During Women's Henley, the preparation for the men's Henley Royal Regatta are in full swing. Booms are installed in the river to mark the race course for the rowers, and grand stands are installed in the Stewards' Enclosure at the finish line. It was a rather cold grey and windy day, but nice to capture it anyway.

sketches from May

I was craving a hot and sour soup on the way back from college, so I stopped at the little vietnamese restaurant just across from Clapham Junction station. Yummy!!

Wonderful sunny day like we rarely get in London - I couldn't help but go sit on the grass to soak up as much sun as possible before I went to see my friend for his birthday.

architectural sketches

Le Corbusier Villa La Roche/Jeanneret

London sketches

The Orange Pekoe tea room in Barnes, in South West London. I loved the tiny backroom where we were for Robyn's birthday, so I sketched it whilst we finished our scrumptious lemon cakes.

The Royal Academy for the Arts in London. The sketch isn't quite finished, but my friend arrived to meet me before I was done... I might go finish it some day.

Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery, in London. I started with the column, moved towards the left, and then finished at the right. One can see the time lapse by the difference on the two clocks...

some older sketches

Sketch of Clint Eastwood, from a picture in the Vanity Fair exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery

one of the sketches from a life drawing class I went to last year.

Aboard Flight Air Canada 865 from London to Montreal.