Sketching at City Hall with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers

City Hall in Brisbane is an amazing heritage listed building, full of grace and history. It was built between 1920 and 1930.

Some Historical Facts

• one of the most expensive Australian buildings (it cost around a million pounds)
• ranked as the second largest construction of its time, only outdone by the Sydney Harbour Bridge
• the first major Australian concrete 'column and beam' building constructed 

Brisbane Urban Sketchers

Designed by architectural firm, Hall and Prentice, City Hall has a great circular hall and corridors surounded by offices and function venues. The main entrance from King George Square is emphasised by imposing Corinthian columns that are nearly 14 metres high.  The building has a clock tower rising 92 metres above the ground.  One of the main building features is its grand marble staircase.

The Main Auditorium is City Hall's single largest space. The copper dome over the room is the largest in Australia, spanning 31 metres in diameter. The dome is supported on a brick base that allows the interior of the Main Auditorium to be unobscured by columns.

City Hall workers tried to use locally-sourced materials and were proud to handcraft the finer details of the building. The artistry and craftsmanship of the City Hall architecture draws thousands of interstate and overseas guests to the building each year.

Sketching the sculptures in King George Square

Sketching the Mansions on George Street

The Mansions is a row of six terrace houses located on the corner of George Street and Margaret Street in Brisbane. They were designed by G.H.M. Addison, and constructed by RE Burton in 1889. Dr. Lilian Violet Cooper, who was Queensland's first female doctor and Australia's first female surgeon, was one of the earliest residents.. They were built during the Victorian era  for residential use. After World War I the building became a rooming house.

The Mansions were very nearly demolished in 1974, luckily the plan was delayed, and the Mansions were eventually renovated from 1982-1984.

Sketching with the Brisbane Urban Sketchers

Last Tuesday the Brisbane Urban Sketchers met at Old Government House Brisbane Qld.  It was a great day!

Brisbane Urban Sketchers group On TV!!!!

It was a really exciting and wonderful experience..  Thirteen Urban Sketchers met with The Great South East camera crew, Blair Allsop, presenter, Carole Horne, producer, and Chris Deadman, cameraman, a little after 9.00 am, at Post Office Square, Queen Street, Brisbane.

The cameraman got straight into filming the group sitting around sketching, while the producer and the presenter talked to me and explained what they wanted everyone to do, and how they were going to go about  the film shoot.   They really were lovely people and made us all feel quite at ease, and it was a lot of fun.

They interviewed me first about the group, and I presented Blair with a sketching kit I had made up for him. They then interviewed Carol  and had her show the presenter some tips or getting started sketching with his new kit. They filmed some more members sketching, chatted with some, then they interviewed Janina, about what Urban Sketchers means to her.
The whole thing took around 2 hours and really was a lot of fun.

It really was a busy morning, and I was only able to get a quick sketch done.

BRISBANE URBAN SKETCHERS

Sketchbook Skool - My Beautiful Things

I was invited to join a few people to a sketchout today, themed My Beautiful Things. We went to the Lavender Barn at Newmarket.  It is an amazing place, full of beautiful "things" and a fabulous cafe to boot.
For more about  Danny Gregory's Sketchbook Skool Click HERE!

First up my sketches.

Chook Teacosy (Chook is Australian for chicken)

The teacosies and the services we were sketching..

Our Group!!  Wonderful people..

Flowerbed, of course!

Part of our beautiful surroundings

The lovely lady serving us.  She made awesome coffee and tea!

It was a fun, and very productive day!

Mail Art - a fun project.

I participate in a Mail Art Group on FB.  I joined in to last months mail art project.  Below is what I did.  It was FUN!

Front and back of handmade envelope

Inside Envelope

Outside of Envelope

Front of Card

Inside of Card.

Plein Air Painting

Oil on canvas 12" x16"

My poor painting got accidentally "wiped off" in the wet panel box.
I had a pad of Frederick Watercolour Canvas that I love to paint on in there, and I didn't see that it was on the same spot as where I was putting my finished painting. The painting got wiped going in, and coming out........ I was liking it too, and I put some serious time into making the rocks look like rocks. Ah the joys of plein air painting eh.  Must say, this is growing on me though.

Tuesday Sketchout.

Pen and wash - 11" x 14" Holcroft Sketchbook

Colour added on site

Mail Art Envelope

Mail Art card

Part of the Memorial Park Entrance, a quick sketch to kill time :-)

Sketching with a friend for Sketchbook Skool

Leeanne and I decided to go to lunch at the French Twist in Bulimba.  What a delightful place for a meal.  We shared a frittata and salad, and it was heavenly.  After eating we sketched for our homework on Sketchbook Skool

It was a fun 3 hours.  We were surprised that we were there that long, and the staff were so wonderful to us.  They even let us stay after they had closed and were cleaning up, so we could finish our sketches.

Sketching at Captain Burke Park Brisbane with fellow Urban Sketcher

Pen and ink sketch of the Customs House

Wash added on site

The view.

My lunch..

Sketching my favourite hat!

6" x 8" Sketchbook
Sketched over a gouache ground, using No's 3 and 5 uni pen, white charcoal, and a light wash of watercolour.