REGENT THEATRE - Brisbane Qld

The Regent Theatre is a heritage-listed building, located at 167 Queen Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.  It was one of the original Hoyts' Picture Palaces from the 1920s. 
It was constructed as the first and only American-style picture palace, reflecting the opulence and grandeur of the great Hollywood era, to be built in Queensland, and was one of many operated by Hoyts in Australia.

The original interior decoration was a mixture of Spanish Gothic and Romanesque. The mezzanine foyer contains a white marble staircase, made from Queensland marble, along with vaulted cathedral ceilings. A total of 2,600 patrons were able to be seated in air-conditioned comfort.  Sadly the theatre was demolished in 2010 to make way for office buildings.  All we have left is the foyer.  Look HERE to see what is way like..

BRISBANE CITY SKETCHERS sketching Queen Street Mall

Fun morning, sketching in the city.  I love sketching with this group, they are such fun people.  Lots of laughs. :)  

Before 1842 and free settlement, Queen Street was originally a track leading from the main section of the early Moreton Bay Penal Colony, crossing a stream known as Wheat Creek with a deviation going up to the Windmill.  Today, it is a bustling pedestrian mall, that has 25 million visitors a year walk through.

A4 Holcroft sketchbook - Pen and Watercolour.

Wellington Point - Brisbane - Qld

Fun morning sketching with a girlfriend at Wellington Point. It is a beautiful place to go make art..

Wellington Point was named by a surveyor in 1842, inspired by the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 where the Duke of Wellington led the British against Napoleon. 

Sketching Manly Boat harbour with the BRISBANE CITY SKETCHERS

What a fun morning.  Seven of us came out to sketch and it was a blast.

Quick sketch while I was waiting for the group to arrive in my A5 sketchbook

Baywatch Cafe is a lovely cafe to visit.

Sketching at an outdoor movie

I went to an outdoor movie tonight. Filling time until the movie started.
A5 sketchbook watercolour and pen and ink

WINN LANE - Fortitude valley Brisbane Qld Australia

A lovely morning today sketching with the Brisbane City Sketchers.  I love the Laneways we have in our City, and more are  opening up.  It is going the be a bonus for us sketchers :)

A4 Holcroft Sketchbook
Pen and ink and inktense pencils

National Trust Building - Brisbane City

William Street is a small, relatively quiet road in the uptown part of the Brisbane central business district. The street is historically significant to the city's early development as a penal colony. The first convict buildings were built along William Street in 1825.

The Government Printing Office  occupies 110 t0 84 Williams street and at present the National Trust is housed in part of that building.  This will change this month as the building has new owners.  The Queensland Government Printing Office  was the first purpose-built government printery in Queensland and operated on the site from 1862 to 1983, playing an essential part in the administration of Queensland for 121 years. The interior will be incorporated in the Queens Wharf Project.

 

  

Brisbane City Botanic Gardens

The Brisbane City Botanic Gardens are the first Botanic gardens built in the city.  Part of the riverside site where the gardens are located was originally a botanic reserve. It was established in 1828 to provide food for the early penal colony. The City Botanic Gardens officially opened in 1855. That year, the botanic gardens' curator Walter Hill was appointed as the first superintendent.

The gardens have had a few changes, there was once a Zoo and a bear pit located within them, and three tortoise. Tom Dick and Harry.  Harry, a giant Galapagos Land Tortoise. was later discovered to be Harriet  was hatched about 1830.  She and her two brothers were brought to Brisbane from London where Charles Darwin had taken them, by Lieutenant John C Wickham, who was then in the navy. After Wickham retired from the navy he lived for some time at Newstead House and when he returned to England he donated the tortoise' to the City Botanic gardens. Harriet the oldest of the three, lived to approximately 175 years of age.

For this sketch I used De Atramentis Inks and watercolour in the shadow on the ground.

I drew this in my A4 sketchbook with a 2B mechanical pencil.

 The white building is Old Mineral House. 1870s–1890s 

It was built by Smellie and Co a 1860's foundry next door as a warehouse.