Combien y a t-il d’arrondissements á Paris?

August 25, 2014 by Erin Hill Sketching

Sketch&French 9h30 du matin Lundi 25 Août ’14 It is so blue and lovely today. A bright sunny day to continue our classes by 3 more weeks. This is just a small group of dedicated students keen to carry on the learning they’ve started to get a handle on. Today’s French conversation with Sandrine would be about the 20 arrondissements of Paris, locating monuments and famous landmarks, and of course opening and closing times. Sandrine had a wonderful Paris city […]

Categories: Art, French conversation, French sketches, Great coffee, Sketch & French Classes, Travel Sketching, Uncategorized • Tags: France, French language, Travel Sketching

Sketching Scandinavian

March 8, 2014 by Erin Hill Sketching

THURSDAY 10am MARCH 6 ’14 The clouds parted and the sun came out for our class today, and though we had a smaller class than usual, we then had double the fun! To get the ball rolling, we had a little sketching exercise where we borrowed a sketch from our dear friend Picasso and turned it upside down and sketched, the lines and form, and saw what it looked like when you turned it back right side up again. This […]

Categories: Art, Great coffee, Out & About Sketch Classes, Sketching architecture, Travel Sketching, Travelling with your Sketchbook, Uncategorized • Tags: Composition & Colour, Sketching Interiors, Travel Sketching

Sketching About in Cafes

January 17, 2014 by Erin Hill Sketching

I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. I must have more coffee cup sketches than anything else. I have a special trick too, for still drinking it hot. Sketch with me and you’ll find out how! And every one of them has its own personality. The top one is using watercolour pencils sideways and in a chunky way. Didn’t use the water brush here. The second one was done as part of a private lesson. Fast, run […]

Categories: Art, Great coffee, Sketching Cafes, Uncategorized • Tags: Cafe Sketches, Composition & Colour, Travel Sketching

Travelling North

December 26, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

The flight landed in Wellington in New Zealand, and with a freshly picked up car, the three of us head to Palmerston North. The wedding day dawns. Brilliant blue skies and sunshine. Just what they’d hoped for. The wedding is at 10am in a park, in a spot specially picked out, and rows of chairs placed for the guests to be rested off their stilettos. The skies open. Down down down comes the rain. A sea of umbrellas. Soggy ground […]

Categories: Art, Family & Friends, Food Sketching, Great coffee, Sketch Workshops, Sketching Holidays, Sketching in New Zealand, Travel Sketching • Tags: Lake Taupo NZ, Lord of the Rings, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, Palmerston North, Sketches, Taupo, Te Horo, Wellington

Sketching Together

July 26, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

A couple of sketches done recently, with Jeanette from country Victoria and Vivianne, one of our effervescent tutors. One in line and watercolour, the other in line and watercolour pencil. Sketching together is so enjoyable. The coffee order placed, then the silence as we sketch away at whatever is around us. We were on the ferry to Sydney together, just Jeanette and I as part of her Sketch & Stay week. This was quite a highlight for her. To think […]

Categories: Art, Great coffee, Line & Watercolour, My Artist Friends, Sydney Harbour, Traveling & Sketching • Tags: Flickr, Food, Jeanette, Sketching, Sydney, Victoria, Vivianne

Breakfast at Foundry 53

June 28, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

One morning, I realised I had some time before I had to be anywhere. That’s pretty rare for me. It was early and I’d been out since 6am. Why not shout myself a treat and have breakfast in a cafe. Wow, I liked that idea. I was near Foundry 53, so pulled up and wandered in. Robbie took my order of fresh fruit and muesli, with a gorgeous flat white to start. Lots of other people in there too. It’s […]

Categories: Art, Art to Eat, Food Sketching, Great coffee, Manly Sketches, Out & About Sketch Classes, Sketching Cafes • Tags: Breakfast, Coffee, Food, Fruit, Muesli, Sketching, Yoghurt

Glass, Stone, Ceramics and a Birthday

June 15, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

THURSDAY JUNE 13’13 Gorgeous day and none of the pouring rain Wednesday’s class got. We are doing old glass & stone jars and bottles, with a tiny lustrous Satsuma porcelain dish tossed in. All collected over the years and all with a story. The colours needed to be soft and translucent and pick up the touches of reflected colour nearby. The stone bottles are solid and glazed, so again needing lights and darks which make them round, without resorting to […]

Categories: Art, Great coffee, Handmade Art & Craft, Out & About Sketch Classes, Sketching techniques, Traveling & Sketching • Tags: Composition & Colour, Dean Smith, Exhibition space with feeling, Glass, Line drawing with Watercolour, Raglan Gallery, Sketching, Soft colour

Pre Christmas Goings-On

December 23, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

Somehow once we hit December, it feels like it’s all over. I do love Christmas time, but it feels like everything has to be squeezed in before the big day. I have learned to take quiet moments and here are a few, in no particular order. Found these funny little chaps at the new Christmas Shop where I bought all the decos we used for Sketch Classes. I just love these fat little characters and I think they’ll take pride […]

Categories: Art, Christmas Art, Christmas Gifts, Food Sketches, Great coffee, Sketching Locations • Tags: Christmas, Food, Line drawing with Watercolour, Sketches

Sketch&French – Conversation de Cafe

November 13, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

We started with a delicious coffee, followed by French Waffles……. Our subject today would be around the coffee – un cafe au lait?  un cafe noir? So while Adeline met everyone and introductions were taking place, the coffee orders were taken. We were off to a good start, and soon the sketchbooks were out and the bits and pieces on the table were being sketched. Meantime, as people sketched, the discussion was about ordering the various coffee types so that […]

Categories: Art, Food Sketches, Great coffee, Sketch & French Classes, Sketching in France • Tags: Café au lait, Coffee, Food, France, French Conversation & Sketching, French Waffles, Sketch