Sketching. Ripples and Reflections

March 22, 2014 by Erin Hill Sketching

THURSDAY 10AM CLASS.  MARCH 20 2014. More blue skies. Great that we decided to do water and reflections this week. We have lots to cover during a term and water and the way it moves and reflects is a very important lesson, given that we are surrounded by it. Our still life setups are goggles and snorkle with sea shells, the other a beach towel with shells. We need to remember to measure the shape you see. Good to have […]

Categories: Art, Manly Pavilion, Manly Sketches, Out & About Sketch Classes, Painting Techniques, Reflections, Travel Sketching, Travelling with your Sketchbook, Uncategorized • Tags: Beach Views, Line drawing with Watercolour, Manly, Quick Watercolours, Sketching, Travel Sketching

A Most Exotic Bouquet

May 17, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

Venta has set a new standard in flower giving. We’ve been having trouble communicating lately – her computers and phones were off the air waves and I’d wondered if she had given us up. But no, everything is up and working again and as class was starting, in walks Venta with the most glorious bouquet of exotics most of us had not seen before! There were purple rose cabbages, gold and crimson orchids, and some protea leaves – about now […]

Categories: Art, Flower Sketches, Sketching Flowers, Special Occasions, Watercolour Painting • Tags: Composition & Colour, Floristry, Flower bouquet, Quick Watercolours

Sketching Towards Easter

March 23, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

THURSDAY MARCH 21 ’13 Our still life setups were in place. A nice old ‘Ford’ car on one table and a small not very accurate model of the good ship Endeavour on the other. Tom arrived with a bag of fresh out of the oven pretzels! – as you do! ‘We’re having a musical soiree at home and these are a few spare pretzels to share’. Onto the plates, with some butter and a tasty addition to the transport setups […]

Categories: Art, Line & Watercolour, Manly Sketches, Out & About Sketch Classes, Painting Techniques, Sketching Cafes, Sketching Classes, Sketching Gardens, Urban Sketchers Sydney, Watercolour Pencils • Tags: Easter, Easter Bunny, Line drawing with Watercolour, Location Sketches, Quick Watercolours, Sketches, Vespa

Building Blocks, French Boxes & Bell Towers

March 17, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

THURSDAY MARCH 14 2013 I knew people would groan when they arrived. Nothing forgiving about perspective. Just so happens if you don’t have some idea about how it goes you’ll forever wonder why your buildings don’t look quite right. With different sized boxes on one table, we had the kids building blocks made into a sort of church on the other. I had a demo sketch on the whiteboard,  which helps see the direction the lines go. Most people had […]

Categories: Art, Drawings & Sketches, Line & Watercolour, Manly Sketches, Out & About Sketch Classes, Sketching architecture, Sketching Classes, Sketching techniques • Tags: Bell tower, Composition & Colour, Line drawing with Watercolour, Location Sketches, Quick Watercolours, Travel Sketching

Pumpkins, Capsicums and Soldiers

February 23, 2013 by Erin Hill Sketching

Our still life for this week were tiny mottled pumpkins in colours of marigold and forest green. On our other table, red green and yellow capsicums (bell peppers to some of you) with asparagus and brown mushrooms. THURSDAY FEB 21 ’13 So attractive to view and such rich colour to capture. All versions you see above tell the story so well. Each one a personal sketch of how it looked to to them. When we hold sketches up as progress […]

Categories: Art, Bright Colour, Manly Sketches, Sketching Classes, watercolour • Tags: Composition & Colour, Location Sketches, Quick Watercolours, Sketches

Demo Watercolour on Line Sketch

July 1, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

There was this lovely tempting little display on the counter at Foundry 53 cafe on Friday. Somehow they just begged to be a sketch. A very quick sketch indeed and there was still time to add some colour. The girls seemed very pleased just to watch the process and they began to see the way you start with lighter colours and layer them up till you get the look you want. Demo paintings are not often part of my tutoring […]

Categories: Art, Art to Eat, Food Sketches, Sketching Classes • Tags: art, Art as food, Line drawing with Watercolour, Quick Watercolours

Next Travel Sketch Trip – Cockatoo Is.

April 28, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

Subscribe to this blog for updates on new Sketching Trips or email erin@erinhill.com.au COCKATOO ISLAND  –  MAY 21 – MAY 23 ’12 3DAY/2NIGHT – Midweek  Bookings now being taken.  4 places of the 6 are gone.  We arrive about 10am on Monday and meet at the cafe. All our belongings can be left at the accomm. office till checkin at 3pm. Our first sketches will be along the foreshore to the see the interiors of the buildings straight ahead. Each day […]

Categories: Art, Gorgeous places to stay, Harbour action, Sketching Holidays, Sketching Locations • Tags: Cockatoo Island, Location Sketches, Quick Watercolours, Sketching, Water views

Elafmephants & other Jungle Animals

November 22, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

That’s what I called elephants when I was six. I still like that word. This was our Sketch Club outing at the Zoo. We rode all the way up to the top in the skypod thing, because it’s easier to slowly walk and sketch all the way down to the bottom, and catch the ferry home. Unless you are not going to the bottom, and then you have to walk up again!  You can’t win really, can you. Sunday is […]

Categories: Art, Line & Watercolour, Quick Sketches, Sketchclub, Sketching • Tags: Barbary sheep, Elephant, Kodiak Bear, Location Sketches, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Quick Watercolours, Zebra

The Demolition of an Ice Cream

October 7, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

The big delivery truck pulls up outside. I raise my eyes. The Ice Cream and other junk people eat I say to myself. All going into the little Convenience Store next door to my Studio. The nice man pats Amelie ( and Ruby ) sitting on the doorstep in the sun. We smile and swap pleasantries. ‘I have a little dog like this’ says the nice man. Fluffy dogs always win people over. ‘Would you like an Ice Cream’ he […]

Categories: Art, Art to Eat, Creative food, Line & Watercolour, Quick Sketches, The little things in Life • Tags: Art as food, Ice Cream, Line drawing with Watercolour, Quick Watercolours, Sketches