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

It Must be Christmas…..

December 24, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

It must be Christmas when….. the yachts and launches moor overnight in the Cove….This is the glorious sight I beheld this morning as I sat out to sketch the soft colour with everything almost in silhouette. Earlier in December a few begin to stay over on weekends. On boxing day there will be dozens and for NY eve you could walk across the bay over them and not touch the sea. It must be Christmas when…. we have the biggest […]

Categories: Art, Boats, Christmas Art, Colour, Flower Sketches, Manly Beach, Sketches, Sketching Flowers • Tags: Christmas, December, Family, Manly, Sketches, Soft colour

Skies I adore

May 20, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

I seem to be an early riser. And I do get to see some breathtaking skies. All these are taken in those few seconds before the hues change so dramatically, to equally beautiful new ones. These are just a few I came across in my collection. The last one is a sunset. In the amazing little Greek Island of Kastellorizo, a very long way from Athens, but a place I must return to and paint again. ©ErinHill2012

Categories: Art, Sunrises, Travelling & Painting • Tags: Colours of the sky, Composition & Colour, Harbour happenings, Soft colour, Water views

SKETCHyourCAKE (and eat it too)

March 29, 2012 by Erin Hill Sketching

Now a regular event every second month. It’s a great chance for foodies to learn to sketch fabulous dishes quickly. It’s just 2 hours and because the display is right there in front of us, we will learn very fast how to observe and get it on paper.Somehow knowing you’ll soon be eating that exquisite morsel is a great incentive to sketch at high speed. Bookings Erin 0412 141 223 / erin@erinhill.com.au I’m suggesting watercolour pencils over the black line […]

Categories: Art, Art exhibitions, Art to Eat, Creative food, Food Sketches, Great coffee, Sketching • Tags: Art as food, Balmoral Beach, Favourite Restaurants, Sketches, Soft colour

Jacaranda Time

November 13, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

I did this 16 X 12inch painting yesterday. I’m still seeing Jacarandas in bloom and wanted to do a larger work. I used watered down dark watercolour – brown & dark blue mixed around, then used a pointy brush to sketch in the main shapes. Then heaps of watery colour splashed around. I’m doing a few bigger ones like this at the moment. I checked with Raoul Dufy. Yes I think he’s pleased with me. ©ErinHill2011

Categories: Art, Colour, Line & Watercolour, Painting, Painting Techniques, watercolour • Tags: art, Composition & Colour, Jacaranda, Painting, Soft colour

French Sketches – South of France

October 15, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

This is a few of my sketches, done in the village of Trausse, South of France. These are sketches done as I observe & enjoy special moments around the village. The above 2 sketches were done as I stood in the doorway of the Summer Kitchen, looking out to the little garden. the old wisteria, the roses and petunias, pots and milk cans. Where else would you rather be? These stone village houses are where you can stay on your visits. […]

Categories: Art to enchant, Quick Sketches, Sketching Holidays, Sketching in France, Traveling & Sketching, Villages of France • Tags: art, Location Sketches, Sketches, Soft colour, Southern France

Still Life Set-up and Sketch Books

October 4, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

It’s amazing what a few little bits and pieces tumbling over a fence can become when stuck into an old plastic paint pot. The apples I bring for lunch but sometimes forget to eat – and maybe I don’t want to ruin the look now! Some pieces of lavender, a snippet of rosemary, bits of nasturtium leaf, couple of twigs of orange jesamin, and two blush pink geraniums. Now we have a beautiful little still life set-up for sketching. They […]

Categories: Art, Art to enchant, Line & Watercolour, Sketching Classes • Tags: art, Composition & Colour, Soft colour, Still Life Sketching

The 6am Ferry

September 19, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

I must be getting up early these mornings! Perhaps because it’s light by 6am, and I’m seeing some glorious sunrises out the window as I head towards my ‘must have’ cuppa tea. I don’t function till I have that! Loved this one, being so soft and pale. Just a few lines and a wash of gentle colours and there it was. I might need some early nights with all this excitement in the mornings! ©ErinHill2011

Categories: Art to Eat, Observing the Light, Pastel, Sketches, Sunrises, Waterscapes • Tags: art, Composition & Colour, Location Sketches, Painting the essence, Sketches, Soft colour

Early Evening – or Pale Moon

August 28, 2011 by Erin Hill Sketching

There is a time late in the day, when the sun goes behind the clouds and the moon is pale in the sky – but it isn’t dark yet! The sky is filled with pink, peach, lavender, cream, gold, and many shades of all of them – absolutely glorious. The sea reflects bits of all that’s above and you know the day is closing. Somehow the pale moon is waiting up there, for it’s turn to come out and shine. […]

Categories: Acrylic Painting, Art, Art to enchant, Colours of the night, Observing the Light, Plein air painting • Tags: Composition & Colour, Harbour happenings, Paintings of the Moon, Soft colour, Square Canvas