Coffee & a Sketch

I had a day off recently. Well, it was kind of sort of a day off - I was scouting out a good location for a potential commission for a typical Glebe scene in amongst taking myself out for lunch, coffee and a beer. Glebe has an eclectic mix of Architectural styles and while I was wondering around I was looking at the contrast between the simpler 2 story terraces with filigree cast iron trimmings and the more elaborate Victorian/Georgian terraces in particular. I sat myself down to stare at some terraces and have a coffee. I sharped up my pencil and started a very loose sketch of the terraces that I was face to face with. In the afternoon I took myself to another location and with coffee in hand, I sketched another, this time it was a freestanding home. I think that this will become a Regular practice.

Beautiful Little Things - Logo Design

I had my inks and watercolours out again to create a logo for a photography business called Beautiful Little Things. The client was after a hand watercoloured treatment for the lettering, along with a little fox graphic. 

I trialed a few different font styles, from traditional scripts - to looser, loopier versions and had a play with ink weights and layering. This was a great exercise for me in working with varying pressure placed on the brush and learning to accept my wobbly hand. 

I created the little fox by doing different separations in ink. This allowed me to be quite flexible with the colour changes that the client required. I used a cream, Amber and red brown ink separtions, which I then layered in Photoshop and plate with the opacity.

The colours and the handpainted technique gave the logo warmth and heart which is what the client was hoping for. 

Illustration Commission of a Terrace House

Terraced Houses can be seen stretching across the landscape of Sydney’s Inner City Suburbs. This style of housing was built between the 1830’s until the 1890s coinciding with the population boom, due to the gold rush in the 1850s. They could range in size depending on the affordability, from single story cottages to 4 or 5 story houses. Often the foundations were set in sandstone, built with brick and stucco. 

I was commissioned to illustrate a simple two story terrace in Darlinton, in Sydney’s Inner West. The terrace had been in the family for years and was almost fully renovated solely by the owners, the illustration was to be a celebration gift. The colour of the terrace is a refreshing mauve-grape colour, which I used along with a subtle knit texture for warmth (lets face it, a lot of heart and sole went into this renovation). The terrace featured a cute little attic window and the risen communal walls, which many Sydney terraces do. I created corrugated iron roofing effect from the cuff of a jumper. 

I haven’t been past the home since I finished the illustration, I’m hoping the renovations are complete and that the family are now enjoying their revamped terrace home. 

Cnr Wilson & King Streets - Newtown

King St Newtown can be absolutely jam packed, often you are concentrating on dodging the obstacles in front of you (people, dogs, shopping bags, more people, artisan bread etc) and you forget to look around. Next time you are on King St, remind yourself to look up, above the awnings. The suburb is littered with ornate colourful buildings bordering the main st. 

The sketch for the corner of Wilson and King Sts took some time to complete. The detail in the top of the building was quite complicated, I would finish a section, put the sketch away, finish another section, put my pencil down, work on the Enmore Theatre for a bit, then come back to it again.In contrast to the Enmore Theatre artwork, I completed the majority of this piece in watercolour, which again took some time and patience. I used a subtle amount of fabric in some of the surrounding buildings, as well as in the road. I quite enjoyed to process of painting, leaving it for a few days and coming back to it with additions and gradually building up the colour. I finished off the painting with a touch of gold ink for some sparkle.