One class, Y, a regular client for two years now, told me the following story:
“my friend (also a regular) and I decided we want to go and sketch outdoor. So we grabbed some snacks, sketching tools and head out to nature. We looked for hours for the perfect place to sit and draw, we asked people for spots and after a few hours we found the prefect spot. We sat down, set up and… nothing. We had a creative block and we couldn’t sketch”
Ummm that made me think. .Going out with your sketching/painting tools to experience the outdoor in a creative way is the best thing to do in Melbourne. In an age where we are too busy, seeing everything from the phone lens its time to go “old school” and try to capture our surrounding in a more unique, creative and fun way!
However, and here is the tricky part- what do I need and where should I go?! I have gathered 4 suggestions to start from. Each time I will explain exactly what you need, what to look for and how to start you artistic urban path. (Bare in mind that as I will try to be as comprehensive as possible, this won’t teach you HOW to paint but give you an idea of what to use and where to go)
Ok Ready?!
1. First location- The market with oil pastels
I went to Queen Victoria Market on a Saturday arvo when most stalls shuts down and it’s full of squashed eatable on the floor, piles of goodies, colourful stalls etc. When the market is full it’s hard to get the right vibe and also to sit down and paint! So I walked slowly along the aisles, took some photos and got into the atmosphere.
After that I went to sit in a cafe’ looking at the market, ate a muffin and started drawing using oils pastels, you will start talking to locals because they will love your variation to the squash tomatoes they see everyday but never thought it can become art! I used the pencil for the outlines and then “colouring in” from light shades to dark. Oil passes are great for strong colours and texture, very portable and not (very) messy.
Here are some of the one I made, it’s great to work with brown or black paper- takes the colour to another dimension! you can draw really big colourful items like pineapple or even people..
Check here the market opening hours
- Locations: Queen Victoria market, South Melbourne market, Farmers market etc.
- What I used: Oil Pastels, brown/ black craft paper, pencil, eraser.
- Difficulty: Easy Pizzy
If you are eager to go and give it a try, do my a favour and tell me how you go? send some photos to my email
