Follow on Instagram
My top 9 for 2021 and to be honest I feel grateful to have managed any urban sketching given the whole worldwide pandemic thing. My long but little visited exhibition at the Fitzroy Library gets a ...
Dec 31
My top 9 for 2021 and to be honest I feel grateful to have managed any urban sketching given the whole worldwide pandemic thing. My long but little visited exhibition at the Fitzroy Library gets a mention - as does some painting of older sketches during Melbourne's many lockdowns. There are the pigeons (complete with names) above the Black Cat which scored one of my rare blog posts - a reminder of a very amusing exchange with a local as I drew in the street. Then sketches as our little Brunswick Street clan finally managed to meet again in real life, in masks at first and distanced but then able to celebrate properly together just before Omicron started to take off. Mostly it's a reminder of just how fortunate I am. That's one of the best things about urban sketching - it takes you right back to the moment. Thank you, friends, for your encouragement and support through a tricky year. I hope 2022 will be much better for all of us. Stay safe, and take time to notice those special little things (and people) in your life. #top9 #helendrawsbrunswickstreet #urbansketchers #usk #melbourneurbansketchers #brunswickstreetsketchography #sketching #archisketch #watercoloursketch
Caught in action at my nephew's birthday. My daughter (in the amazing checkered pants sitting next to me) had a light bulb moment as she realised drawing gives me an excuse not to agonise over ...
Dec 27
Caught in action at my nephew's birthday. My daughter (in the amazing checkered pants sitting next to me) had a light bulb moment as she realised drawing gives me an excuse not to agonise over uncomfortable small talk, which I am incredibly bad at. Instead, people come over to chat to me as I sketch which is infinitely more fun! Who would have thought that sketching in public would actually HELP social anxiety? #melbourneurbansketchers #urbansketchers #usk #socialanxiety #partysketch #sketching #stabloeasel
A print order hot off the press. It always gives me a lovely jilt of pleasure to see one of my sketches emerge. Even more so when it is in a larger size and I can see the details turn out just as I ...
Dec 18
A print order hot off the press. It always gives me a lovely jilt of pleasure to see one of my sketches emerge. Even more so when it is in a larger size and I can see the details turn out just as I hoped. Yay!! I hope it brings just as much pleasure to its new owner 🙂 This one is of 83 to 87 Brunswick Fitzroy and I remember being there sketching it. #helendrawsbrunswickstreet #brunswickstreetfitzroy #cityofyarra #fineartprints #directfromtheartist #melbourneartist #brunswickstreet @martha_rays
Officially boostered, adding Pfizer to my Astra. A few years ago I could never have imagined these words would be so familiar to us. Pretty proud of Victorians, who have overwhelmingly turned out to ...
Dec 15
Officially boostered, adding Pfizer to my Astra. A few years ago I could never have imagined these words would be so familiar to us. Pretty proud of Victorians, who have overwhelmingly turned out to protect both themselves and others, with 92% fully vaxxed over 12 years old. After winning a dubious award as the most locked down city in the world, Melbournites definitely don't want a repeat. At the same time as being grateful, however, I am very aware of the inequities around the world that have given me a booster vax while others cannot access any at all. #melbourneurbansketchers #urbansketchers #usk #covidvacccine #covidbooster #stvincentshospital #vaccine #stvincentshospitalmelbourne #melbourne #melbourneroyalexhibitionbuilding #royalexhibitionbuilding #ᴠaccinationcentre
@jepbeatz on the verandah of my sister's place over the weekend. We were celebrating, in a very belated way due to covid, my nephew's birthday. Lovely party, great music and lovely people. I...
Dec 14
@jepbeatz on the verandah of my sister's place over the weekend. We were celebrating, in a very belated way due to covid, my nephew's birthday. Lovely party, great music and lovely people. I really enjoy drawing musicians. For one they stay relatively still, and the shapes of the instruments and body movements needed to play them are so interesting. #urbansketchers #melbourneurbansketchers #usk #bockingford #musicians #musiciansketch #jepbeatz #partysketch #peoplesketching #watercolour #jazzband @bennisdennis
Brunch stop on our way home from Warrnambool. Stephen used to camp here as a child and apparently there used to be a shipwreck in the cove. #melbourneurbansketchers #urbansketchers #usk #travelsketch ...
Nov 28
Brunch stop on our way home from Warrnambool. Stephen used to camp here as a child and apparently there used to be a shipwreck in the cove. #melbourneurbansketchers #urbansketchers #usk #travelsketch #panorama #portfairy #regionalvictoria #bockingford #watercoloursketch #portcampbell #globalsketch
Spoiler alert for anyone guessing where my last sketch was as this reveals it all. This was my first visit to Port Fairy - where, pre-covid, the plan was to sketch with a small group of other urban ...
Nov 27
Spoiler alert for anyone guessing where my last sketch was as this reveals it all. This was my first visit to Port Fairy - where, pre-covid, the plan was to sketch with a small group of other urban sketchers, run a workshop and exhibit. Sigh. Maybe one day! Regardless it was lovely to drop by @blarneybooksandart to say hello to Jo, and admire the bookstacks by @jodiwileyart on the building. Looking for a spot out of the wind, we ended up on the banks of the Moyne River. I was sketching one of my long panoramas while my husband patiently read and waited for me. I checked the time as I was drawing. 2.30. Going well - not too long - maybe an hour. The next time I checked it was 4.45 pm. Oops. Time flies when I sketch! #melbourneurbansketchers #urbansketchers #usk #travelsketch #panorama #portfairy #regionalvictoria #bockingford #watercoloursketch #moyneriver #globalsketch
So who can guess where I sketched this? As a hint, we were in Warrnambool last night .... Not as windy today thank goodness and actually really lovely. Perhaps too lovely as afterwards I realised I ...
Nov 27
So who can guess where I sketched this? As a hint, we were in Warrnambool last night .... Not as windy today thank goodness and actually really lovely. Perhaps too lovely as afterwards I realised I was a little sunburnt. Alas. #melbourneurbansketchers #urbansketchers #usk #bockingford #sailboats #watercoloursketch #travelsketch #regionalvictoria