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India night sketching teaches values

Having drawn 1 or 2 disappointing night sketches in Auckland over the years I wasn’t expecting much of this sketch of Our Lady of Dolors, the largest church structure in Asia*.  To make this sketch read correctly you need to capture the basilica in context . It's an impressive structure to record but without placing it into a bustling Indian street scene is a bit 1 dimensional – it could be anywhere. I was standing in a continuous stream of cars, motorbikes and people steadily coasting past... horns were beeping, it was hot, people were brushing past me constantly and neon lights were glowing, so adding suggestions of these was important because they added context that helped to tell a story about the look and feeling of the place.  Back to my expectations around night sketching. As I expected I was feeling suitably unimpressed with my effort on the night. I was happy with how elements like telephone wires, neon lights and buildings framed the basilica and even helped lead th...

Escape to the Bay of Islands

How to keep cool AND create a better sketch

The Municipal Destructor

The Grey Lynn streets asking for widescreen

Alvis is in the building

Swashbucklers a fun exercise in maximalism sketching

Bikepacking with the 'stealth kit'

This Studebaker more than a car?

"Muuuuum, why wouldn't you do what I wanted you to do?"

Camouflaged up Tuateawa Road

Drawn under a Dragon Tree at the Auckland Botanic Gardens

Beach Hop

Pāpāmoa dunescape

A taste of Queensland beach life

Brisbane contrasts

Sunflowers and machinery at Franklin Farm

The mighty Lada Niva

You can't beat Wellington on a good day

A sketchy day out in Auckland — Part 2