Category:

Drawing & Exploring Brisbane.

11/6/2013

It's the end of another fabulous 6 weeks of UAB Site Sketching and I am proud to say that in our second year running it just keeps getting better. To sum up the experience I wanted to share a lovely message that I received from a first time sketcher last week... kind words that made my day!

[Hi Emily, Thanks so much for your teaching, encouragement and advice over the last 6 weeks. I have had a fantastic time and learnt so much. When i started i said i wanted to feel comfortable sketching on location and find a way to capture the essence of a place. Well, i am thrilled to say that i feel well on my way to doing just that. I love my sketches i feel like they are little jewels, that are uniquely me. What a thrill!!!!!

I had a 'moment' today, after doing some jobs in new farm i decided to stop for a short time at a park on the river- i had my sketch book with me- and just sat and did a little sketch. 20minutes later i realised i was so calm and at peace almost in a meditation. It was the BEST feeling.
At last sketching feels like just the best thing to do- i'm hooked.
Thank you so much for opening this wonderful world to me. What a gift!!!]
June 2013

UAB is back with another sketching workshop from the 17 August - 21 September. Find more details here.

In the mean time I am traveling in Europe & the UK for 5 weeks from tonight and will be attending the 4th International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Barcelona. I will do my best to blog some work from Spain! I can't wait to share my drawings with you.

Happy Sketching
Emily

Gorgeous panorama by Lisa De Re of the UAB group sketching City Hall. Click to enlarge.

Art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.
Paul Klee

Architectural detail by Jeff Cowan

Judy-Joy and Debbie - lovin'- it!

Familiar junction between the Queen Street Mall and Albert Street. Dynamic sketch by Debbie McLachlan.

Loni Mills captures the busker who kindly sat next to us in the Queen Street Mall.

Angela Cowan's lovely lines from King George Square.

Maureen Beasley capturing texture and detail in her panorama of King George Square.

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UAB Site Sketching Map

23/4/2013

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We're excited to announce that UAB will be hosting a 6 week site sketching workshop from Saturday 4 March - 8 June! It's a beautifully crisp time of year in Brisbane and the weather is perrrfect for drawing outdoors. Below is a sketchmap of our chosen route. The locations include:

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Top 10 ways to Inspired Creativity

3/4/2013

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Having recently returned from a 6-week trip overseas and been distracted by one or two other life changing experiences around health (I took on a 5 week juice fast) and relationships (I fell in love and got engaged!), my 6 weeks out of regular studio practice, has turned to 2 or 3 months!

It struck me that as I build my relationship with my studio practice once more, the tools, tips, tricks and self-talk I use to get me back into the studio are the same ones that I used at the very beginning of my practice and may well be of use to you.

If you are someone like me who is inspired but somehow finds the day passing without taking some action towards the expression of that inspiration then these top 10 tips for getting you back in the studio are for you:

1. Cultivate Gratitude for Where You Are
Take stock of where you are and take a moment to appreciate what you have achieved in your learning and creativity so far. Acknowledge whatever feelings are there whether it's excitement, regret, anticipation, disappointment or even pressure it is valid to feel all of these. However, recognise that you don't need to honour, nurture or indulge any of these feelings. What's important to remember is that you are a new creative being in each moment and in this moment you are choosing yourself exactly as your are. This is the most empowering place to come from.

2. Gather Art Making Materials that Inspire You
Get hold of some materials that inspire you to create that you can't wait to work with. Ask yourself while in an art store what the materials are that inspire you? Is it colourful luscious paints or chunky sticks of charcoal; is it the textured grain of 600gsm watercolour paper or the inky promise of bottles of pure colour? Whatever it is, treat yourself to one or reconnect with existing materials you have - these are all signposts to your inner creative source.

'Reflections', Ink on Paper, A3 by Jo Underhill

3. Build Some Sketching into Every Day Activities
Make a commitment to yourself to draw every day, even if just for 10 minutes - this could be taking a few minutes on your morning walk to capture something or maybe sketching your lunch before you eat it, perhaps even dashing off a few sketches of people passing on the street as you sip your morning coffee.

The act of sketching or drawing reconnects you to what you like to draw, what you are good at drawing and what inspires you. It is good to remember that just drawing alone can be the pathway to the inspiration for a whole body of work - stick to an exploration of something for long enough and something will come up. Try a 7 or 30 day challenge to draw every day and see what emerges. Even sketching ideas first thing in the morning upon waking or last thing at night can be very revealing.

If drawing is not your thing perhaps it's about taking a photograph each day that inspires you or even spending some time collecting images to collage.

4. Prepare your Creative Space
Whatever your space may be, whether it's a little desk in the corner of a room or a large purpose-built studio space make sure everything is where you need it so you don't spend time rummaging and searching for things.

If you don't have a creative space, it helps to claim one and make it a dedicated creative place. This adds value to what you are doing and stakes a claim for your creative energy to manifest. It also means you can walk into that creative space at any time without being put off by having to set something up and then pack it all away which interferes with creative flow.

5. Gather and Collect Inspiring Visual Stimulus
Books, photographs, images of other artist's work, your own sketches, magazine images and even inspiration from books about mixed media techniques and painting or sketching can all be rich sources of inspiration. Whenever I am stuck I go to my bookshelf and pull out some books that appeal to me in that moment. I flick through them and suddenly get an idea for what I want to play with or how I want to progress a canvas.

Pay attention to what you are gathering too as these are signposts to inner creative voice and will be steering you toward manifesting it.

Other magazines like Artist Profile, Frankie or even nature inspired magazines like National Geographic can be useful too in terms of what others are doing and can trigger ideas that form a launchpad for your own to catapult from.

6. Set a Goal For Your Practice
Having a goal and something to aim for in your work is really helpful. When I was first starting out, my goal was to discover who I was creatively and whether I really wanted to paint full-time. This took the pressure off needing to produce something and shifted the focus onto a curious engagement with painting and drawing itself.

It can help to also set smaller practical goals like finishing a canvas or to discover one new technique each week for a month. You may want to to fill a diary with drawings and see what happens, what emerges or create an abstract painting or small study each day. For a while I just painted a swatch of colour and doodled and out of those experiments, I had enough inspiration to keep me going for a couple of years!

Whether it's working through a book on colour theory or just being gentle with yourself when creating - make sure it INSPIRES you.

7. Get Connected to Your Creative Uniqueness
It was Oscar Wilde who said, 'Be yourself; everyone else is already taken' and realising this about our creativity is probably the most powerful thing we can ever do for ourselves. Recognise that you have a unique contribution for the world and that you are on a journey to uncover it and share it.

My favorite video on creative genius is Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk see below - it's about 20 minutes but really worth watching and very entertaining.

8. Make a Creativity Date with Yourself
Taking time to be with ourselves in our creative space is as precious and nurturing to our creativity as date night with a partner. Value yourself enough to block out some time in your diary regularly to focus on your creativity. One of your goals may be to just show up in your creative space for 30 minutes a day or an hour 3 times a week. It doesn't matter what the time is or how long, when you are starting from scratch it's getting in there that counts.

Make a commitment to yourself to honour this and connect it back to what's important to you in relation to making your art. What does it give you? For me I get a sense of peace, it's like a meditation, I feel a sense of joy when I start painting with colour and a sense of being home, I just have to think about luscious thick oil paint in dusty pinks and greens to make me feel like I just want to get in there and start playing!

9. PLAY!
Once you have made it to your creative space, just play. I often begin my studio session with some non-dominant hand drawing to music with no pressure on outcome. If I am nurturing some new work, I just play. Each surface layer is built up of layers of playful engagement that are spontaneous and easy. It may help to remind yourself that if you don't like something you can always paint over it later. By allowing this side of ourselves to be engaged we create space for wonder and joy and for new ideas to emerge.

10. Be Gentle and Avoid Self-Judgement
Gentleness in self talk is imperative at this playful stage. Self-talk that is gentle, compassionate, kind and supportive will only nurture your creative practice. Remember you are giving your inner creative child to play, they will not be able to come out and serve you if they feel like they are in trouble for something.

Really notice if and when you are being self-critical. Often we are more self-critical when we are stressed about something and give ourselves a hard time. Drop the resistance, notice where it is in your body and breathe into it, see if in that moment you can bring something positive or gentle in.

Removing any judgementalism from your creations is especially important in the early stages of creating work as we have a tendency to self-censor ourselves and shut down our playful, creative exploration when we do this.

By allowing ourselves to get into our creative space armed with all the things that inspire us and gently encourage ourselves to create, we allow possibility to enter and creativity to flourish.

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drawing. eating. sharing. laughing... eating... drawing

24/3/2013

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Jeff & Kurt - New found mates. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Quirky boats moored off the City Botanic Gardens. Sketches by Travis D. Hendrix, local artist extraordinaire. Travis' skill and experience has been a gift amongst this group. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Paul Harris, a practicing fine artist, has a very distinct style. He works with many layers and the density of line. He has stretched himself in this drawing course to really learn the value of white space in helping his images to breathe. This is a beautiful sketch from the Botanic Gardens, playing with shapes, shadows, texture and contours. Excellent Paul! Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Alee Lee, finding beauty in the everyday. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Gentle Jen Ramsey's style is feminine and strong. She's on a journey to discover the artist within and we're loving watching her blossom. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Cathy Mardon, what a star! Here she's using the masking technique to frame her image.. though whoever said one must colour within the lines was a sham. You're playful and experimental attitude is awesome Cathy. Urban Art Binge 23.032013

Magic Maureen Beesley. Just look at these confident lines! Watch out for this one... Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Rosetta Cook drawing the view of the Brisbane River/Kangaroo Point Cliffs from the Gardens. Notice here how she's used the bleed of the 0.4 Artline pen to create extra depth in the canopy shadow. We're also loving how the minimal foreground is leading the eye through the composition. Nice one Rosetta! Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Nothing by halves, these bingers know how to put on a great spread. Sharing food is an essential part of the conversation here at UAB. We love the diversity and richness that each person brings to the table. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Brisbane's Story Bridge, by Kathryn Illiff. Kathryn has been enjoying developing her own very quirky style. Whether it be capturing people or birds on the fly - to buildings, bridges or boats, her hand is unique and we love it! Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Christine Erskine-Smith's watercolour and ink sketch of two beautiful boats off the Botanic Gardens. This lady's linework has come SO far in the last 6 months. Sometimes it's hard to recognise progress within ourselves and such is the beauty of creating works amongst the company of others. Hoorah! Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Angela Cowan has an eye for the subtle and emotive qualities of drawing, capturing moments that many would overlook. Just beautiful. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Kurt Marschner drawing the views from the Botanic Gardens. An open and warm man, with a passion for learning and sharing, thank you for your energy Kurt. Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Jeff Cowan - learning.. learning.. learning.. loving it! Urban Art Binge 23.03.2013

Thank you to you all. I have really loved spending these last 7 weeks with you. Your energy brings me life. Em x

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Find us in the BRISBANE NEWS this week on page 7!

13/3/2013

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Who said that dinosaurs were extinct?

2/3/2013

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Demolition of QUT Gardens Point building February 2013 - Sketch by Emily Fong

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Positive & Negative Space - St Johns Cathedral

24/2/2013

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Week 3 of the first Big Binge for 2013 and this group is coming along in leaps and bounds. The techniques we discovered this week were definitely in contrast to last week and our sketchers are stretching themselves with grace. Below is a recap of what we worked through. The results of which were sublime.

Techniques we focused on:

Positive & Negative Space

Thinking about depth & tone we were seeking out the boldest contrasts in light inside and outside of the Cathedral. Positive and negative space is a very powerful and dramatic tool that involves a certain level of imagination and careful observation. One trick we found is that when using this technique it is best bitten off in chunks. Sketch out your subject first in light (but confident) lines and then take the time to observe where your light source is. Adding depth through tone can be achieved in a manner of ways. So far we've looked at soft shading and different hatching techniques. Choose your technique according to what you want to say. Lines are expressive. Lines are your language. Lines are your tools for constructing your visual comment about the world around you.

Composition

The Cathedral is a very grand space. With the subject being so vertical in height, it is necessary to consider the elements of composition in order to make the best use of your page.

Rule of thirds
Sketching your composition in the corner of your page takes 10 seconds and may save you much time.
Is your image dynamic or static? This is determined by whether your composition is symmetrical or asymmetrical. An asymmetrical composition allows the eye to dart around the page with ease.

* Thanks to the people of the St Johns Cathedral for your hospitality and warm understanding of our need to Binge within your amazing place.

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Sketching Expedition Map: Brisbane Cultural Precincts

15/1/2013

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Continuing the success of 2012's on-site sketching sessions, participants will soon be joining Emily Fong for weekly sketching sessions at various locations around Brisbane. The sites have been choosen to expand observational drawing skills and introduce concepts and ideas whilst exploring our city and exposing budding and experienced creatives to an abundance of inspiration. For more info or to enrol click here.

Map not to scale, for illustrative use only.

Sites for the series include*:

Grey Street at Southbank
Anzac Square, between Ann & Adelaide Streets
St John's Cathedral, Ann St
The Botanical Gardens, Alice Street
New Farm Park, Brisbane Powerhouse
Brunswick Street Mall & China Town
QAG/ GOMA, Southbank

*Please note that sites may change and are dependent on weather and accessibility

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Sketching & Drawing Workshop

7/1/2013

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Do you want to learn to sketch and draw this year? Join us for a 7 week summer workshop series exploring drawing with other like minded creatives. This workshop is suitable to all skill levels and persons over the age of 18 years. For more details visit our enrollments page, here.

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UAB: Exhibition Opening Friday 7 December

3/12/2012

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Gorged On Creativity...For Now
Friday 7 December
6pm - 9pm
Juggler's Art Space, 103 Brunswick St, Brisbane
ART, FREE SKETCHING, LIVE MUSIC, FIRE TWIRLING AND STREET FOOD AUSTRALIA yumminess!

This painting was delivered by Maureen Beesley today much to our delight for the exhibition. It is a portrait of Emily and I from one of our dress-up life drawing sessions and we LOVE it! Urban Art Binge: Maureen Beesley, Inspiration, 45 x 45cm

Gorged on Creativity...For Now, marks the end of an amazing collaborative year of teaching. The exhibition has been part of the plan since the inception of Urban Art Binge over peppermint tea in a Stone's Corner cafe in January 2012.

Gorging on Creativity was our mission for the year, that we would work with Brisbane's creative community to inspire, share, teach and give as much as we could of what we had learnt ourselves, through our respective creative practices, so that people felt inspired, satiated, stuffed full of ideas and above all inspired to create.

This exhibition therefore is more than just the sum of it's binge-block parts. The show reveals as much about the nature and spaces of Brisbane as it does our creative participants and as our art-binger's drop off their artworks today, created through the 6-week blocks of art classes throughout the year, our excitement about this, builds.

This beautiful and exploratory exhibition documents a growth and vibrancy of our city that is echoed by the growth and vibrancy of the UAB participants who sketched and painted their way through the year with much courage and curiosity.

The exhibition is a testament to the creativity, inspiration and vibrancy of Brisbane as told through the eyes of the Urban Art Binge students of 2012.

The show opens with live music and sketching. Street Food Australia will be serving up a tasty feast with the Juggler's bar open from 6pm.

Art works will be for sale on the night as well as gift vouchers for 2013's program.

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<<Previous

Drawing & Exploring Brisbane.

UAB Site Sketching Map

Top 10 ways to Inspired Creativity

drawing. eating. sharing. laughing... eating... drawing

Find us in the BRISBANE NEWS this week on page 7!

Who said that dinosaurs were extinct?

Positive & Negative Space - St Johns Cathedral

Sketching Expedition Map: Brisbane Cultural Precincts

Sketching & Drawing Workshop

UAB: Exhibition Opening Friday 7 December

Gorged On Creativity...For Now
Friday 7 December
6pm - 9pm
Juggler's Art Space, 103 Brunswick St, Brisbane
ART, FREE SKETCHING, LIVE MUSIC, FIRE TWIRLING AND STREET FOOD AUSTRALIA yumminess!

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Gorged On Creativity...For NowFriday 7 December6pm - 9pmJuggler's Art Space, 103 Brunswick St, BrisbaneART, FREE SKETCHING, LIVE MUSIC, FIRE TWIRLING AND STREET FOOD AUSTRALIA yumminess!

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Gorged On Creativity...For Now
Friday 7 December
6pm - 9pm
Juggler's Art Space, 103 Brunswick St, Brisbane
ART, FREE SKETCHING, LIVE MUSIC, FIRE TWIRLING AND STREET FOOD AUSTRALIA yumminess!