Kapiti Island

This is the view of Kapiti Island from Waikanae Beach.  I drew this in January when the Wellington Urban Sketchers group meet there for a sketching session.  Kapiti Island is a bird sanctuary nature reserve managed by the Department of Conservation.  It is five km from the coast and predator free.  You must have a permit to visit and can only visit on an approved tour.

Beach Road Paekākāriki

Paekākāriki is a small seaside town on the Kāpiti Coast, about 40 minutes drive north of Wellington.  It's a good spot to sit in the sun and drink coffee at one of the cafes.  A bit further down is St. Peters Village Hall, an ex church hall now owned and being restored by the community. I've been to a couple of gigs there, Mel Parsons and Don McGlashan.

Park Mews

 

Park Mews apartments in the Wellington suburb of Hataitai.  Designed by well known New Zealand architect Roger Walker in 1973.

Beer Emergency Vehicle

Last night Wellington Urban Sketchers met in Leeds Street, Te Aro to sketch in the lanes around there. I found this classic ambulance down the lane behind Fortune Favours Beer bar and brewery. I forgot to check the rego to determine the make and model, but I think it is a Dodge. We finished off the evening with a drink at Goldings Bar.

Drawing an Orchestra

I made arrangements to sketch at a Wellington Chamber Orchestra rehearsal. They were preparing for an upcoming concert, and played Rachmaninoff
 — Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Tchaikovsky
 — Romeo and Juliet Overture–Fantasia. They were excellent and we all enjoyed listening and drawing. The music certainly added extra energy to my drawing. Some results are below:



Beautiful drawings with a Bic Biro From Cory

 

MrBlack took his usual approach, with varying line widths and a few patches of coloured pencil and watercolour.


Anne produced this great wide concertina page with drawing on top of pre-prepared washes and splashes of watercolour

And here's my effort.

I'm hoping to have some more events like this in the future, so if you have any ideas, please let me know. Andrew

Oriental Bay Boat Sheds

Another one of my drawings from the Wellington sketching weekend back in March.  Lucy drawing in front of the boat sheds at Clyde Quay Boat Harbour in Oriental Bay.  There are 49 sheds in total.  They were built in stages between 1905 and 1922 by the Wellington Harbour Board.  These ones were built 1905.  They are still used as boat sheds today.

Fix and Fogg

The Fix and Fog peanut butter shop.  It's really just a window onto a lane off Eva Street.  They sell their peanut butter direct to customers and also sell peanut butter on toast and filter coffee.  The day I drew this it was sunny and warm and was a nice place to be.  I drew this during the Wellington sketching weekend back in March.

Let's Sketch Wellington - March 2018

A selection of photos taken at the sketching weekend in Wellington last month.  It was a fun weekend.  About a dozen sketchers took part, sketching in Aro Valley, Cuba Street and Oriental Parade.  It was good to catch up with the sketchers from out of town, as well as the Wellington folk including some new faces.

 

 

The quintessential Island Bay vista

The view from Island Bay Esplanade on Wellington's south coast.  The island is Taputeranga Island, Island Bay's namesake.  The quality of light on the south coast is stunning, colours are crisp and bright.

 

Southward Car Museum

MrBlack and I thought it would be a good idea to draw inside during the winter. There are lots of great cars to draw at Southward Car Museum, but no one has worked out how to heat an enormous concrete warehouse, so it was still a bit cold.

Southward Car Museum from Andrew James on Vimeo.

Nuku Tewhatewha @ The Dowse

The Wellington group sketched at The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt recently.  I sketched Nuku Tewhatewha, an elaborate pātaka, Maori store house.  It is of national significance because it is one of seven pātaka commissioned by North Island chiefs symbolising support for the Kingitanga movement.  It was built in 1856 in Naenae, a suburb in Lower Hutt.

On the ferry

We took the car on the ferry to Picton for Christmas. Travelling on the ferry involves a lot of waiting around, so brings good opportunities for sketching.

Drawing in Brooklyn

Andrew and Jessie drawing in the Wellington suburb of Brookyln at last month's sketch crawl.

A Rainy Saturday in Cuba Street

These are my drawing from the sketch crawl in Cuba Street last month.  Cuba Street hosts many cafes, bars and shops.  Some of the cafes and bars have covered tables in the street, making it a good place to draw in the rain.  Buskers usually perform, but not that day, due to the rain.  The Bucket Fountain is in Cuba Street.

Corner of Cuba and Vivian Streets

The colourful 'Iko Iko' Shop.

Athfield Classic?

I think so. I've always liked George Porter Tower. I've drawn it twice now. This is my first attempt which I like best.

The building is part of Arlington Apartments council flats in Mount Cook. It was designed by the late Sir Ian Athfield and built in the 1970's.

Arlington Apartments consist of this tower and many low rise flats on either side of it. Wellington City Council are upgrading the site. Many of the low rise flats, which were no longer fit for purpose, have been demolished to make way for new modular townhouses. The Council are considering options for George Porter Towers. I hope it will not be demolished.

George Porter was a well respected Wellington architect and town-planner.

Emergency Services at Te Papa

My drawings from the sketch crawl at the Emergency Services Expo at Te Papa last Saturday.  The sun was out and lots of people came to see the displays and demonstrations.

Te Horo Bach

We stayed in a small modern concrete block bach at Te Horo Beach recently.  Te Horo Beach is on the Kapiti Coast, about one hours drive north of Wellington.  It was a really cold night but was lovely and warm inside with the fire stoked up.

Drawing at Wellington Museum

Sketchers in Wellington met last Saturday to draw in and around Wellington Museum. We had a good turn-out with approximately twelve people attending.  Thanks for coming everyone.

These replica items of crown jewels and other regalia on display in the museum caught my eye.  They were fun to draw and reminded me of 'Game of Thrones' and there is a seat conveniently located right in front of the display.

Not far from the museum are some unusual public loo's. I really like them, they look organic and interesting.  Designed by Studio Pacific Architecture.

This wool store drawing was drawn inside the museum by fellow sketcher Maria.  I like the warm tones.  You can see more of her sketchers here.

Wellington Jazz Festival 2016

Thoroughly enjoyed drawing and listening to these guys play Glenn Miller tunes at Meow Bar last week when the Jazz Festival was on.