Wednesday Beach Sketches

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This was a rather lovely way to spend a Wednesday afternoon in late October; great weather, swimming, beach tennis and a sketching opportunity provided by splendid company.

Life Drawing 2

life drawing, model, sketching, vejer sketchers, charcoal, pastel

I joined the Vejer Sketchers in the castle for another life drawing session on Sunday morning, easily one of the coldest days we’ve had this winter.

life drawing, model, sketching, vejer sketchers, charcoal, pastel life drawing, model, sketching, vejer sketchers, charcoal, pastel

Our model valiantly disrobed and while we drew, swathed in hats, scarfs and woollens, she patiently posed with a couple of meagre heaters and a hot water bottle to ward off the chill. Brave and generous to a fault.

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All sketches charcoal and chalk pastel.

Life Drawing

life drawing, model, sketching, vejer sketchers, charcoal, pastel

The Vejer Sketchers met today for the first life drawing session in the new Arte Vejer castle headquarters.

life drawing, model, sketching, vejer sketchers, charcoal, pastel

 

 

The model we’d booked to sit for us couldn’t get her car started but luckily found us a splendid last minute stand-in and all went well until our half time coffee break in a local bar…

 

life drawing, model, sketching, vejer sketchers, charcoal, pastel

 

 

We returned to the castle to find ourselves locked out with all our equipment still inside. It took a fair amount of door thumping and shouting to attract the attention of the key toting tour guide inside.

 

 

All in all a very enjoyable if slightly chaotic morning. It was the first outing for my pastels too, I love the intensity of the colours, the granular texture and the smooth way they go on…I’m looking forward to conducting more experiments with them soon…

Sketching Vejer

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my first outing with the Vejer Sketchers

 

Late last year (2014) I was delighted to be invited to join Arte Vejer, a community organisation which aims to promote visual arts and creativity in and around the Andalusian town of Vejer de la Frontera.

 

Vejer Sketchers is a subsidiary group of Arte Vejer and part of the worldwide Urban Sketchers movement.

 

 

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Calle Sagasta, Vejer, pen

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Vejer, pen and coloured pencil

 

kathryn hockey, vejer sketchers, urban sketchers, drawing

sketching on a roof terrace, Vejer

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sketching enthusiasts, from various walks of life, of different nationalities and ages, meet once a week; usually to draw in the streets of Vejer, sometimes joined by sketchers from other towns,

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Vejer Sketchers with sketch groups from other towns at Concentrarte, Vejer’s annual art street fair

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Calles Reyes Cátolicos and Rosario, Vejer, pen and watercolour

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some of the entrants in Vejer’s annual patio competition, pen and watercolour

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Ayuntamiento Vejer, Baelo Claudia Bolonia, 47th Sketchcrawl Cadiz, pen and watercolour

 

 

sometimes traveling to join sketch groups in other locations,

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sketching in the rain in Bolonia

 

 

 

 

 

life drawing with a model,

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charcoal and crayon

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charcoal

ejer sketchers, life drawing, charcoal, crayon, sketch

charcoal and crayon

or even drawing each other.

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watercolour sketches

In this Arte Vejer video, which features stills of some of my pre-Sketchers artwork, I talk (in Spanish) about my New Year’s Resolution to join the Vejer Sketchers, saying that street sketching in a group is brave and interesting and a great contrast to my usual controlled method of drawing and developing images in my studio with photos for reference.

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chorizo, pen and watercolour

Actually, the Vejer Sketchers experience has surpassed all my expectations; the group dynamic is incredibly friendly and supportive and diffuses the potential self-consciousness associated with drawing in public places (safety in numbers!).

sketch, vejer sketchers, urban sketchers, drawing, pen and water colour, vejer de la frontera

Vejer, pen and watercolour

I’ve enjoyed painting with watercolours since I was a child and the Vejer Sketchers have inspired me to try new techniques and different formats – my confidence, speed, motivation and skill have all improved.

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hibiscus, pen and watercolour

Come and join us if you can!