Camden Street

Where was I? This is weeks ago. It's going to take me a while to get my bearings again. I don't know if it's the same for neurotypicals, but when I'm somewhere, it's like it's the only place in the world. Which is wonderful, as I can immerse myself and sketch anywhere. But then there is this disconnect if I've been away too long. This is how it feels right now. I was in Lille for 5 days, then Belgium for a week, and it's like Dublin ceased to exist for me in that time. Which is strange. It's like it's a defence mechanism so I don't miss home? I don't know

But back to the sketches. Getting closer to the top of Camden street, and we get our first glimpse of the dome of Rathmines Church in the distance. I'm experimenting with an idea from Inma Serrano's Domestika course, where she talks about different picture planes rendered with different tools. I just used colour pencils, and they don't photograph very well, particularly the colours I used. But I was very happy with this sketch, moving from the Ebb & Flow café terrace to the people on the footpath, and then the buildings and the church dome in the distance. And even a soft grey for the Dublin mountains peeping behind the dome.

Plus the matcha latte and banana bread were delicious!

I also did a sketch down an alley. There's a nice-looking yoga studio at the end, but I was more interested in the pipes and cables against a dirty wall. It didn't smell too good!

Jumping around. This was also done at the café, this time focusing on a customer at a table across from me. And then I noticed all the shop signs behind him.

Moved indoors to café behind The Last Bookstore, after starting to sketch Alice and Róisín. I had to replace Caroline by a stranger to complete the composition. Not that it matters so much, as I'm not known for achieving a likeness! Sorry I didn't order the kombucha!

Then a food sketch. I can't remember what it was, but it was tasty, with beetroot, tomato and avocado, guessing from the colours I used! I look forward to settling into sketching again and getting productive again. I had almost no time to sketch while in Belgium, and I missed it.