Wolfe Tone Square

You know summer is over when you're sketching outdoors and you have to grab your sketchbook and gear in a hurry when it starts raining out of nowhere! We were on Wolfe Tone square, always an interesting location, looking towards the dome at Penneys. Thankfully, I had done my ink sketch by the time the rain came - I would have liked to add more detail on the wall in the middle but I didn't have time, plus it's a pretty bland wall anyway. We took shelter in the Church pub, where we had the opposite view of the square, which I ignored completely, as the people hanging out under the tree were much more interesting. I finished that sketch on location. And when I got home, I added colour to the one with the dome. And I got to practise drawing a bicycle, as the chap was standing there chatting to someone for ages, with one leg on the ground and the other leg on the pedal.

Down the river

It's a long time since we had rain on a Sunday afternoon. We were not mentally prepared. The forecast only showed a 3% chance, but it happened. Not enough rain to green the grass. And I did find shelter and sketched some more. In my last sketch of the day, I actually included a little bit of the Jeanie Johnson. If you want to see better version of the boat, head to www.dublinsketchers.com!

Sketch Hunt

We were inspired by Urban Sketchers Seattle, so we organised a sketch hunt of our own. We had 20 prompts and two hours to complete the hunt. And we even had prizes afterward! It was so much fun!

 

Fitzwilliam Square

I do like a good construction site. And I'm sketching a good bit these days, making the most of the summer, before things get busy again in September. And also you could say I'm in avoidance mode. I haven't painted much in the last few months. Fear obscures the path.

Clearly I was interested in the red of the side of the building and the steels. I didn't even notice the slight proportion issue compared to the building on the left! The light kept changing, between sunshine and a few drops of rain. I might change that sky. Some colour pencil maybe?

 

Rainy evening in Trinity College Dublin

Dublin Sketchers are running extra sketching evenings during the summer months. I was away a lot so this was my first time being able to join them. Trinity College is such a perfect location to sketch that it's become our base for Tuesday evening sketching, even when the weather doesn't cooperate. Yes, after weeks of drought, we got our first rain last Tuesday evening (4th August), and it felt so good, so full of joy, even if it ruined my sketch - ink and watercolour going everywhere - we were sitting under an umbrella at the Pav, but every so often, water would drop down from the umbrella. It was challenging. It felt good to be alive, though.

For the view in the distance, I did the pen drawing on location and added colour at home. It took so long for the other page to dry that I just had to wait.

Thank you Sara for the photo!

Corner of Parliament and Dame Street

Parliament street was busy with a "Wellness" festival - which actually was just the usual activities for children, including loud yoga. So I escaped to the relative quiet of Dame Street on Barnardo Square. Had a lovely view of that corner building with all the beautiful brick work around the windows, so that's what I focused on. Then we had lots of great chats in the pub. Perfect afternoon.

Bray Harbour

Lovely time in Bray - we sketched in Bray harbour, away from the busy promenade. Good place to practise boats! Done with Roman Szmal watercolours and colour pencils.

Dawson Chorus at IMMA

Back in Dublin! Sketching at IMMA, with the Dawson Chorus singing in the courtyard!

St Stephen's Green on a sunny day

A perfect sunny day in St Stephen's Green with Dublin Sketchers. Relaxed and slowing down, and chatting with my fellow sketchers, while we observe the world around us.

College Green

Some days, I just need to escape from the hordes of tourists that invade town.

 

At Coliemore harbour

Some days just feel special. And some locations have that quality too. Coliemore Harbour is one of those places, and on a day that turned out brighter than forecast, it was perfect. It's sometimes struck me that it can be dull where I live, but if I go towards Dalkey, the clouds clear and the light seems brighter, particularly if you walk towards Coliemore Harbour. I've never been on Dalkey island. It calls out to me. But my fear of stepping on and off small boats stops me. So, the best I can do is sketch it from the shore.

Teaching about Urban Sketching

I'm out of sync again. Just realised that I hadn't posted my sketches from my day with students from university in Long Beach, California, who were in Dublin on their Study Abroad program with their lecturer, Yulia Gasio. Had a great day, telling them all about Urban Sketchers and teaching them what it's like to use our sketchbooks for capturing scenes from the city, without feeling overwhelmed or under pressure to produce a perfect piece of art!

And I got to sketch myself when I got into town (and my essential stop at the Matcha Bar) and while they were doing their assignments! Worked with Inktense, markers and fountain pen with black ink, and watercolours for one of the sketches.

Bewleys and a bite to eat on my own

Had a lovely time sketching the façade of Bewleys on Grafton Street. Such a Dublin institution. Now it's gone a bit posh and expensive. Not the same as it was in the eighties, but I guess it's an expensive building to maintain. Lots of detail on the façade. Tried to capture the essence of it. After we met up and looked at each other's sketchbooks, I went for a bite to eat in Carluccio's. I had intended to stay in Bewleys, but they kicked us out at 17:30, which sounds ridiculous, with so many tourists in town, probably all looking for somewhere to eat. Anyways, I enjoyed my quiet time with my food and my sketchbook. Then I went to The Teal House Gallery to look at the work from the Long Beach students, who all did amazing work during their Study Abroad time in Dublin. 

Kingfisher Project garden

Dublin Sketchers had the privilege to be allowed to sketch at the Kingfisher Project garden, by the Poddle in Kimmage. It's a little hidden gem at the end of a lane - it's not your typical allotment, it's a biodiversity project - and the bees love it. And I must have done something right in my sketch of the giant poppies - bees kept landing on my sketch! I used many different tools - Inktense pencils, watercolour, Neocolor II, and magic pencil.

So grateful to the organisers for creating this wonderful space. We need more of this in our city!