Lochrin Basin, Union Canal, Edinburgh

Hong Kong

Inspired by my photo here I've drawn part of the  Hong Kong island skyline across Victoria Harbour. The Two International Finance Centre building is rather droopy as it is easy to forget that when you try to draw a straight line your hand draws lines in an arc

Gaza

Lisbon Tram

St Stephen Street, Edinburgh New Town

My original photograph here

Faces

It's ok to drink and buy

I had a drink in a wine bar in Barrio Alto, Lisbon one evening during my trip and on the way back to my hotel, after a nice Sauvignon Blanc and an Early Gray tea, I popped in to a charity shop as I've been on the hunt for a cheap piece of pottery to keep my brushes in.  The shop was open late, presumably hoping to cash in on late night drinkers buying weird and wonderful pre-loved objects whilst tipsy.

 

I found a perfect little pot for 2 Euro.  It doesn't have 'Made in China' stamped on the bottom so I'm happy to accept it as Portuguese.  When buying it, the lady in the shop asked me in English if I knew what sort of shop it was; that seemed obvious but I said "Yes, I think so" (I might have been missing something) but she clarified that it was indeed a charity shop and that I might be interested in the organisation, so she gave me a leaflet to take away with me. I'm afraid I'm little the wiser from the apparent mission statement on the leaflet "We count on you to pull up the work of making happier Man by instilling hope".  Sounds good though so I'm glad to have made a contribution.

 

I found fewer opportunities to sketch whilst in Lisbon than I expected, though as a novice it is difficult to find drawable subjects.  Ideally I'd love to be able to sketch in the style of some of the artists whose blogs I've linked to down the right side of this page.  That's what I'm aiming for at any rate.  I did manage to find a quiet square in Alfama where I drew a building, a palm tree and this little street lamp.  It was a pleasant spot to sit in the shade and watch the world go by. That is, until an elderly Portuguese lady sat next to me and was talking to herself (or maybe to me but I couldn't understand her).  I moved on as I suspected she was maybe a little crazy.

 

 

 

 

Torre de Belem

I've just returned from a few days in Lisbon.  Yesterday I took the number 15 tram along to the waterfront suburb of Belem from where Vasco Da Gama set off for India (the first European to reach there by sea) in 1497.  The Belem Tower, completed in 1519, has UNESCO world heritage status.

 

 

The boat house

This boat house is situated on the Union Canal in Edinburgh at Polwarth.  The canal was opened in 1822 and connects Falkirk with Edinburgh. 

 

 

Apple

If you are new to the blog, welcome.  If you are wondering what it is all about, I can tell you that I'm just a beginner.  I 'discovered' drawing/painting a couple of months ago.  I never knew that I could draw anything so I'm glad I tried as I've enjoyed what I've done so far.  It's not art of any merit, I know that; it's just a hobby.  The point of the blog is just for me to keep track of what I've done and hopefully I'll improve through time, hence "The Journey".  Hopefully you may become inspired to find your inner artist too. And yes, I'm well aware that this is a funny looking apple...

Charcoal

Charcoal, it seems, is a tricky medium.  This is supposed to be fields in front of Mount Fuji.  I'll stick to pencils for now

 

 

6H

Drawn with a 6H pencil.  I liked using this grade which I've tried out for the first time here.  It was easy to make light outlines before committing to the defined shape.  I'm hopeless at hands and faces at present so I gave up on the hands (though I quite like the mere suggestion of them here) and luckily I didn't have to draw a face!  I'm quite pleased with the way the foot turned out though.

The Balmoral Hotel

The Balmoral is a five star hotel in Edinburgh which opened in 1902 as the North British Hotel.  It sits atop Waverley train station. The clock is set a couple of minutes fast to help travellers catch their train.  I can tell you that champagne afternoon tea in the Palm Court is a very pleasant experience