Quick visit to Fremantle

Hampton’s B&B Water colour pencil and ink Journal

Last weekend I made a quick visit to Fremantle just out of Perth, Western Australia.  I had to go to WA for work, so I sneaked in a weekend in Fremantle.  It was a coincidence, as I had mentioned to a blogging friend Julie Podstolski that I wanted to visit and see her art in person, (she does the most beautiful coloured pencil drawings of Geisha).  I did not realise that in a couple of weeks time I would have to travel there for work.

Fremantle is a lovely historic port town with the most marvelous buildings, it is about 20 minutes west of Perth.  I was glad to leave the cold, grey skies of Melbourne to the warmer weather and sunshine.  Julie and her lovely friend Robyn met me for lunch and we had a great time chatting and I showed them a couple of the collaboration books I was working on as Julie had been following them.

 

Mural Fremantle

We then went to see the fantastic mural that Julie has featured on her blog and then to her house to see some of her drawings.  It is so nice to meet someone you only know through social media and to see in real life the drawings that you have watched being created through photos.  I can only say both are better in real life and that is not an easy feat.  I also was able to see Robyn’s beautiful ceramic sculptures

Duyfken 1600 sailing ship Fremantle Water colour pencils and ink

On the Sunday I went for a walk along the docks and tried my hand at drawing an old sailing ship, fun to draw in the sun, but they are very tricky, I edited a lot of ropes out, (sorry to any nautical readers).  I felt I couldn’t come to Fremantle without some sort of boat drawing as it did host the America’s Cup while it was in Australia’s hands.

Fremantle Page Journal Water colour and ink

I think that weekend of warmth and sunshine will have to tied me over through the next few weeks as this winter looks to be a very cold and wet one and the flu season has us in its grips.  Always nice to look back on these memories and sketches in my book.  Thank you Julie for your hospitality.

Karen

Collaboration 2 – Water

Lotus Pond – Bali. Water colour, pencil and ink

I have spent the weekend working on Gale’s water themed book.  A great way to spend a very cold, wet and windy weekend here in Melbourne.  As I worked on this book I realised that I haven’t done many drawings of water and am not very used to drawing this element in any of its many guises.  Always so good to challenge yourself and these collaborations take me to such different places.

Cathe’s Versailles Marie Antoinette’s Swan

As Gale and Cathe both choose to take inspiration from recent travels for their double page spreads; Gale her trip to Hawaii and Cathe her Paris adventure.  I took inspiration from my trip to Bali last year and the Lotus temple in Ubud.   The beautiful blue water and tranquil lotus blossoms seemed suitable for the watery theme.

Gale’s waves

For the first page I added a water splash behind Gale’s leaf with water droplets and on the shared double spread I  added rain drops catching the sun as they fall into a pond, a layered water on water image.   Trying to blend in with the beautifully subtle clouds, but not overpower them.

Splash, my contribution to the the front page Water colour and ink

Rain Drops, below Gale’s clouds water colour, coloured pencil and white ink

I also had a play with the white band that holds the book shut and used some watery patterns to decorate it with.  Not sure if it blends well, but a great deal of fun to do.

Front cover of Gale’s book

To see the other books in the collaboration please click the links below

Anna Warren’s Book – Circle of Life

• Anna’s pages
• Karen’s pages

Gale Everett Stahlke’s Book –  Water

• Gales pages
• Cathe’s pages

Cathe Jacobi’s Book –  Collections

• Cathe’s Pages
• Gale’s Pages 

Karen Bailey’s Book – Patterns in Nature – Forest

• Karen’s Pages
• Anna’s Pages