A recent trip to Tasmania was a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy sketching some of the fantastic towns, villages and landscapes.
Sketching always used to be a means to an end for me—a way to quickly record the details of an interesting subject to form the basis for a finished painting back in the studio. Over the past few years, thanks to the Urban Sketchers Movement, I have come to enjoy sketching simply for its own sake.
The pleasure of sitting and sketching in a shady spot with a handful of simple tools and an interesting subject is hard to beat.
Tools in the Field
A small palette with half a dozen essential colors, a few brushes and a variety of fiber tip pens are all that is really necessary for small, quick sketches on the go. This all rolls up in a small towel and fits into a plastic zip bag with my sketch book. Long handle brushes are cut down to save space.
Paints
Quinacridone gold, Permanent alizarin crimson, French ultramarine blue, Phthalo green, Indigo, Phthalo blue, White gouache
Brushes
½, ¼ and 1⁄8" long flat Taklon, Taklon rigger, size 1
Other Materials
.05 and .4 fiber tip waterproof permanent ink, .38 ball gel pen, Charcoal pencil
Derwent River in Hobart
Along the Derwent River in Hobart are some fantastic industrial complexes. The chaotic arrangement of weathered rusting metal on the banks of a beautiful river made a great subject. I was tempted to keep the colors earthy reds, grays and yellows, but the idea of pinks and blues to contrast with the subject took over.
General Store
The old General Store in the town of Derby is now a busy café, mountain bike repair shop and hire center. The old building surrounded by a tangle of mountain bikes and dozens of lycra clad athletes sipping coffee was a lot of fun to sketch.
Ocean and Rocks
The sea and rocks at St. Helens are fantastic sketching subjects. The wind swept trees, intense green/blue water and orange lichen-covered rocks almost appear to be set up for the amusement of traveling artists.
On the first corner is the old jail: Damnation.
Across the road from the jail is the Town Hall: Recreation.
Across the road from the pub is the Catholic church: Salvation.
Across from the Town Hall is the pub: Temptation.
The Four Corners of Ross, Tasmania
The village of Ross in central Tasmania has a crossroad in the middle of town. On the four corners of the crossroad are four old buildings from the 1800s. The four corners are called Damnation, Recreation, Temptation and Salvation. It was a lot of fun to sit in the middle of the crossroads and sketch these beautiful old buildings.
Stanley Harbor
The town of Stanley has a protected harbor opening into Bass Straight and is the home to a small fleet of cray boats. These two large red boats at the slipway looked impressive against the blue sky and dark green water. A wonderful spot to stop and sketch surrounded by seagulls and the smell of fresh cooked fish and chips.
Paper Beach
There are many places in Tasmania where quiet villages with simple little houses front onto beautiful, protected waterways. This little sketch was done as the sun went down over the village of Paper Beach.
Zeehan
Zeehan is an old mining town from the late 1800s. It is a great place to sketch as many of the old Victorian buildings are still in good condition. With a population of around 700, it is not hard to find an unoccupied seat or table with a great view to sketch.
If you haven’t already, I really recommend putting together a simple kit of paint, brushes and pens and start doing some small, quick sketches just for the pleasure of it. It’s a lot of fun, there is no pressure to produce a masterpiece, and if you join a group like Urban Sketchers, you will meet a lot of like-minded people of all skill levels from raw beginners to accomplished artists. —
Contact at johnlovett.com