Urban Sketching in Circular Quay and The Rocks with Gauri Torgalkar

Have you always wanted to create a travel sketchbook with beautiful sketches created outdoors? If yes, join us on the Urban Sketching & Walking tour starting in Circular Quay and ending in The Rocks. Learn how to transform your surroundings into captivating sketches by mastering key tips, skills and strategies.

Explore the urban environment with a professional artist with 25 years’ experience in freehand sketching in art, architecture and urban design to capture street scenes, buildings and public spaces in sketched compositions – then bring them to life with the tone and texture of watercolour washes. In this class you will stop with the group for sketching sessions at selected places during the tour, where you will get a demonstration from the instructor and learn new drawing and colouring techniques. Each session will focus on a different aspect of outdoor sketching: overall atmosphere, architectural signage & details, building a perspective, vibrant market scene, reflections in water, etc. You will also learn plenty of sketching tips & tricks along the way.

Urban sketching is a great skill that can help you when you travel, allowing you to immerse yourself in the visual storytelling of your local surroundings, and help you represent and communicate your design ideas. By the end of the class, you will have started your own travel sketchbook with the confidence to continue sketching outdoors everywhere you go!

This course will include:

• Observing the surrounding environment – big picture and interesting details 
• Simplifying a complex scene 
• Perspective and composition
• Scale, volume and proportion
• Drawing from observation and altering with imagination

What to expect

Students will gather in front of the MCA at 10 am and will start the tour with a sketch of the Opera House. The group will walk around Circular Quay and The Rocks, with a lunch break in the Rocks around 1 pm (at own expense or BYO). Note that if you have joined this workshop previously, you will be moving around to different locations within The Rocks and Circular Quay.

This workshop will provide you with:

• Confidence to create a travel sketchbook that showcases your travels;
• Improved understanding for sketching the built environment;
• Tips and tricks for quick and effective sketching outdoors to capture a sense of place;
• Refresher on editing and composing views when sketching outdoors;
• Brief introduction to the principles of perspective drawing when sketching buildings and urban streetscape; and
• Confidence in using water colour washes and capturing local colours and tones.

Is this course right for me?

This workshop is suitable for beginners to watercolour as well as those more experienced artists. Gauri works with each student at their level and encourages students to pursue their own style.

Materials

Please bring with you:

• “Draw & Wash” paper pad medium A5 or any other A5 sketchbook with paper that is good for ink & watercolour;
• 2B drawing pencil or a mechanical drawing pencil;
• For waterproof drawing, fine tip permanent black pen 1mm or similar OR waterproof ink in fountain pen;
• A small and portable watercolour palette and rags/paper towel
• Watercolour brushes (one small and one medium size); and
• Two small bottles/jars of water with lids.
• An A3 size drawing board with bulldog clips. If you don't have one, let us know if you wish to borrow one from Art Est.

Suggested equipment for sketching on the go

Please dress appropriately for the weather, wear walking shoes, hat, sunscreen and bring a water bottle and snacks. As you will walk around and sit to sketch at different locations, you can bring along a foldable stool if you like, especially if you are uncomfortable sitting on footpaths, ledges or pavers. Please bring your own materials. We will stop for lunch at about 1pm, so you can either bring your own lunch, get takeaway in The Rocks or we can stop at a pub or cafe (at own expense).

About your tutor

Gauri Torgalkar is a visual artist and an urban designer with over 25 years’ experience in architecture and urban design. She has taught visual graphics, freehand drawing, and urban sketching for over 10 years to graduate and undergraduate students from various fields. Her artworks have been shown in several prestigious exhibitions in Sydney including the Greenway Art Prize (which she won in 2015), Adelaide Perry Prize, Blacktown Art Prize, and overseas at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, USA. Her work is held in public and private collections in Australia, India and the United States.

Feedback on previous classes with Gauri

The class was varied and gave plenty of information as well as plenty of time to practise what we had learnt. The perspective description was clear.

Gauri was well-organised and the day went quickly with numerous activities to complete. Gauri was very clear with instructions. She also introduced us to many types media to use as well as demonstrating and giving us a chance to try some. There was a great mixture of sketching inside and outside.

Teacher was welcoming and obliging not to mention she has ignited a new passion in me, to draw in ink and sketch every building I see!

A well-developed course, generous teacher, great overview of topic. Would like to do more.

Gauri is a brilliant teacher. Very educational class. Thoroughly enjoyed Pen and wash!

About studio classes

Our class sizes are small, ensuring you receive the individual tuition you need. We have a maximum of 12 students per class.

Unless otherwise noted, prices *exclude* art materials. Click here to see a list of local art supply retailers.

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