Four students from Albrecht's drawing course at the Swabian Alps.

I am a big admirer of Albrecht's drawings. Looking at his postcards, you will understand why: No fanfare and funny tricks, but good solid knowledge of technique and with a talent to add just the necessary creativity and expression to bring it to life. Not many artists have all these skills in balanced amounts.


If you look closely at his postcard, you will see that one can take away any of the elements and the artwork will still be able to stand tall. I see many sketches which rely on the addition of a second or even third medium to turn it into good art. It is an aspect I strive fro in my own art: the ability to draw a single line so that it draws on all elements of good art making to be able to stand on its own. Which brings me back to my firm belief: to do good art, one has to have a knowledge of drawing. Technique and the basic principles of drawing DO have a solid place in art. Albrecht's postcard is testament to my belief.
Have a look at the close-up to below see the lovely lost and found edges, a technique which seduces the eye of the viewer to "continue the lines and complete the drawing", a great way to get the viewer involved in a painting/drawing/sketch.

This sketch was done by Albrecht during his last drawing course of the year and it is four of his students busy working under the beech tree that he captured. the course took place at the Swabian Alps, "which was about 50 million years ago the borderline of a warm Jurassic ocean". Albrecht and his students were fortunate to find many fossils during this course...something else I love...digging for fossils!

Read more of this course and his other work here.

Thank you for my beautiful postcard Albrecht.

Chamonix Valley - Le Buet

I can imagine sitting beside this mountain stream watching the freezing cold melt water rushing over the boulders. Alison describes it as being crystal clear yet at the same time an amazing blue and I can almost hear the rushing of the water when I look at the card.

I had to include a close up of this small section to show how Alison has used pure watercolour so skillfully.

 It's a place she says is extraordinarily beautiful and very quiet, an area in the Alps near Mt Blanc that she walks every year, a steep, narrow path with the stream alongside leading to The Refuge De La Pierre A Berard. I can see why it's such an attraction.

Peach Jam by Desiree

Peach Jam

The written tale on the reverse of this postcard had visual qualities nearly as good as this beautiful painting of peach jam by Desiree Habicht.

So here it is....

Dear Katherine

With our fruit trees in full production and everything ripening at the same time I am forced to deal with bushels of fruit.  I do love to can and put up things I grow. The weather has been so nice and I have an outdoor kitchen where I sterilize jars and process jams.  It helps keep the house cooler but requires a lot more running for me.  After two solid days of picking, cleaning, processing and sealing I feel it qualifies as Sketchercise!

This year I made peach jam, peach-japaleno jelly, peach bellini jam, peach salsa, peach-cantaloupe preserves and corn relish.  Yummy - 45 jars of goodies!

Enjoy

Desiree

I most certainly did Desiree - I am salivating at all those wonderful products of your labour - and that amount of work most definitely counts as sketchercise!

A peaceful garden

I received this gorgeous card from Pat on my arrival home from my recent trip. She says” this is a garden I designed. I had a chance to visit with the owner and sketch while she took a phone call.It really loos great and sitting there was just what I needed to have a few moments alone with nature. Ah! Isn’t that exactly what this card expresses?... The lovely tranquillity and rest of sitting in a beautiful garden. As someone who never uses pencil and is addicted to colour, I really love the way that this simple pencil sketch tells us so much about the garden that Pat was in. I am always constantly amazed by all the things that my sketchercise friends do as well as there artwork– including designing gardens for friends! Thanks Pat – your card made my day!

The T2 Tea House in North Ryde, Sydney

This is the famous T2 Tea House in Sydney - scene of many a pen and ink and watercolour sketch by Liz and Borromini

Liz knows how I love drawing interiors - particularly ones where eating and drinking are involved and I was tickled pink to get a sketch of the interior of her favourite tea house in Sydney.

Liz has impeccable perspective as always - even when it comes to shelves of tea and a counter of other goodies. I am so impressed by the writing on the blackboard and I'm hoping there was a little trick involved there with resist maybe?

The T2 Teahouse, North Ryde, Sydney

It was raining when Liz did her sketch so on the reverse I got another of my favourite Liz sketches - what she was eating and drinking.  It looks to me as if Liz was sharing a virtual cream tea with me! :)

I have to apologise to Liz for being extremely late in posting this - it dates from before her recent trips to the Dominican Republic and the USA.  I've got very behind with posting cards received and getting cards sent and am in the middle of a big catch up!

Where to find the T2 Teahouse: Macquarie Shopping Centre, Level 4, Shop 440, Cnr Herring Rd & Waterloo Rd, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW 2113 Australia

Lizard for Borromini / Liz-Art from S.Domingo

Liz spent 3 days at an Urban Sketchers Symposium in the Dominican Republic.

I wish I would have been there too! 

Thank you so much Liz for your colorful July-card. The image shows a warm sunny day in the Caribbian. The nice stamps on the back made me curious to know who this person Dame Melba was. Now I understand the connection with the stamp in the middle... 

Next time downtown Heidelberg I will think of you and her while enjoying the dessert. 

(I hope it is alright using Borromini's wonderful gift for covering the address)

Teaching to Observe - Albrecht in Bavaria

Derwent Graphitint

Last month Albrecht was busy teaching in Majorca .  This month he's been teaching in Bavaria.  I'm the lucky recipient of a card he drew when he and his students were at lake near Bad Reichenhall, not far from the Austrian border and the city of Salzburg.  It's one of his students in the shade overlooking the lake  -  clearly engrossed in his own sketching!

You can see more images from this course on Albrecht's blog  here  Some great photos of his students drawing mountains and various other studies.  There's a very impressive standard of draughtsmanship amongst them.  It's definitely inspiring to see the kind of detailed observational drawing Albrecht teaches. 

Albrecht has a book coming out later in the year.  I am hoping we will be able to obtain copies over here in England!