Art Gallery of New South Wales offers a free event called “Drop in and draw” every first Saturday of the month where a foldable chair and drawing materials are provided between 11am – 1pm to draw amongst one of the selected exhibition.
On a beautiful spring day in Sydney, I walked through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney as I smelt fresh flowers and witnessed bees buzzing on a flower bed to the gallery for some sketching time with a friend.
In September, the exhibition in feature was Spacemakers and Roomshakers. Big, expansive installation pieces were a perfect muse as each of them offered various angles to experience the artwork, especially Yona Lee’s “In Transit” that allowed visitors to be even in the installation and interact with it.
Some sketchers inside the installation piece
The gallery worker strolled around the sketchers and offered some advice. To me, it was to not focus on one detail but to draw in its entirety roughly to get the whole perspective. I haven’t been to a class for a while and have just been sketching on my own or reading tutorials so a live feedback was refreshing and useful.
Rather than focusing on the mannequin, I started to draw the pipes above, below, behind and attempted to measure the gaps between them.
After an hour or so…
One of the sketchers’ favourite was Ernesto Neto’s Just like drops in time, nothing 2002 where a group of people surrounded the piece in an attempt to capture the overwhelming fragrance of turmeric and the soft shapes on their A3 paper.
A close up of Ernesto Neto’s artwork – fails to capture the intense tumeric fragrance!
Yet in the end, surrounded by the international artists, what caught my eyes and my curiosity were the people. The artists who decided to enter the gallery on this Saturday to socialise, finesse their drawing skills, to escape their daily life or for something to do. For that two hours were focused and rapt in the world of art.
People always fascinates me as I quickly sketched the people
My friend and I overstayed for half an hour or so but when we returned the chairs at the ticket office, the gentleman told us that we can come in any time and simply borrow the chair.
If you feel like wanting some inspiration and sketching time, head over to Art Gallery of New South Wales with your own materials or join the group on the first Saturday of every month!
Info:
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Drop in and draw
Address: Art Gallery Rd, Sydney NSW 2000
Opening hour: 10am-5pm except on Wednesday when they’re open until 10pm.
