Urban Sketching at the ANU School of Art

It was a cold and windy morning that greeted a small group of enthusiastic Canberra urban sketchers at the ANU School of Art. We were all rugged up against the cold but quickly sought out places to sketch that was out of the wind, settled down and got on with it.

I found a small area near the ceramic kilns and sketched the clock tower from the back of the building. It was good to be at the meetup. But when time for the throw down arrived, as I stood up stiffly, I realised it was cold! Coffee was had at the Film and Sound archives which is just down the road. The staff were very patient with us. We pushed tables together, chatted looked at each others sketch books, compared sketching materials and generally had a much warmer time!

A little bit about the building …
The Australian National University School of Art is housed in an Art Deco building. Designed by Cuthbert Whitley and E.H. Henderson the building was originally home to Canberra’s first high school. In 1976 the building housed Canberra School of Art. Alterations and extensions designed by Daryl Jackson Evan Walker (DJEW) Architects in 1978. The buildings are included on the National Trust Register, Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate and ACT and Commonwealth Heritage Registers.

If you are interested in Urban sketching in Canberra, the Canberra Urban Sketchers group meet on the second Sunday of the month. Everyone at all skill levels using what ever medium you enjoy is welcome. We often have other informal meetings too so check out what is happening on the Canberra Urban Sketchers Facebook page. Urban Sketchers is a global network of people who draw the cities they live in and travel to. Their slogan is to see the world one drawing at a time. You can find out more from the Urban sketchers website where there is a global directory of groups. If you are interested in finding out more about a group in your town or city check out the Chapter map here.