Wandered around Freo on Sunday arvo….hot an humid day….quite busy. Stopped at the E Sheds on Fremantle Wharf for a cool drink and to watch the people go by. A couple of quick sketches of people at a cafe and a second sketch of an old crane at the North end. I prefer the crane sketch….I like the way the watersoluble ink bleeds into the watercolour and creates a lovely shade of purple. This crane is a bit of a local landmark that might not be around for too much longer. It was built pre-war and was used for hauling sacks, barrels and boxes out of steamships holds….back in the days where “wharfies” were essential to hand-ball everything in/out and on/off the vessels…. containers and their gigantic mega-cranes hadn’t been invented. The crane is heavily rusted with a security fence surrounding it (guess there’s a danger of bits dropping off) I think it is heritage listed but is in desperate need of some TLC…. otherwise it’s likely to be removed for scrap. (Another reason this sketch is memorable for me is that I was standing in the lee of the C sheds for some shade…but there was a rubbish bin nearby…heavily used by the fishermen/women to dispose of fishy entrails…..several days of +35’C…..well I’m sure you can imagine the smell….the things we put up for in the name of art!)
Cafe sketch: De Atramentis Black document ink in Lamy Safari EF nib, Waterbrushes with Liquitex acrylic black ink (permanent), Lamy black fountain pen ink (watersoluble ink), plain water. Various watercolours, Uniball white gel pen.
Crane sketch: De Atramentis deepwater obsession brown-black ink (watersoluble ink), Cobalt blue watercolour, Lamy black ink in waterbrush (watersoluble ink)
sketchbookblue 