6 Months Later...

I'm back :D I've finished my Certificate IV in Design. Woot! Looking to do a bachelor degree next year but for now, I'm free! Been stitching with some progress on Moment of Reading made.

   

I'd also like to show you drawings from another school assignment that I'm most proud of...

   

The brief was to produce illustrations that provide a visual advertisement about a new restaurant or cafe for a newspaper, magazine article or blog.

   

The stipulated medium was brush and ink. Hence I ended up with the ink wash technique which is basically brush painting using only black ink in various concentrations.

   

I chose to depict an upscale luxury cafe specializing in desserts.

   

I've played with watercolour and done some Chinese paintings when I was a kid so I'm more or less familiar with the technique. After much trial and error, I have to say I'm pretty happy with the result :)

A week to Christmas. I hope everyone's got their Christmas shopping done? I doubt I'll be posting again soon so until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mr. Hermit Crab

After months of keeping my nose to the grindstone, I'm currently enjoying a much needed semester break. Taking this opportunity, I'd like to show you some of what I've been up to at school ^.^

One of the very first assignments I was given was to produce a range of drawings by experimenting with different techniques. Organic subject matter was the theme for this assignment.

I decided on a hermit crab due to the differing textures on its body and shell. This is the Bigshot photo I based all my drawings on.

 

The first hermit crab was rendered in graphite pencil. 

In my opinion, out of the three drawings, this is the hardest of all due to the fact that I had only shades of grey to create a range of tonal values.

The easiest on the other hand, was the fine liner rendering.

 

This is the first time I draw using ink pens. I had fun learning and experimenting with the different techniques i.e. linear hatching, cross hatching, stippling, scumbling etc.

Last but not least is the colour rendering. This was the piece I spent the most time on. It is also the one I'm most proud of.

   

I used Derwent Watercolour Pencils for this version. I can't remember the last time I used colour pencils. We were taught to layer the colours in order to get an exact match. It was an eye-opening experience.
Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed looking at my work as much as I did showing it to you. I look forward to doing so again in the near future :)

Malmsbury Botanic Gardens

How is April going for you so far? I hope you all had a great Easter. I'm currently on a much needed two week break from school. Spent the first week back in Malaysia. As the weather here in Melbourne is getting pretty cold, boy, was it a huge change in temperature for me. After a week of hectic shopping an packing, I'm now back in Melbourne.

On Monday, Sean and I decided to head to the Macedon Ranges for some R&R. I had read about the picturesque Malmsbury Viaduct at the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens and was dying to have some photography fun there. The drive took slightly more than an hour before we reached Malmsbury, a charming little town on the Old Calder Highway.

 

We had some lovely jam and cream scones at the local cafe before heading into the Malmsbury Botanic Garden. The central focal point of the gardens is the ornamental lake. There were Dutch Elms planted at the front of the lake as a memorial to soldiers of World War I. 

 

Ducks swimming in the lake lend a serene touch to the entire scene. 

 

The quaint wooden bridge led to the formed island at the lake's centre.

   

Walking further on was the highlight of the entire trip... The Malmsbury Viaduct that we specifically came here for. 

 

Constructed in 1859, the bridge is over 100 metres (330 feet) long and about 25 metres (82 feet) high. It is one of the largest nineteenth century engineering structures erected in Victoria.

Before long, the sky had darkened. Daylight savings has ended and night was fast approaching. We had dinner at one of the local restaurants, The Stables where the food was absolutely beautiful. I had the rabbit stifado while Sean had the moussaka. Everything, from the salad down to the last drop of stew was delicious.

We ended up buying the homemade balsamic glaze and salad dressing. Showcased in pretty bottles, these would be great as gifts.

 

If nothing else, I'm coming back here for the food alone! And then, it was home time. One last glance back at the tree-lined Calder Highway with Malmsbury Botanic Gardens on the left. 

 

Yup, definitely coming back here again ^.^

Australia Day

Australia Day is celebrated on 26 January every year.

   

Sean and I decided to head to the city to join in the celebrations. We were just in time to watch the Royal Australian Air force's elite aerobatic team, the Roulettes delivering their aerial flyover and display over King's Domain Gardens.

   

The show, lasting about fifteen minutes, was stunning. They flew so low that I was able to capture a couple lovely shots of them. Needless to say, I was in complete awe. 

 

After that, we made our way to the Government House. 

 

Unfortunately, because the queue was too long, we didn't manage to tour the main House which consists of the Governor's Private Apartments :( Ah well!

   

We did, however, manage to visit the gardens, stables, tennis court and the state ballroom :) This is what the ballroom exterior looks like. Majestic, isn't it? 

 

The interior is no slouch either. Here I am, courtesy of Sean, trying to capture the magnificence and failing miserably.

   

On the way back, we passed by the Shrine of Remembrance. 

 

As we were running out of time (parking was due), we did a cursory walkabout and paid our respects at the Stone of Remembrance before leaving. 

 

We'll be back as there is so much more to see here than our hasty visit allowed.

Have a wonderful week ahead!