Chinese Gardens

The other day the kids and I went to the Chinese Gardens of Friendship at Darling Harbour. With a bit of forward thinking I told the kids it was a sketching excursion - that was to alleviate any stress they might have, thinking that it might be a boring test of endurance rather than a bonzer day out. It worked!!! :)


We left home armed with backpacks filled with a sketchbook, pencils or pens, erasers, and sharpeners. And food and water, of course. I was already inspired by Urban Sketchers and was eager to have a go at capturing the day on paper. So much so that I even forgot to take my camera with me. :( Fortunately my mobile phone takes the odd good photo.



We climbed to the top of the Mountain (can't remember what it is called) and parked ourselves on the steps of the pagoda. Each of the kids did a sketch of whatever they wanted.

Reuben's sketch was of the pots and trees and rocks around the top of the mountain.




Malachi looked down the hill and captured the trees and rocks, the waterfall and the bamboo.



Hudson tells me this is a drawing of a Chinese man.



Declan drew the fish in the fishpond from memory.



Caitlin had a very small sketchbook. She captured Hudson standing in the pagoda and my legs sticking out while drawing, and she sketched the bamboo.



Susannah did rubbings of some of the Chinese characters carved into the columns of one of the pagodas.


Here are my sketches from the day - they're simple but they did the job.


I'm planning to carry around a little sketch book and black pen (and maybe watercolour crayons) all the time. Normally I don't get to sit and wait so I will be looking out for opportunities to practice sketching - the more you do it the better you get at it, so they say.

We all had a great day and would love to go back there to wear the Chinese costumes and have fun taking photos. Another day!