Things to do in Sydney 1: Take an art class

Every Saturday morning in a quiet Surry Hills lane, a bunch of folks gather to have their noggins engaged and their fingers stretched by brisk, no-nonense art instructor Jenny Hall.

The Brett Whiteley Studio hosts 2 hour sessions, open to all regardless of previous experience or ability, in the former home, studio and gallery of the popular Australian artist.

Jenny is a friendly and welcoming teacher, who knows you're there to draw and learn in a time period that evaporates all too quickly. Taking up to 10 students each Saturday, the pace is comfortable enough for everyone to keep up, yet still covers a lot of ground. The time flew by, but I managed to learn a fair bit.

Costs for all materials and the model's fee are covered by the $40 charge, so all you have to do is turn up. But be prepared to be a little wrong footed in the name of learning. There are quick poses to begin with, to warm up our fingers and to warm up our brains we did a series of 60 second sketches, drawn without looking at the paper. Like this one, which I think looks like an alien:



Then we did more 60 second poses, looking at the paper this time, trying to get down as much of the lines and shapes of the body as we could in the short time frame.

To disabuse us of the idea that our work was in any way precious, or that we should be precious about it, we did a series of sketches where the model slightly changed position every few minutes and we had to adjust the drawing to the new pose, drawing over and over our work.



Classes are in the gallery space, so members of the public are wandering about while the workshop is in session. Being around people reacting to your work as you are creating it is both scary and powerful. Staying focused on the model's latest pose is one of way of not being over-awed by the public viewing and commentary.

The two hours flies by, and afterwards if you wander up to the main drag you may be lucky enough to find the Surry Hills Saturday market in Crown Street. Nice people, good quality stuff, not too over-priced and good food. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday.



Info on art workshops at Brett Whiteley Studio
Info on Surry Hills Markets