Weekly drawing: My place

My place

I'd sneak through the farmer's property always fearful of a bull (which was never there). Jump the fence again and disappear into the bush following a small creek to disguise my tracks.
It was here, I'd built a secret sheltered oasis out of sticks, bark and leaves. Looking back, I rarely played there. I just built stuff. At the time Mum and Dad were designing and building our family home, so I couldn't see why I couldn't build my place too.

It was also partly inspired:
1. A picture book about a kid who wasn't allowed to help build the family home, because he was to small. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of this book.
2. The desert children's sheltered oasis in Mad Max beyond Thunderdome
3. The Ewok village in Return of the Jedi.

As children we called this the Ewok village but as an adult I've called this drawing "my place" after seeing the TV series My Place which high lighted to me that children do claim a place as their own, and that's what I did as a kid too.

Weekly drawing: At the tip with Dad

Bermagui tip collecting yellow bricks

There were lots of good things to salvage at the local tip. Our best score was a pile of yellow bricks. We used these to make a windy yellow brick path to our front door through the spotted gums and burrawongs.

Weekly drawing 75: Underwater gardening

Realising the joy of underwater gardening.

Before: I built the stone steps and oyster-free swimming cove

I was just out of Art school doing odd jobs and my friend Matt offered me some work, building stone steps for a property at Cottage Point. I have always enjoyed landscaping with stones, so I jumped at the opportunity.

The stones for this particular job were all gathered from the site. Experience has taught me, when working with stones it should be within a 5-1o meter radius from were I want to use it. By doing this the stones will suit the environment and I won't break my back moving them around. To my joy, I also discovered stones are a lot lighter to move underwater. So I used this to my advantage and saved a lot of time.

The time I saved making the steps, I used to landscape underwater, creating a small oyster-free cove for launching a row boat or a place to swim. Unfortunately the couple who paid me for the days work thought I was just mucking about in the water.  To give you an idea of what they must of seen, use your hand and cover the underwater part of my coloured drawing - I just look like I'm just playing in the water.

It wasn't until I'd gone home, they went down a had a closer look and realised what I'd created for them. A functional and subtle design which the fish also loved.

Weekly drawing 66: Skate ramp in the bush at StIves

Anthony and I needed a place to skate so we built a ramp in the bush at St Ives

This weeks drawing is based on my early teens.

When I was 12 years old, my family moved from Melbourne to Sydney. 

Unfortunately for me as a keen skater, Sydney had very few skateparks or ramps.

Thankfully, I'd heard a local rumour some older kids had built a ramp in the bush near my house. The only problem was the ramp had been destroyed a few years ago by a local skinhead with an axe and everybody was scared of him. However, I was sure we could salvage some pieces and make something skateable. I wasn't to sure about the skinhead, but it was worth the risk.

My best mate Anthony Bangel showed me were it was. Then we built a new ramp from bits and pieces we'd found at the spot. After that we skated most afternoons.

I love that we used anything we could get our hands on to make the new ramp such as a DMR road block to support one of the platforms. While the other platform was supported by the actual dirt bank. These were great times.

It was even better that most people from St Ives rarely ventured into the bush to discover our handy work. I actually wish more people in St Ives did venture off the beaten track. They live in an amazing place. At it's best it's a beautiful area of native Sydney bushland, which is also the start of Middle Harbour.

Weekly drawing 65: Sir MacPherson Robertson, inventor of Freddo Frog, Cherry Ripe and Old Gold

Robertson creating novelty sugar mice and dolls
 in the family bathroom 1880 

This weeks drawing is of Sir MacPherson Robertson the inventor of Freddo Frog, Cherry Ripe, Old Gold, Milk Kisses and Columbines. I was intrigued by his story, especially his eager can-do approach. A very independent and resourceful person like Louisa Lawson, I admire his DIY attitude.

On June 10th 1880 in the working class suburb of Fitzroy. Robertson at 21 years of age started his own sweets business, which would go onto become Australia's largest confectionery works by 1900. I wanted to illustrate this moment in time.

"With a small furnace and a sixpenny nail can boiler he made his first sweets in the bathroom of his family home. He created novelty sugar mice and dolls each week between Monday and Thursday. On the weekends he would sell them to local shop keepers. He walked the streets of Melbourne for a year building his business."

By Jonathan Wright (ABC Goulburn Murray)

Sculpture of MacPherson at Fitzroy Library
I like that he looks like he's made of chocolate.

For more information you can check out:
Chocolate History Tour of Fitzroy and Collingwood
Fitzroy Historical Society

DIY Kids bamboo tepee from stuff around the house

Tepee ingredients

1. Bamboo

2. Old Inner bike tube

3. Double bed Sheet

4. Bull dog clip

1. Bamboo cut from back garden

Old Inner bike tube to tie the bamboo

Double bed Sheet held on with Bull dog clip

DIY woodwork with found objects

We have a beautiful old timber bench in our kitchen. Which I scored FREE because it was being thrown out and about to be sent to landfill. The bench was perfect in every way, but was missing a drawer. This is the story of How the bench got its drawer.

Last Friday, I was lucky enough to find an old timber drawer being thrown out on Little Eveleigh St in Redfern. However it was 15cm too long for our bench, so I cut it down.

This what it looked like after cut down and sanded. But it still wasn't fitting, so...

I went to The Bower in Marrickville and bought a little hand plane for $4 to shave the sides down a touch.

One of my favourite details is the dovetail joint:

The drawer now fits!

I also made a timber knife and fork divider for the drawer. I used $2 worth of timber from The Bower and some wood I found dumped in a laneway a couple of streets away.

I wanted to retain the original quality and style of the timber bench. I'm amazed at how well it all came together. 

I find imagining a found object's potential is extremely rewarding, and wish more people would repair and fix things. Each time I find something and fix it up, I feel I've saved it and I enjoy the process.

made from Junk mail

Using junk mail to stop junk mail

Weekly Drawing: Week 26 - Louisa Lawson printing Australia's first female-produced journal, 1888.

Louisa Lawson printing The Dawn on an old press at her cottage.
 The Dawn was Australia's first female-produced journal, published from 1888-1905.

This week's drawing is of Louisa Lawson printing Australia's first female-produced journal, The Dawn, which she founded in 1888. I admire the DIY attitude of Louisa and her all-female team of editors and printers (very controversial at the time!).

NSW women only gained the right to vote in 1902, 14 years after they first published. I wanted to create an image which depicts the joy these women must have felt at having an independent outlet to express themselves.

Mosaic tribute to Lousia Lawson by Cynthia Turner
 Lousia Lawson Reserve, Renwick St Marrickville. 

I first heard about Louisa Lawson only recently, whilst watching Federation: Australia's journey to nationhood. She was a fascinating person: publisher, journalist, feminist, poet and the mother of Henry Lawson. Plus while researching her background I discovered she had lived on Renwick St, Marrickville, only a few streets away from where I live. Wow! I'd love to read her biography. She's an important part of Austarlian history.

Weekly Drawing: week 20

While preparing for Christmas this year, I've had lots of fun drawing on wrapping paper and hand drawing Christmas cards. It's been great, I've drawn more then I expected. The only problem was I couldn't decide which drawing to upload for the Blog. So I've picked a couple of my favourites from this prolific week. 

Hand drawn Christmas card 2011

Scarfy the giraffey

Tap dancing octopus

Pirate Gran's dream Christmas, staying home and eating pizza

Vikings celebrating Zoe-mas.
Zoe-mas is an annual commemoration
of the birth of Zoe celebrated on December 23rd.

Building with pallets

An island bench I built from two wooden goods pallets.
 Salvaged from work before they were sent to landfill.

How to build an island bench using pallets
From two matching pallets cut 800mm x 625mm out of
each one. These will form the two sides of the bench. From
the remaining timber slats cut 21 pieces of timber, each
540mm in length. These will be used for the shelves and bench top.
Nail and glue the slats in place. Sand with rough sand paper. Oil timber
(we used plain old olive oil) and finally seal with beeswax.

Here's one we prepared earlier...

I had two more pallets,
so I made a light weight work bench for our backyard shed.
Take that landfill!!!! We win again. :)