At the moment, when I’m not sketching people, I have been preparing the material for the workshops which I’m scheduled to teach in Europe over the next few months – the Palladian Odyssey Tours (in both the Umbria and Veneto regions of Italy) and the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam. Two weeks ago I had a great time refining the content in the handout for the Veneto tours – it will be the third year I’ve taught it.

I’ve loved sketching people, but it’s been so wonderful to get back to some Palladian Architecture!

I don’t have a favourite Palladian building, but the Basilica Palladiana in the main piazza of Vicenza is very very special. So it’s definitely up there, and it’s the one I have sketched the most.

Here are a few of my many sketches of it which I’ve done over the last three years. The first one (above) is my favourite sketch of the building – I love working paint only and this was done immediately on my arrival in Vicenza directly after a 30 hour journey from Sydney. I’d dumped my suitcase at the hotel, walked straight to the piazza to do this sketch. I certainly don’t normally nail it on my first sketch of the trip (especially when sleep deprived) but the fact that I did so here makes this sketch even more special.

The others all have stories too, but I won’t bore you with those details today. But I hope you enjoy the images!