Here’s what we’ll be up to in August, but as usual you can draw or paint anything you want to.

Wednesday 13th – 7-9pm – Paint on a Postcard

It’s now the summer holidays when many of us go away then send a postcard home of where we are visiting. Picture postcards were first sent in Germany in the 1880s but the UK used postcards just to write on until in the early 1900s black and white photographs were printed on one side of a postcard, with the writing and the address on the other.

Whilst sorting through her late mum’s items, Susan came across some postcards of Mount Fuji which have been painted in rich colours. Aren’t they beautiful?

What a great idea for a session. Lots of old black and white postcards of UK scenes have been bought from eBay, with the idea that we paint on them and give them a new, colourful, lease of life. Acrylic paints used thickly work best, though you can use them thinly and still see the photo below. Coloured inks work and coloured pencils, though don’t press too hard or you’ll dent the surface. Watercolour doesn’t work on the shiny postcards but might on the rougher-surfaced postcards and Posca pens don’t work well either, unless you want really bright colours. Gouache and pen markers might work but haven’t been tried yet.

Use colours that would be in the scene or use different colours for a more mysterious or abstract effect. A few postcard have already been lightly tinted and the subtle effect is very pleasing.

Some of the postcards have been used and still have stamps on from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, with words saying having a lovely time, the weather has been good, or it’s been raining. No different to what we write nowadays!

Here’s an article found by Susan about the Japanese postcards. It’s an interesting read…

Say, “Hello, Japan!”

Saturday 23rd FROM 10am-3pm – Rochester Cathedral’s private gardens

We will be meeting in the King’s Orchard, the private gardens behind Rochester Cathedral, for this month’s outdoor session. We first visited these gardens three years ago and Kay has kindly gained permission for us to sit and enjoy the gardens again whilst either drawing and painting the view or painting our own ideas. 

There are a couple of benches but not enough for everyone so you’ll need to bring a folding chair to sit on and your own water to rinse your brushes in. Bring lunch too, but hopefully the cafe in the crypt will be open on the day if you fancy eating there. Travel light with your art equipment, don’t bring everything or you’ll be stuck with a heavy bag on the day. If you use acrylics be aware there will be nowhere to rinse equipment, so bring a carrier bag to take home your unwashed palette and paintbrushes. Watercolours, pastels, coloured pencils, sketching pencils or ink pens would be a better choice.

The toilets are a few minutes walk away round and through the Cathedral and into the garth (gardens) where they’re on the far side.

Please email Tracy asap if you would like to attend or not, as we need to know names for the lanyards that must be worn at all times.

Further details about dropping off your art equipment and parking information will be sent by email nearer the time.

In the garth at the mo is mini golf… https://www.rochestercathedral.org/new-events/2025adventure-golf and in the nave is a fully restored Short Scion Floatplane… https://www.rochestercathedral.org/floatplane

Start praying for good weather, but if it rains we will still meet but inside. If this happens we can’t use any water, so bring pens, pencils etc as ‘dry’ mediums to use.

The Cathedral are not charging us to use the gardens so we will be having a collection on the day.