Last Monday we headed into Melbourne to see the Tim Burton and European Masters exhibitions, both which I enjoyed more than I expected. I was afraid the Tim Burton one would be all movie props and audio visuals. Not that I don’t like either, but I like to see more behind-the-scenes stuff and I get impatient waiting around for documentary style videos to get back to the start (and I figure it’ll be on YouTube anyway). The real treasure in the exhibition is the wealth of drawings and paintings by Tim, and how there is a sense of the development of a creative person and their career.

You can see both the European Masters and Tim Burton exhibitions with a discounted double ticket. The European masters was also arranged to show the development of art over a stretch of time. There is a great variety of styles and movements of art, so there’s something there for everyone. I found it useful to gauge where my likes and dislikes lie at the moment. The bits of history you get of the Städel museum are also interesting and add another dimension.

Between the exhibition visits, we stopped at the wonderful Tea Room cafe at the NGV, where we ate macaroons and I did a sketch of the table setting. I drew it quickly in pencil, then on the train trip home I outlined it in pen and finished it off with some watercolour paint. It was the first time I’d done any sketching on the train, and it certainly made the journey go much faster. I’m not sure I’d have the courage to sketch people in the carriage with me, however. And the rocking of the train didn’t make for very accurate line work!