Meet the correspondents: SYDNEY > Liz Steel

“As an architect, I draw all the time, but these are mainly quick working sketches of my own designs and not what I see in front of me. The frustration of numerous abortive attempts to keep a sketchbook while travelling led me to make a commitment two years ago, to sketch regularly in order to get ‘in training’ for the next trip to Europe. But it has turned out that this almost-daily habit has become an end in itself! In addition to filling sketchbook after sketchbook with a visual record of my day to day life, I often go on Saturday excursions specifically to find a new area of Sydney to sketch — there are many amazing abandoned industrial areas and ruined defense forts built on the headlands of the harbour. Living in a such beautiful city with great weather all year round, I have no excuse for not getting out to sketch.

For me, sketching is the ultimate way of understanding and recording my experience of buildings — I feel that it gives me insights into the mind of the original architect. I have a particular interest in European architectural history and love drawing Renaissance or over-the-top Baroque architecture (such as the work of Francesco Borromini) and therefore my travels to date have focused on Italy — but there is still so much more to explore!”

• Liz’s art on Flickr.