After training as a Cartographic Draftsman within the mining industry, I worked as a property illustrator for real estate firms in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne for 23 years from 1983. I initially photographed houses with a Polaroid camera and made a 'thumbnail' sketch while there. The photos were used to scale off a sketch in pencil and then that sketch was overlaid with drafting film and the 'pen and ink' completed. The pens I used were the Rotring ‘Rapidigraph’ drafting pens. The ink was also made by Rotring (German).The film was ‘Rapidraw’, polyester drafting film, double matte. It takes a very fine line and doesn’t bleed. As well as house sketches, there were often floor plans and site plans ordered. Aerial sketches were ordered when the property needed an overall view. (Margaret Picken, 2020)This drawing is one of a series created by Margaret Picken for a range of real estate agents in Melbourne between c.1983 and c.2005. Each work is signed and dated by the artist.Gift of Margaret Picken, 2020Pen and ink architectural drawing on drafting film of 25 Denmark Street, Kew by Margaret Picken.25 DENMARK ST., KEW / MARGARET PICKEN ~94 / WOODARDS ~ HAWTHORNartist -- margaret picken 1950-, architectural drawings -- houses -- kew (vic.), 25 denmark street -- kew (vic.)

"The Kew Advertiser , published by WD Vaughan Pty Ltd, commenced publication in January 1926 and, before the year's end, a modern printing plant had been established at 128 Denmark Street (demolished). This later became the nerve centre for publication of four other local newspapers: The Hawthorn Standard (1932), the Eastern Suburbs Advertiser (1934), the Coburg Courier (1935) and the Brunswick Sentinel (1936). The last two were later sold to another publisher, and the remaining three merged in 1959 to form the Eastern Suburbs Standard. This, in turn, continued under that name until 1974, when it merged with a counterpart from Doncaster, the Whitehorse Standard, and then carried on (under various names) until 1980." (Source: City of Boroondara : Thematic Environmental History, p. 75)Kew Newspaper produced in 1941 by W D Vaughamn Pty Ltd. The newspaper was printed at his offices in Denmark Street. The banner headline claims that it had a distribution of 6,000 copies.the kew advertiser, newspapers -- kew (vic), wd vaughan pty ltd