Category Archives: Istanbul

Virtually sketching

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Ed Mostly

Lockdown’s lack of group sketch-crawls has led to regular virtual meet-ups. Using Google Streetview you can freely wander a static location, get lost in side-streets and find a view that suits, joined by other sketchers on Zoom. Transcribing photos/2d images … Continue reading →

Posted in drawing buildings, Istanbul, Portugal, Spain, street scene, urban, virtual sketching | Tagged Google Streetview, Istanbul sketch, James Gurney, Lee Perry, Liver building sketch, sketch of Alhambra, sketch of Varanasi, virtual sketching | Leave a comment

Cafe life

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Ed Mostly

People watching in cafes, mostly this year in Bath, but the last one’s from Istanbul a couple of years ago when I was using a marker pen. If you can get a good table a cafe’s a great winter sketching location; strong light sources, sheltered, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bath, cafe, clothing, coloured ink, coloured paper, figures, from life, Istanbul, Lexington grey, line drawing, marker pen, monochrome, people, urban, waiting | Tagged Bath cafes, cafe sketching, drawing shoes, fountain pen sketches, Hafiz Mustafa, marker pen sketch, Rolling Stones, sketching people, sketching seated people, urban sketching | 6 Comments

Topkapi #2

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Ed Mostly

Water-brush, dilute Lexington grey ink, watercolour, gouache, A5 – 30 minutes Back in the Harem section of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, this time looking through to the Black Eunuch’s Courtyard, with direct sun on the columns beyond. One of … Continue reading →

Posted in buildings, coloured paper, from life, grisaille, inks, Istanbul, Lexington grey, museum, people, sketching, travel, urban | Tagged Andy Williams and Pearl Bailey, Black Eunuchs courtyard, decorative tiles, gateway, gold gouache, grey ink, Lexington grey ink, passers by, portraits, Topkapi | Leave a comment

Topkapi #1

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Ed Mostly

Two sketches done a year apart in the ‘twin kiosk’ rooms in the Harem section of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The first was done in 2012 focussing on the decorative tiles and trying to get the perspective right. The second … Continue reading →

Posted in buildings, from life, Istanbul, marker pen, travel, urban, white marker pen | Tagged Booka Shade, decorative tiles, Harem rooms, Jim, sketchtesting.co.uk, stained glass, Topkapi, twin kiosk rooms, white gelly roll pen | 2 Comments

Grey paper

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Ed Mostly

A quiet street near the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul on a hot summer Sunday morning, a pool of dappled shade slowly moving across the tarmac. I love the strong contrast produced by gouache on coloured paper, very useful for (relatively) … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, buildings, coloured paper, from life, gouache, Istanbul, Lexington grey, monochrome, sketching, urban, waiting, white marker pen | Tagged eaves, Hagia Sophia, street scene, strong contrast, Sunday morning, swallows, tree shade, Uni Posca pen, Velvet Underground | Leave a comment

Distant urban texture

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Ed Mostly

Two sketches looking West towards the Suleymaniye Mosque from the terrace of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Once I’d drawn the key buildings I added an approximation of the city’s texture all around them (roofs, domes, chimneys, walls etc) not having … Continue reading →

Posted in buildings, from life, Istanbul, Lexington grey, monochrome, sketching, urban | Tagged greebling, Suleymaniye Mosque, The Troggs, Topkapi Palace, urban texture | 6 Comments

A little night music

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Ed Mostly

I was in Istanbul during Ramadan and every night the old city became a family friendly festival with food stalls, craft markets, groups of picnickers, and free open-air concerts, mostly showcasing traditional music. I started this sketch before the band … Continue reading →

Posted in from life, Istanbul, night, people, travel, urban | Tagged Air, coloured paper, concert, crowd, festival, Kelly watch the stars, open air concert, Ramadan | Leave a comment

Archeology Museum #1

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Ed Mostly

I spent a very hot afternoon sketching in the cool shade of the Istanbul Archeology Museum. It houses a wonderfully rich collection created during the Ottoman Empire, when Turkey ruled Egypt and the ancient lands of Mesopotamia, Assyria, etc. A large … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, collections, from life, Istanbul, museum, objects, sketching, white marker pen | Tagged Babylon, figure curves, Ishtar gate, Istanbul Archeology Museum, lion, Mesopotamia, small figurines, The Kinks | Leave a comment

Enough thumbnails, already…

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Ed Mostly

A last example, for now, of travel thumbnails. This time in a taxi from Istanbul airport to a city centre hotel, where we arrived before I could finish the last frame. The driver was puzzled when I showed him the … Continue reading →

Posted in airport, from life, Istanbul, journeys, Lexington grey, monochrome, sketching, urban | Tagged city streets, gelly roll, rear view mirror, Rolling Stones, taxi driver, taxi ride, transportation, windscreen view | Leave a comment

People watching

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Ed Mostly

Istanbullus sitting, walking, fishing, watching, on the phone, and waiting. Slowly learning to construct figure drawings out of lots and lots of curves. Fountain pen with carbon ink, Pigma 1mm black pen, water-brush with Lexington Grey ink, A5