I’m an Urban Sketcher…
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Category Archives: urban
Public transport
Travelling on public transport usually involves some waiting, and opportunities for a quick sketch of people at rest. It’s when a small portable sketch kit is most useful, and provides excellent practise for capturing a likeness. Here’s a selection from the … Continue reading
Posted in Bath, from life, journeys, kit, people, trains, urban, waiting
Tagged bin, bus, passengers, portable kit, public transport, quick sketch, station, Venice, waterbus
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Looser lines
An early Spring Saturday with Jim in Bath Abbey Courtyard, where we tried to sketch with minimal looking down at the paper, ‘blind contour drawing’. We didn’t manage the recommended “90% looking at subject, 10% checking the picture’s progress” proportions, but … Continue reading
Posted in Bath, from life, inks, people, urban
Tagged Bath Abbey, bench, blind contour, courtyard, expressive lines, people, public
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Now in glorious Technicolor, or not
A view from the Accademia Bridge in Venice, sketched quickly using a thick marker pen before my family got too bored. Marker pen with carbon ink, A4 As an experiment I used a photo taken at the same time to … Continue reading
Posted in from life, inks, kit, marker pen, monochrome, sketching, urban, Venice
Tagged Academia Bridge, city, fade to grey, Grand Canal, ink washes, monochrome, tonal values, Venice
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Mum and Dad
My mother and father walking up a hill ahead of me after a good lunch at the Pump Rooms in Bath. Dad is keen to point out that it is a very steep hill, and Mum wants you to know that … Continue reading
Posted in Bath, from life, monochrome, parents, people, urban
Tagged Bath, mum and dad, people, pump rooms, walking
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Spring gouache
A shaggy tree on a fresh Spring morning, with South Bath in the distance beyond. I’ve been exploring gouache paints, enjoying the way their intensity suits the new season’s colours and light. Here I’ve used coloured paper which helped to … Continue reading
Night time
A fast sketch on a cold night on the way back from The Star, an exceptionally fine pub in Bath. Pigma 1mm pen, water-brushes filled with dilute Diamine grey and Chinese sumi ink, A6
Posted in Bath, brush pen, monochrome, night, urban
Tagged Bath, brush pen, city, monochrome, pub, The Star Inn
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Cafe sketching
Helen from St Helens in Society Cafe, Bath. She got in touch through this blog as she was interested in urban sketching and having a look at the materials I use. She’s posted about her initial sketches, and it’ll be … Continue reading
Naval gazing
A large eagle(?) sculpture at the Naval History Museum in Venice, a great place for sketching. Four well-lit floors filled with a vast variety of maritime objects; model ships and planes, charts, machine guns, uniforms, 3D maps old old fortresses, … Continue reading
Posted in eagle, exhibitions, museum, Naval museum, urban, Venice
Tagged animal, eagle, museum, Naval history, objects, Venice
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Two storey pool
A beautiful fountain/pool I saw in Istanbul last Summer. It was in an old bath-house, now a market, and connected the ground floor and basement. When the stall-holders saw me sketching they kindly put the water-pump on full, then they … Continue reading
Four candles
The ubiquitous café sketch. Black tea and lemon drizzle cake in Bath Guildhall market. I used a white marker pen to correct the fork handle and to lighten the lip of the mug, which could be considered cheating, and a bit … Continue reading
Mostly drawing 