Five years on: My first sketchcrawl with Urban Sketchers London

The Brunswick Lion of Gallery 46a - pastel and graphite in 20x20 cm sketchbook 

[From Cynthia Barlow Marrs SGFA] This week five years ago I took part in my first Urban Sketchers London sketchcrawl. I arrived on my own and elbowed my way through the packed lobby of the Natural History Museum, wondering how to tell an Urban Sketcher from a regular person. When I spotted a cluster of regular people brandishing sketchbooks, my heart leapt. Our sketching territory included the Science Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. I chose the V&A, and that's where I fell under the spell of Gallery 46a*. It's part of the museum's renowned collection of plaster casts of European sculpture. I drew the back end of the Brunswick Lion. 

As luck would have it, Urban Sketchers London returns to the Kensington museums this coming Saturday 9 December 2017, but this time we're meeting at the new Sackler Wing of the V&A. If you've never joined an Urban Sketchers event, here's a little something about sketchcrawls in general. And if you're joining us for the first time, don't worry if you're not sure how to spot the Urban Sketchers. Just look for a group of regular people carrying sketchbooks. See you at the V&A!

My original two-page sketchbook spread

My favourite cast court: Gallery 46a with plaster casts of sculptures from northern Europe and Spain 

*Gallery 46a is closed for renovation until November 2018, but if you make your way to Gallery 111 you can look down on progress from the balcony.

Five years on: My first sketchcrawl with Urban Sketchers London