Sunday 18 March 2018

Interesting...Urban Sketchers in The Guardian


From the 'In Pictures' section of The Guardian web site:
The artist capturing urban clutter
[John Webb]
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Tuesday 13 March 2018

We drew Leadenhall Market - 10 March 2018

Sketch by Hannah Lee Miller

We met at the start of the day inside Leadenhall Market near the Lamb Tavern (which was a popular spot for some of our group to enjoy refreshments as they sketched). There were building works happening in the market and a nearby street was closed due to the filming of the Pokemon movie but this didn’t prevent our group from finding plenty of things to sketch.

Sketch by Joe Bean

Sketch by Gafung Wong

The weather was better than forecast, and many people sketched outside, although lots of sketchers opted to draw the wonderful interiors of the Market, including the silver dragons, which are a feature here and throughout the City.


Sketch by Dolores Kitchener

The nearby Lloyds and Leadenhall Buildings gave some sketchers an opportunity to contrast the old and new architecture, with others sketching the nearby churches of Great St Helen’s and St Dunstan in the East.


We met again inside the market at lunchtime to share our work from the morning and as always, it was interesting to see the wide range of styles and subjects.


We ended the day by sharing the rest of our sketches and taking a second group photo. Many sketchers commented that this place is worth coming back for more, since it would take longer than one day to really do this interesting area justice with our drawings.


Thank you to everyone who came along and we look forward to seeing you again, and welcoming more new faces at our next sketchcrawl on 28 April in Walthamstow.

Blog Post by Olga Mackness
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Sunday 4 March 2018

Let's draw Walthamstow - Saturday 28 April 2018

The Woodpecker Tapestry by William Morris (1885)
Part of the permanent collection of the William Morris Gallery in Lloyd Park, Walthamstow. 

In April we’ll be drawing in Walthamstow, one of London's historic villages. It got a mention in the Domesday Book, and still retains some interesting old buildings.

St Mary's churchyard
There are two main centres of interest in Walthamstow. The Old Village is to the east of the station. There's the medieval church of St Mary's, with a suitably spooky churchyard, a picturesque row of almshouses, the half-timbered 'Ancient House' and the Vestry House museum (free admission). This has an interesting local collection and would be a useful bolthole on a wet day.

The Ancient House
Vestry House Museum
To the north, along Forest Road, are some more modern landmarks. William Morris House, a Grade II* listed building, was Morris's family home from 1848 to 1856. It's now a gallery (also free admission) devoted to his work and that of his fellow Pre-Raphaelites.

William Morris House - front
Behind the gallery is Lloyd Park. The medieval house which once stood there has vanished, but you can still see its moat.
William Morris House - back
The moat of Lloyd Park
And just along the road is the absolutely humungous art deco town hall; you may have spotted it in movies about Hitler or Mussolini, since it makes a perfect backdrop for fascist rallies.

Walthamstow town hall
If you want to wander a bit further, Walthamstow High Street is the longest street market in Europe. And just east of the Old Village is God's Own Junkyard, under cover and specialising in vintage neon. It says it has a cafe. I haven't been there myself, but it comes recommended and looks amazing.

Key times and meeting points for the day:

11am We will meet outside Walthamstow Central station (Victoria Line, linked by footpath to Walthamstow Queens Road on the Overground). Then sketchers can head off in whichever direction they fancy.

1pm The lunchtime meetup will be at the back of the William Morris House, where there is a good flight of steps for photos. There are also two cafes, one in the house itself and the other in Lloyd Park, behind William Morris House. The park cafe has one the most impressive selections of ice cream I have seen in London. Both have a good range of light lunch options.

3.30pm We finish outside the Vestry House Museum, to compare our work and take a final photo before adjourning to a nearby cafĂ© or pub.

The day is run by Elizabeth Blunt and Philip Stones.



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