We Drew Walthamstow! - April 2018

It was cold. It was damp. In other words a a typical English spring day, where glorious early summer had suddenly reverted back to winter. Even so, a creditable number of sketchers ventured out to the far end of the Victoria Line, many of them discovering the hidden pleasures of Walthamstow for the first time.

Many headed first for the area's most famous monument, the William Morris Gallery, set in Lloyd Park – bow windows at the front, delicate canopied staircase at the back, and a delicate spatter of drizzle all over anything painted outside.

Watercolour by John Trotman

Watercolour by Martin Stone

This was where we met up at lunchtime for a photo opportunity on those steps, followed by the welcome discovery that there were homemade hot lunches for a fiver in the park cafe.

Meanwhile down in Walthamstow old village, Nicky Browne was getting into the mood of the graveyard....

Watercolour by Nicky Browne

Devi Narayanaswamy tackled the half-timbered Ancient House.......

Sketch by Devi Narayanaswamy

and Maria Armengol Gonzalez had fun with the Victorian post box.

Image by Maria Armengol Gonzalez

But the unexpected hit of the day turned out to be the nearby kitsch emporium specialising in vintage neon signs, God's Own Junkyard. It took a bit of finding, tucked away on a backstreet industrial estate, but inside it was glowingly warm, there were teas and scones (and avocado on sourdough); it was, as one sketcher put it, 'neon heaven'.

It was also an artistic challenge, particularly for those who had arrived with all the right kit for delicate watercolours on on a pearly grey spring day. But there were some terrific attempts at catching its lunatic vibrancy.

Sketch by Steven Baker

We all ended up in the garden of the Vestry Museum, before finishing the afternoon in the pub.

Our next sketchcrawl will take us to Three Mills Island, down in the East End, just south of the Olympic Park, on the 20th May. And yes, this time we are meeting on a SUNDAY. Don't be confused. See you all then!

We Drew Walthamstow! - April 2018