Let's draw Croydon - Saturday 27th April 2019

In April we meet to sketch in Croydon. We’ll start near the main entrance to East Croydon station, where there are lots of new developments and some great examples of Brutalist architecture. In the afternoon we will walk along to the shopping area, looking at some of the older buildings in the town. Matthews Yard, a café in the street of the same name, have kindly offered to host us at the end of the day so we have a good place to spread out our sketchbooks.

The day is free of charge, no need to book, just turn up with your art kit. If you have one, a sketching stool could be handy for some of the locations.

The entrance to Boxpark next to East Croydon station

Key times and meeting points for the day

11 am: Meet at the entrance to Boxpark, next to the main entrance of East Croydon Station on George Street.

1 pm: Meet back at the Boxpark entrance to look at sketches made so far. (We can move inside if there is rain)

3.30pm: Meet at the Matthews Yard cafe, on Matthews Yard, about halfway along Surrey Street.

Anyone who has time is welcome to have coffee and chat at the café afterwards. There is also a pub, The Dog and Bull, close by in Surrey Street. 

Matthews Yard is just off Surrey Street in the Old Town

Options for drawing

One Croydon

Croydon has a wealth of architectural heritage, ranging from old Almshouses to many examples of Brutalist buildings, including the landmark 'One Croydon' designed by Richard Seifert. Currently there are a large number of building developments so lots of concrete and cranes.  

Croydon Town Hall and Clocktower

The Victorian Town Hall stands beside the Clocktower, an arts and museum complex.The museum contains a drawing by Malcolm McClaren who attended the art college in the town.

Surrey Street Market

The bustling market in Surrey Street is a great place to draw people.

The Whitgift Almshouses

The view along Wellesley Road

The Old Water Pumping Station, Matthews Yard, off Surrey Street Market.

Wet weather options include Croydon Museum at the Clocktower and inside the shopping centres. There is an interesting Contemporary Art Galley called ‘Turf Projects’ in the Whitgift Shopping Centre.

Practical Information

The nearest station is East Croydon which has good transport links including frequent services to Victoria and London Bridge plus a number of Thameslink services. This is the link to the National Rail website for more information -  National Rail

There are plenty of places to eat at Boxpark and in the town centre. Toilets at Boxpark and in the shopping centres.

The day is run by Lis Watkins and Jo Dungey.

Let's draw Croydon - Saturday 27th April 2019

British Museum USk workshop review

Demo sketch by Oliver

[by Oliver Hoeller] I had not been to London in 10 years and was very excited when the opportunity arose to come back for a few days in December 2018. Last but not least, I was to hold London’s first official Urban Sketching workshop! In the British Museum of all places!

The 4 hour class “10 tools: How to combine weak elements into a strong sketch” was sold out – attracting participants from as far away as Oxford and Brighton – and, I tried my best to provide a lot of useful information and “tools” for the sketchers. The workshop focused on ways to combine disparate elements into a coherent sketch and the Museum’s artifacts were more than suitable to choose from. The atmosphere was light hearted, yet the structured exercises gave everybody a chance to practice the approaches. In the second part participants assembled larger and self guided sketches in the museum. I gave feedback throughout as best as I could and once again was happy about the handout I had prepared ahead of time. It makes teaching much easier for me and provides the participants with a useful resource for future reference. Truly a win-win situation.

Group shots from the Great Court

 I am grateful for the feedback I received:
“Thanks for a great session. Well structured with perceptive and useful observations.”

“The day whizzed by and the venue with the big tables was excellent. Loads of subject matter there. It was fun and educational.” 

Work by Michael Moran

Work by Peng Lee

Looking at the results of the workshop

All in all the workshop proved to be an excellent break from the pre-Christmas madness for Urban sketchers. And if you could not make it this time, I have a little sketching tip from the workshop for you:

“Don’t be stuck with your view, if you only like one particular element in front of you. Turn your head and look for other elements you like. Combine them in your sketch by overlapping and connecting. This way you will create your personal spread of a place.”

I’d love to see you (again?) soon at a sketching gathering! Oh, and If you are interested in information about any upcoming workshops, get in touch via hoelleroliver@gmail.com and I’ll keep you in the loop!

Happy sketching in 2019,

Oliver Hoeller

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British Museum USk workshop review