Update - Stop Press - Covent Garden sketch meet cancelled on 18 December 2021

Covent Garden sketch meet cancelled on Saturday 18 December - online alternative

[by Isabel Carmona and Sasala Wickramasinghe]

It is with regret that we have decided to cancel our sketch meet on Saturday 18 December in Covent Garden due to the surge in Covid cases that makes travelling and mixing in crowded scenarios a riskier situation.

We will in due course reschedule this sketch event as the area is so vibrant and full of sketching opportunities.

Alternative sketch activity for Saturday 18 December

As an alternative we propose you sketch anything Christmas/Winter related (trees, street scenes locally with great lighting, etc) that inspires you. As with other virtual events we ask you to continue to sketch on location from observation and tell a story, following the urban sketchers manifesto.

Please post your images on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (use #urbansketcherslondon) as usual to share with our community.

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Update - Stop Press - Covent Garden sketch meet cancelled on 18 December 2021

CANCELLED To remind - Let's draw Covent Garden: Saturday 18 December 2021

= Cancelled =

Covent Garden sketch meet on Saturday 18 December

[by Isabel Carmona and Sasala Wickramasinghe]

We are still looking forward to our sketch meeting outdoors at Covent Garden, as planned. London Underground Tube strikes are still scheduled for that day, so please check the Transport for London website for guidance before you travel.

For all of the key times and meeting points, options for drawing and practical information, please see the original blog post. 

Covid-related precautions

We urge you however to be extra careful, given the spread of the latest Covid variant. And if possible please take a lateral flow test before coming along. If you feel unwell or think you may have been in close contact with a positive case, please stay at home.

On the day

We will meet at 11am outside the Apple Store (1-7 The Piazza, WC2E 8HB) under the arches in the covered area, which should provide shelter in case of rain.

Wherever we meet as a group, whether at the 11am beginning or at throwdown points during the day, we may be less than 2m apart. So even though we will be outside, please wear a face covering unless you are exempt.  Please also respect others who may be a bit nervous about social distance during these difficult times.

COVID-19 visit information

COVID-19 and its variants remain prevalent. It's sensible to take all necessary precautions to keep ourselves and fellow sketchers safe throughout the event. The risk of infection for outdoor events may be low, but basic guidance still applies:

• please do not attend if you feel unwell
• wear a face covering when you're close to others
• give people space
• practice good hand hygiene.

Please also do a self-test before the event.

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CANCELLED To remind - Let's draw Covent Garden: Saturday 18 December 2021

We drew the Design Museum and Holland Park - Saturday 20 November 2021

Urban Sketchers London at the Design Museum
November 2021
Photo by Si Newell

[By Jimmy Lu and Helen Hayhoe]

On 20th November we got together at the Design Museum for our fifth sketchcrawl since lockdowns ended.

Despite anxieties about the pandemic, more than 40 people made their way to Kensington for what became a very successful day. 

The Design Museum was a great venue. The staff were welcoming, the location easy to find and the setting in Holland Park had varied and interesting sketch potential. 

Lynne Flinders

We were careful about Covid. People were encouraged to test before they came, and we followed guidelines about mask wearing and distancing.

Many of us chose to sketch out of doors in the morning, just in case it rained. The cold drove many of us indoors but there was a good sprinkling of people around the café, Holland House, the Orangery and the Kyoto Gardens. 

Mike Whalley

Inside, there was plenty to see and sketch, and the layout of the main atrium with its tiered seating was perfect. It was a social yet spacious place. 

Cal Hoy

It was very heartening to chat to people who had come a long way to join us, and to people who were joining us for the very first time. Meeting old sketching pals after a long absence was also a joy.

People went on to the pub afterwards to compare notes and sketchbooks.

Sasala Wickramasinghe

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We drew the Design Museum and Holland Park - Saturday 20 November 2021