We drew London (a lot!) in 2023 - A productive year in review

Christmas at the Natural History Museum
Sketch by Sasala Wickramasinghe

From the Urban Sketchers London admin team, a big thank you to everyone who helped us to stage a record 26 sketchwalks in 2023, from Somerset House to Shoreditch and Brixton to Battersea Power Station.

Best wishes for a peaceful holiday season.

Let's draw London in 2024!

London by Urban Sketchers - Our 10 Year Anniversary Book
Order your copy here

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Victoria & Albert Museum - January 21
Led by Jimmy Lu and Rachel Bone
photo by Sasala Wickramasinghe

Battersea Power Station - February 18

Led by Andrea Deng and Jimmy Lu

photo by Zane Karklina

Greenwich - March 18
Led by Mike Whalley and Olga Mackness
photo by Sasala Wickramasinghe

Shoreditch 1 - April 15

Led by Jia You and Jimmy Lu

photo by Jia You

Shoreditch 2 - April 30

Led by Sasala Wickramasinghe and Jimmy Lu

Photo by Jimmy Lu

Richmond 1 - May 20

Led by Helen Hayhoe and John Swanson

Photo by Nigel Abbott 

Summer Late 1 South Bank- May 24

Led by Sasala Wickramasinghe

photo by Zane Karklina

Richmond 2 - June 4

Led by Helen Hayhoe and Sasala Wickramasinghe

photo by Nigel Abbott

Crystal Palace Park 1 - June 17

Led by Sarah Minty

Photo by Sarah Minty

Summer Late 2 Tate Modern - June 30

Led by John Swanson

Crystal Palace Park 2 - July 2

Led by Lis Watkins and Jimmy Lu

Photo by Lis Watkins

Fleet Street - July 8

Led by Akira Yamanaka and Adam Topór

photo by Cynthia Barlow Marrs

 

Wimbledon Village 1 - July 22

Led by Inga Knysh and Zane Karklina

photo by Zane Karklina

Summer Late 3 Somerset House - July 26

Led by Jimmy Lu 

Wimbledon Village 2 - August 6

Led by Patricia Burbage and Zane Karklina 

Photo by Zane Karklina

Mayfair 1 - August 19

Led by Isabel Carmona and Peggy Wong

photo by Peggy Wong

Mayfair 2 - September 23

Led by Peggy Wong and Andrea Deng

photo by Peggy Wong

Summer Late 4 Trafalgar Square - August 25 

Led by Alison Gardiner

photo by Alison Gardiner

Harrow-on-the-Hill - September 23

Led by Madeleine Brennan and Sue Woodisse

photo by Zane Karklina

Chiswick Pier - September

Led by Helen Hayhoe and Sasala Wickramasinghe

Photo by Zane Karklina

Brixton 1 - October 8

Led by Dean Ashton and Catherine Bardrick

photo by Nigel Abbott

Brixton 2 - October 21

Led by Rachel Bone and Dean Ashton

photo by Jimmy Lu

Wellcome Collection 1 - November 4

Led by Helen Hayhoe and Sasala Wickramasinghe

photo by Nigel Abbott

 

Wellcome Collection 2 - November 19

Led by Helen Hayhoe and Dean Ashton

Photo by Nigel Abbott

South Bank Christmas Market 1 - December
Led by Sasala Wickramasinghe and John Swanson
Photo by Nigel Abbott
 

South Bank Christmas Market 2 - December
Led by Sasala Wickramasinghe and Alison Gardiner
Photo by Cynthia Barlow Marrs

Let's draw London in 2024!

London by Urban Sketchers - Our 10 Year Anniversary Book

Order your copy here

Urban Sketchers London on social media

• Instagram    @urbansketcherslondon
• Facebook     @USKLondon
• Twitter         @UrbSketchLondon

Join our mailing list

Sign up here to receive all the latest Urban Sketchers London news in your email Inbox.

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We drew London (a lot!) in 2023 - A productive year in review

To remind: Let's draw the South Bank Christmas Market on Saturday 9 or Sunday 17 December 2023

 

The Southbank Centre Food Market
Sketch by Robin Wang

We're sketching the Christmas Market on the South Bank, and we'd love to see you there!

Come join us on either Saturday December 9th or Sunday the 17th. Check out our original blog post for all the details.

See you at the Christmas Market!

 

Coming soon: the Urban Sketchers London programme for 2024 -- watch for it!

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London by Urban Sketchers - Our 10 Year Anniversary Book

Order your copy here

Urban Sketchers London on social media

• Instagram    @urbansketcherslondon
• Facebook     @USKLondon
• Twitter         @UrbSketchLondon

Join our mailing list

Sign up here to receive all the latest Urban Sketchers London news in your email Inbox.

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To remind: Let's draw the South Bank Christmas Market on Saturday 9 or Sunday 17 December 2023

Let's draw the Christmas Market at the South Bank on either Saturday 9 or Sunday 17 December 2023

The Southbank Centre Food Market
Sketch by Robin Wang

In December we're sketching festivities at the Southbank Centre, with an almost unrivalled range of opportunities for urban sketching, of buildings, people, the River Thames and its bridges.

Southbank Centre   London   SE1 8XX

[John Swanson writes]

The Southbank Centre extends roughly from the Hungerford Bridge round to the National Theatre, encompassing the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Hayward Gallery, the National Film Theatre and the National Theatre, plus, of course, the glorious walk along the riverside.

If you are a member of the Urban Sketchers London Facebook group, do join the Facebook Messenger chat for whichever December sketchwalk you plan to attend, so we can alert you if there are any last minute changes of plan. 

The day is free of charge, no need to book, just turn up with your art kit. And don't forget to wrap up really warm! 

⚫  On Saturday 9 December the day is led by Sasala Wickramasinghe and John Swanson, and our meeting place is the entrance lobby of the National Theatre.

⚫  On Sunday 17 December the day is led by Sasala Wickramasinghe and Alison Gardiner, and our meeting place is the Level1 foyer of the Royal Festival Hall.

Scroll down to find details of meeting points and timings for each day.  

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If this is your first sketchwalk with us, welcome to Urban Sketchers London 

Every sketchwalk has a leader, a meeting point at the beginning, a gathering place in the middle and another one at the end, when we ‘throw down’ our sketchbooks and pose for a group photo. Sketchwalk leaders know the area and are there to help you feel at ease and give you some ideas about what to sketch. Please note there is no tuition during the sketchwalks. We all draw what we wish, following the Urban Sketchers manifesto and sharing our drawings at the end.

We look forward to seeing you! 

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Key times and meeting points

As it is the festive season, the Southbank Centre will be bustling, and -- heads up! -- we have two different meeting points for Saturday the 9th and Sunday the 17th. Here's a handy downloadable map that shows the layout of the area.

The National Theatre seen from Waterloo Bridge
Sketch by John Swanson

Saturday 9 December - National Theatre entrance lobby

The entrance is on the river side of the building, where the information desks are located. You are welcome to venture further into the building to sketch, but be ready to have your bags searched.

11 AM We will gather for a short briefing.

1 PM We will meet in the same location for a throwdown and group photo. 

3.30 PM We'll convene once more in the same location for the final throwdown and group photo at the end of the sketching day.

Afterwards For those who would like to chat – and draw – for longer, we can stay in the bar area of the National Theatre.

Sunday 17 December - Royal Festival Hall (RFH)

We will meet in the Royal Festival Hall Level 1 foyer. If you use the entrance opposite the Hayward Gallery, you will find yourself in the Level 1 foyer. If you enter the building from the river side of the RFH, take the stairs down to Level 1. You can see the different levels of the Royal Festival Hall in this Southbank Centre access diagram. 

11 AM We will gather for a short briefing. After the briefing you are welcome to venture further into the building to sketch, but be ready to have your bags searched.

1 PM We will meet in the same location for a throwdown and group photo. 

3.30 PM We'll convene once more in the same location for the final throwdown and group photo at the end of the sketching day.

Afterwards For those who would like to chat – and draw – for longer, we can stay in the bar area of the Royal Festival Hall.

View of the South Bank
Sketch by Anthony Mark Peters

Options for drawing

The Southbank Centre architecture is spectacular, especially if you like concrete Brutalism, but there is much more. The Royal Festival Hall provides an elegant contrast, as do the bridges: Waterloo and Hungerford. The Christmas Market will be open, with stalls set up along the riverside selling Christmas gifts and food and drink, while under Waterloo Bridge you’ll find a large second-hand book market.

In the other direction there is the London Eye and the Jubilee Gardens, and of course there is always the River Thames, with views to the north bank, and the elegant lamp posts with leaping dolphins.

If it’s wet there is still plenty to draw, with public foyers in the Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre, and the National Film Theatre/British Film Institute (BFI) -- all offering the chance to draw architecture and, especially, people.

Statue of Lawrence Olivier at the National Theatre
Sketch by John Swanson

Practical information

Travel

The Southbank Centre is three minutes’ walk from Waterloo Station, which is well served by mainline and Underground services. Alternatively, it’s a short walk over the footbridge from Charing Cross or Embankment stations.

Food and drink

There are many options for both. All the main venues -– the Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre and the National Film Theatre -- have bars and cafés. The Christmas Market along the river has stalls selling takeaway food and drink, and on the Belvedere Road side of the Royal Festival Hall the Southbank Centre Food Market offers an enormous variety of hot food and drink.

Toilets

Public toilets are available in all the main venues. There are also public toilets on the riverside by the Jubilee gardens (the 'Jubiloo'), behind the children’s fairground merry-go-round.

Health and safety

Urban Sketchers London follow current health and safety guidelines, and we count on all our sketchers to do the same. As always, we keep an eye on developments concerning Covid, and even though restrictions have been lifted, we think it's sensible to do everything we can to keep ourselves and fellow sketchers safe when we're together. The risk of infection for outdoor events is 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
• Practise good hand hygiene. 

Hashtags

Remember to tag us when you post your sketches on social media! And do be polite when posting online. We may be biased, but we think kindness comes naturally to urban sketchers -- so don't be shy, show your social media politesse at its best.

#urbansketcherslondon #usklondon

Location map

See you at the Christmas Market!

 

Coming soon: the Urban Sketchers London programme for 2024 -- watch for it!

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London by Urban Sketchers - Our 10 Year Anniversary Book

Order your copy here

Urban Sketchers London on social media

• Instagram    @urbansketcherslondon
• Facebook     @USKLondon
• Twitter         @UrbSketchLondon

Join our mailing list

Sign up here to receive all the latest Urban Sketchers London news in your email Inbox.

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Let's draw the Christmas Market at the South Bank on either Saturday 9 or Sunday 17 December 2023