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

An Urban Sketchers year in review - We drew London in 2018

Happy New Year from Urban Sketchers London

Thank you for making this such a brilliant year.  See you in 2019! 

Let's draw London in 2019

We drew London in 2018 

January - The Wellcome Collection
Led by Jo Dungey and Cathryn Worrell

February - Tate Britain
Led by Lis Watkins and Gafung Wong

March - Leadenhall Market
Led by Olga Mackness and Cathryn Worrell

April - Walthamstow
Led by Elizabeth Blunt and Philip Stones

May - Three Mills Island
Led by Martin Stone and Steven Baker

June - Twickenham
Led by Helen Hayhoe, John Webb and John Swanson

July - St Katharine Docks
Led by Jo Dungey and Gafung Wong

Summer evening sketching south of the River Thames
June - The Golden Hinde and Southark Cathedral led by Jo Dungey and Lis Watkins
July - Flat Iron Square led by John Webb and Jo Dungey
August - Gabriel's Wharf led by Gafung Wong and John Webb

August - Chiswick House and Garden
Led by Nicky Browne and Jo Dungey

September - Holland Park and the Design Museum
Led by Nicky Browne and Olga Mackness

October - Soho
Led by Lis Watkins and Evelyn Rowland 

November - National Army Museum and Chelsea
Led by Olga Mackness and John Swanson

December - Bloomsbury and the British Museum
Led by Jo Dungey and Isabel Carmona

Let's draw London in 2019!

An Urban Sketchers year in review - We drew London in 2018

We drew at the British Museum - December 2018

Urban Sketchers London drew at the British Museum on Saturday 15 December 2018.  We explored the museum collections, tackled the challenge of drawing the museum's spectacular glass roof, and sketched some of the many visitors.  On a cold, wet day, we also discovered urban sketching luxury - the museum's Great Court has underfloor heating!

In the afternoon, some of the group also visited the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in nearby Malet Place; the sketch below is by Isabel Carmona.

Our next meet-up is Sunday 27 January 2019, when we will draw at the Barbican.  We hope to see you there.

Photographs are by Isabel Carmona, Nicky Browne and Jo Dungey.

We drew at the British Museum - December 2018

Let’s draw the British Museum and Bloomsbury - Saturday 15 December 2018

We visit Bloomsbury and the British Museum this month.  We can draw aspects of the British Museum building, including the Great Court.  The treasures of the British Museum are unrivalled, and we can also sketch visitors and the life of the museum.  Bloomsbury is also home to several smaller museums, and in the afternoon there is an option to draw at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.  There is also the possibility to explore the historic squares and streets of Bloomsbury.
  
The day is free of charge, no need to book, just turn up with your art kit.

Key times and meeting points for the day:

11am: Meet at the Group Welcome Desk inside the entrance on Montague Place at the rear of the British Museum (see photograph above)

1pm: Meet in the Great Court near the Information Desk to look at drawings done so far.

3.30pm: Meet at the same place to look at drawings done and take group photographs.

Options for drawing 

The British Museum building was designed by Robert Smirke in 1823, and originally housed the British Library as well as the British Museum collections.

The Great Court – the largest covered square in Europe – opened in 2000, architects Foster and Partners.  At its centre is the Reading Room, dating from when this building was also the British Library.

The galleries display a vast collection of antiquities and art works from all over the world.

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology is part of the University of London.  It is on Malet Place and open from 1pm to 5pm.  It has an extensive collection, displayed in a traditional style and a quiet environment.  The museum has suggested it would be suitable for about ten sketchers to visit to draw at any time. 

Inside the Petrie Museum

The area also offers outdoor sketching opportunities, for example in nearby Bedford Square and Russell Square.

Practical information

The main entrance to the British Museum is on Great Russell Street, but we are meeting at the Groups Welcome Desk inside the rear entrance on Montague Place.  Expect a bag search at either entrance.  The nearest underground station is Tottenham Court Road (Northern Line and Central Line) or Russell Square (Piccadilly line). 

The British Museum galleries are open from 10am to 5.30 pm, and the Great Court opens from 9am to 6pm.  There are cafes both inside the British Museum and nearby, and public toilets, and cloakrooms, all of which are signposted.  Admission is free of charge, other than for special exhibitions.

Petrie Museum, Malet Place

The Petrie Museum is on Malet Place, a pedestrianised road running north/south, opposite the Waterstones bookshop on Torrington Place.  The Petrie Museum is only open in the afternoon: 1pm to 5pm.  It is free of charge.  It has toilets but no other facilities.

Both museums have restrictions on art materials which can be used: pens and pencils can be used, but not paint or dusty materials such as charcoal.    

This day is run by Jo Dungey and Isabel Carmona

Let’s draw the British Museum and Bloomsbury - Saturday 15 December 2018

British Museum - The Court and Africa

I enjoyed our visit to the British Museum last month and it was great to see so many faces some old friends and some new acquaintances - it makes sketching so much more fun!
The morning went quickly around the Grand Court and looking at the architecture of the roof - quite a daunting task but it had to be tried out!

I spent the afternoon around the Africa section and my imagination was caught by a great collection of square cast brass plaques from an old palace in Benin City - they depicted warriors but some looked positively westerners with bowler hats and some African - they all were surrounded by flowers - odd.

The second object I drew was the  Tree of Life - from Mozambique, made with bits of guns and other weapons handed over - very powerful how something so horrid can create a beautiful piece of art - a lot more peaceful.

See you all soon

British Museum - The Court and Africa

Drawing at the British Museum

Above: I should point out that the mummy Tamut was actually a priest's daughter, not a temple singer; I confused my mummies there.

Sometimes when you go around a museum, the visitors are just as interesting as the exhibits. As someone who always feels a bit self-concious drawing strangers up close and personal, being in a museum is the perfect alibi to do so undetected. You can stand by a display (preferably with your back to a wall, as people are always nosey and look over your shoulder) and sketch out the scene in front of you. Whenever someone interesting comes along to look at the artefact, I immediately start incorporating them. Normally they're too engrossed to notice, but if they do look up, I just go back to drawing the actual object, or details of the room. An added bonus is that people tend to stay still slightly longer than they would if just walking around in the street, so you have more time to capture their pose.

When I wasn't drawing, I was browsing around the museum, and I came across a rather different example of urban sketching - in the Napoleon exhibition there was displayed several watercolour sketches done by an anonymous (and, as the British Museum put it) "accomplished amateur artist" of the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo. The surrounding villages are shown, a typical scene almost, if not for the wounded troops making their way through, while in the background, naked corpses lie, stripped of valuables and abandoned. 

The drawings are dated 2 days after the battle, but the sketchbook itself ended up in an attic in Ireland and was not found again until the 20th century.

I find it oddly gratifying to see evidence of so-called "amateurs" in action throughout the ages; people inspired by events around them to get out their sketchbooks and record it as best they can. Sometimes, as in this case, they end up being valuable historical documents, but I don't believe that was the goal, nor should it be. Simply that by observing, we are able to make sense of things a little better. And that for me seems like a good enough reason for being a little less self-concious and to start sketching more!

Drawing at the British Museum

Let's Draw the British Museum - Saturday 7th February 2015

See below details of our next sketching event at the British Museum.

you can plan your visit to the museum on their website: www.britishmuseum.org

and there is a handy map for the day here

We look forward to seeing you there!

Let's Draw the British Museum - Saturday 7th February 2015

Let's Draw the British Museum

WHEN: 7th February 2015

Full details on meeting points to follow.

For those on Facebook, the event is here.

Let's Draw the British Museum

Mummy

British Museum, the Egyptian department. Above a real mummy on display. It's awkward to realise that this was a person real and alive about 3000 years ago. And now thousands of people, coming from countries he never knew existed, come to look at his remains.
I also sketched a nice model of the gifts the ancient Egypts buried in their graves, two beautiful and intricately detailed models of riverboats. The realistic pose and detailing of the boatsmen is stunning.

Mummy