Let's Draw London in 2016

This is the provisional list of sketchcrawls and dates in 2016. Below you'll find places that we plan to visit each month and the date of the sketchcrawl where this is now definite.


More about what's Involved in organised and leading an USK London event at the end of this post.

MONTH	LET'S DRAW LONDON: PROPOSED LOCATIONS IN 2016 These may change over the course of the year
16th January	Canary Wharf  This has lots of areas with interesting architecture under cover. Examples include: the Crossrail Sky Garden) and the showpiece Canary Wharf station designed by Sir Norma Foster Crossrail Sky Garden plus "the big dig in the dock" (cranes below the water level don't happen that often!) The big dig in the dock last month PLUS a skating rink and the installation of Winter Lights
20th February	The Wallace Collection and Manchester Square Sketching in the Wallace Collection by Katherine Tyrrell
19th March	St. Pancras and British Library (under cover) St Pancras Station by James Hobbs
16th April	The Galleries: Royal Academy,  White Cube, Christies (King Street) and St. James Royal Academy - courtyard of Burlington House, Piccadilly by Katherine Tyrrell
14th May	Parliament, the Bridges and Big Ben: Houses of Parliament+ Lambeth Bridge + Westminster Bridge PLUS additional option re. Loughton Festival
18th June	Richmond: Richmond Green to Richmond Bridge - a walk along the river  Plus an option to sketch from Richmond Hill - a view protected by an act of parliament Richmond Bridge and Terrace Gardens by Nathan Brenville
23rd July - pre Symposium (provisional)	Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace via The Mall, Horseguards and Green Park This is a repeat of last August's sketchcrawl which worked very well We'll be investigating what dates work best for those coming to the UK to attend the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Manchester - who'd also like to come to a sketchcrawl in London. Admiralty Arch - at the end of The Mall - by Lis Watkins
20th August	Different perspectives on Greenwich- see Let's Draw Greenwich - details of where and when to meet and places to sketch Meet at 11.00am, 1pm and 3.30pm under the bows of the Cutty Sark. More details follow the link to the full blog post - http://urbansketchers-london.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/lets-draw-greenwich.html
17th September	Little Venice and Paddington Basin Little Venice and Paddington Basin from Ladbroke Grove by Nick Kobyluch
15th October	Exploring Smithfield.
12th November	MI6 Building, Vauxhall Bridge and Tate Britain  (under cover options available within Tate Britain) MI6 Building - Spy Central! Opposite Tate Britain and adjacent to Vauxhall Bridge
10th December	Christmas in Covent Garden:Covent Garden / London Transport Museum / Royal Opera House Terrace - views down on to Covent Garden (under arcade and other under cover options) The view of the Transport Museum and Covent Garden from the terrace of the Royal Opera House

What's Involved in organised and leading an USK London event

As indicated previously, Nathan Brenville has left London for a new life in Spain and we are now actively looking for new people to help out with the organisation and leading of the sketchcrawls.


Here's what's involved in organising and leading a "Let's Draw" event for London Urban Sketchers.

It's absolutely OK for more than one person to agree to take on responsibility for an event if two or three people would like to work together. We'd be happy to advice

What needs doing

• find the best places for a large group to assemble at the beginning, lunchtime and the end. It needs to be somewhere where we don't obstruct other people
• find the places to go if it rains!
• a blog post beforehand - to provide guidance on where and when. You can ask for help with images for the post.
• take photos of people and sketches on the day - at lunchtime and at the end - and upload them to the Urban Sketchers Flickr Group Pool afterwards
• a blog post afterwards - to record the event and show what happened

You need to be....

• a regular participant in the group i.e. somebody who sketches London regularly and has
• either posted work to the Facebook Group and
• or has regularly attended Let's Draw events in 2015
• somebody who knows and observes the Urban Sketchers Manifesto
• somebody who knows the area well - or is prepared to research it in advance - we all need to know the good places to sketch!
• OK about talking to people and answering lots of questions
• Punctual - and there to provide advice to people at the beginning 
• Willing to 
• research the location e.g. where are the public toilets / places to get sandwiches and hot drinks before, during and afterwards!
• sketch less and help out more on the day

If you think you'd be interested in helping out please contact us via a comment below or speak to Katherine Tyrrell or James Hobbs at any of the Let's Draw events.

Let's Draw London in 2016

Palm Houses and Pagodas on a sunny sketching day at Kew Gardens

Sketches and London Urban Sketchers at the end of the day 
on the steps outside the Palm House at Kew Gardens
Right click this to see an even larger version in the lightbox

A great time was had by all at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew on Saturday. We had blue skies and sunshine from the start and it gradually warmed up to the point where serious consideration was given to sun screen!

The general consensus was Kew Gardens was a really great place to sketch and very different from the normal places we go for urban sketching.  The buildings are a bit different for starters plus there's a few more trees than usual!

It was also fabulous to welcome people who had travelled a long distance to be at our sketchcrawl to draw Kew Gardens. We had people from Northamptonshire, Cambridge and Eastbourne - as well as a chap who hails from Iceland and a lady who got to Kew from Portland Oregon via Barcelona!

Here's some photos of the day - of sketches and sketchers - and an awful lot of Palm Houses and Pagodas!

Sketches and London Urban Sketchers at lunchtime
on the terrace outsideThe Orangery at Kew Gardens
Right click this to see an even larger version in the Lightbox

These are some of the morning's sketches

Group of morning sketches at lunchtime outside the Orangery
Right click this to see an even larger version in the lightbox

These are the sketches of the Pagodas from the morning

Sketches of the Pagoda at Kew Gardens

These are sketches of the Palm House

Sketches of the Palm House and other glass houses

This was the group at lunchtime.  Not everybody was here because it can take a long time walking from one place to another Kew Gardens!

These are the group sketches at the end

Sketches outside the Palm House at the end of the day.

....and you can see the group at the end of the day - in front of the Palm House - in the first image of this post.

It was great to introduce Kew Gardens to people for whom this was the first visit - and I think Kew Gardens had some new 'Friends' by the end of the day.

Do please upload your sketches to:

• the London Urban Sketchers Facebook Group
• the Group Pool for London Urban Sketchers. If you're not yet a member you need to upload your sketches to your own Flickr account before applying for membership.

and finally......

Sangeeta got retweeted by Kew Gardens!  Now that's the power of Twitter!

MT @sangeeta771: @kewgardens Urban Sketchcrawl @UrbSketchLondon pic.twitter.com/zep0NRiglt

— Kew Gardens (@kewgardens) May 18, 2015

Next Month - June 2015 - we're in Hampstead

Keep an eye on the blog - this is the Sketchcrawl Page and the link to the blog post about it will be announced in the note at the top of the right hand column when the date is announced.

Palm Houses and Pagodas on a sunny sketching day at Kew Gardens

REMINDER: Let's Draw Kew Gardens tomorrow!

The weather looks as if it's set fair for our expendition to sketch Kew Gardens tomorrow. You can read about all the details in Let's Draw Kew Gardens - SATURDAY 16th MAY 2015

Key features of Kew Gardens on a Google Map - click to see a larger version

Let's Draw Kew Gardens - Saturday 16th May 2015 

Let's Draw Kew Gardens - Saturday 16th May 2015

Here's the summary

• Venue: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in south west London
• Date: Saturday 16th May 2015 (The gardens are open from 10am if you want to get there early and close at 6.30pm if you want to stay late)
• Entrance Fee: Please make a particular note that this venue is NOT free and there is a charge of£15 per adult (£14 if purchased online) and Free if you are a Friend.
• Start: 11:00am at the Terrace outside the Victoria Plaza café next to the Entrance (just to the right of the ticket gate) - introduction to those new to urban sketching and tips re. Kew Gardens
• Lunch: 1:30pm at The Orangery - share our sketches, group photo - and time for lunch. The Orangery has hot and cold food from Peyton & Byrne and tables and chairs to sit and eat at.  You can also buy sandwiches from Tesco on the left as you walk out of Kew Station.
• End: 3:30pm - in front of the Palm House (Lake side) - share our sketches + another group photo to add to the collection!
• Travel: Kew Gardens Station
• Underground: District Line to Richmond - There appear to be no problems with the District Line this weekend. For other lines see the map below
• North London Line to Richmond. 
• Map: 
• Kew Gardens Maps and Gates (download for free) 
• Download the map of Kew Gardens
• PLUS I've identified all the key features on a Google Map and annotated it for this Sketchcrawl. (see top image)

According to BBC Weather, the weather is due to be light cloud in the morning (15C) then sun from 3pm (17C) - so hopefully no rain.

Tweet your sketches tomorrow using the hashtag #USKLondon and/or #sketching.

Follow live tweets from Kew Gardens on https://twitter.com/UrbSketchLondon

REMINDER: Let's Draw Kew Gardens tomorrow!

Let's Draw Kew Gardens - Saturday 16th May 2015

Our next London Urban Sketchers sketchcrawl will be at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew - in south west London - on Saturday 16th May 2015. 

It's FREE and there's no need to book a place - just turn up on the day!

It will be my special pleasure to introduce people who have not been before to a place which has endless opportunities for sketching. It's certainly one of my absolute favourite places for a day's sketching! You'll see some of pen and ink and coloured pencils below.

Syon Vista by Katherine Tyrrell
This is from the Palm House looking down Syon Vista (very wide grass path) to the River Thames
- overlooking Syon House on the other side of the river.
© Katherine Tyrrell 

WHERE:  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - Download the  map of Kew Gardens

WHEN:    Saturday 16th May 2015 (The gardens are open from 10am if you want to get there early)

ENTRANCE FEE: £15 per adult (£14 if purchased online) and Free if you are a Friend. 

START:    11:00am at the Terrace outside the Cafe at the Entrance (just to the right of the ticket gate) - introduction to those new to urban sketching and tips re. Kew Gardens

LUNCH:    1:30pm at The Orangery - share our sketches, group photo - and time for lunch. The Orangery has hot and cold food from Peyton & Byrne and tables and chairs to sit and eat at.

END:        3:30pm - in front of the Palm House (Lake side)  - share our sketches + another group photo to add to the collection!

TRAVEL: Kew Gardens Station - Underground: District Line to Richmond | North London Line to Richmond. For other lines see the map below

MAP:  Kew Gardens Maps and Gates (download for free)

Organiser: Katherine Tyrrell (do please leave any queries as comments on this post - or post them on the Facebook Event Page and I'll do my best to answer them)

Download the Getting to Kew Gardens Transport Map,
also showing gate locations

Things to do and see and sketch

There's absolutely masses to see and sketch at Kew Gardens which is HUGE!  If you've never been before, a little bit of research before you go really pays dividends at Kew Gardens.

You can see some of the sights of Kew on this Kew Gardens Spring Slideshow

I've identified all the key features on a Google Map and annotated it for this Sketchcrawl. Just click the link to access it - and then click the icons to find out what they represent.
 
Click the icon second from right on top line to see it full size on your screen.  Use the +/- signs to get the scale right.

When I've got a minute, I'll add a few more in....

Buildings and Structures

Kew Palace by Katherine Tyrrell
(see Liz Steel and Borromini at Kew Palace)
© Katherine Tyrrell 

The main buildings which people might want to sketch appear as a "yellow house" on the map. They include:

• The Palm House - absolutely amazing building both inside and out. Try going up the steps to see the view of the palms from above! Great view of it from the other side of the Lake 
• The Temperate House - currently closed for restoration. Views of it will depend on the nature of the building works at present 
• The Princess of Wales Conservatory - lots of triangular angles! I like the inside best. (near the Orangery) 
• The Alpine House - cute and perfectly formed greenhouse (near the Orangery) 
• Kew Palace - lots of traditional architecture to sketch her - and good for before or after lunch as very close to the Orangery
• Chokushi Mon - the Japanese Gateway - set in a formal Japanese Garden. Not visited as much as some other parts of the garden and usually very peaceful.
• The Orangery is Grade I listed and is Kew's only original plant house which still survives - although now used as a cafe and where we will meet for lunch (on the terrace if the weather is fine)

A couple of structures which are also definitely worth a look are:

• The Treetop Walkway - you can get amazing views of the Temperate House and the tops of the trees
  
• The Sackler Crossing - across the main lake

Vistas

Pagoda Vista © Katherine Tyrrell
This was originally done on mat board cut to postcard size and was posted to a lady who lives in the USA!

Then there are the Vistas!  These are marked on blue on the Google Map. The main ones are:

• Pagoda Vista - very probably one of those views which says "This is Kew".
• Cedar Vista - this runs from the Pagoda down to the Thames
• Syon Vista - see the top sketch for the view from the Palm House down Syon Vista
• Syon Overlook - looking down the River Thames towards Richmond and across the Thames to Syon House.

The Thames at Kew from Syon Overlook by Katherine Tyrrell
© Katherine Tyrrell

This list gives you more information about other attractions

People who are wondering about how to sketch the big old trees at Kew may get some inspiration from the Exhibition: Kew's Heritage Trees by Masumi Yamanaka at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art (see map).

Let's Draw Kew Gardens - Saturday 16th May 2015

Drawings Events Happening Soon

Hello everyone,

there are a couple of sketchcrawls/group drawing sessions both minor and major happening in the next few weeks - please feel free to come along to any or all of them!

Saturday June 28th - Brimmington Park Festival,  Peckham (near Old Kent Road)
In conjunction with the Drawing London on Location Group we'll be milling around the area making sketches of this small and vibrant community festival, and encouraging people to display their sketchbooks at our stall.
For more info, see http://www.meetup.com/Drawing-London-on-Location/events/189312502/
and http://www.brimmington-green.co.uk/

Monday, July 7th - Tour De France
It's likely to be very crowded so meeting up may prove difficult, so instead we're encouraging sketchers to find convenient spots along the route, all the way from the borders of Essex to Buckingham Palace and then share your drawings of the cyclists, the spectators etc on our Flickr group, or on Twitter with the hashtag: #drawdefrance
If you do want to try meeting up with our correspondents, Lis Watkins will be at the Fan Park not far from the finish line, in Green Park, central London for most of the afternoon, and Evelyn Rowland will be covering the Waterworks Roundabout in Waltham Forest around 2pm, whilst Katherine Tyrrell will be in the Westfield/Stratford area. Leave a comment or email the general email address for their contact details.
For more info see https://www.tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tour-de-france-2014


Saturday 12th July - 44th Worldwide Sketchcrawl - Portobello Road
In conjunction with both the USK Oxford Workshop and the Drawing London on Location meetup.com group, we hope this will be a big one! Join us in the Notting Hill area for some outdoor summer sketching!
More details here: http://www.sketchcrawl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=11882

We will be posting reminders nearer the time

See you soon!

Drawings Events Happening Soon

Ukrainian peaceful protest in London, 16.03.14

Yesterday the Crimeans voted in referendum about accession to Russia, referendum recognised as illegitimate by Obama and the EU.  Hundreds of supporters with yellow and blue flags came out to march from Marble Arch to the Russian embassy to raise the issue of Putin's invasion of Ukrainian territory.

Marble Arch, London, 2 pm, 16.03.14, pencil and tombow markers in moleskine

On a separate note - an ethnic population of Crimean Tatars refused to take part in the referendum and many fled. Last week my friend has housed a family of eleven in her skiing cottage in the west of  Ukraine.   I really hope this insane behaviour by Kremlin will get an adequate response in form of real sanctions and political pressure from UK and the world.

Ukrainian peaceful protest in London, 16.03.14

28 Drawings Later - Entrances in London by Thomas Corrie

This is a guest post by Thomas Corrie, an "Architect and aspiring flâneur"  who is an active participant in the Flickr Group for Urban Sketchers London

He also manages to demonstrate how to keep sketching every day despite lots of rain and a tube strike in London this week!

_____________________________

For the past two years I have participated in 28 Drawings Later, a challenge to draw something every day during February and post it online.

• In 2012 I had no particular theme or format. 
• In 2013 I decided to use a square sketchbook and draw with ink washes. 

In both cases I often just drew something from wherever I was going on that day, more often than not it involved casting around in the evening for something interesting to draw in my house.

This year I was determined to pick a theme for the month to have a more focused approach. I have set myself the challenge of drawing all of my sketches en plein air (whatever the weather!) and to cycle to every location. My theme is entrances which gives me sufficient flexibility as there are doors and gates everywhere.

I started at Fenton House in Hampstead having first bought some new pens and a 200mm square sketchbook...

Day 1: Fenton House copyright Thomas Corrie

The following day I cycled along the Grand Union Canal (suffering one puncture) to Osterley Park to draw Robert Adam’s fantastic open portico...

Day 2: Osterley Park - the Robert Adam Portico
copyright Thomas Corrie

Then I was into weekdays and although the light is improving in the evening it is still too dark after six o’clock so I have decided to draw before work which means I have to get up rather earlier than I am used to. On Monday I went to Kensal Green Cemetery to draw the stern Doric gatehouse…

Day 3: Kensal Green Cemetery - copyright Thomas Corrie

On Tuesday I was cut short by rain but managed a few lines of the elegant terraces in Little Venice…

Day 4: Clarendon Gardens - Little Venice
copyright Thomas Corrie

Wednesday was the first full day of the tube strike and I had to fight my way through the London traffic to get to St James’ to draw an extravagant curved entrance to a Nash terrace...

Day 5: Carlton House Terrace
copyright Thomas Corrie

I had an early meeting on Thursday so I found an Art Deco entrance near to my workplace in Marylebone…

Day 6: Ivor Court
copyright Thomas Corrie

It was raining on Friday morning and my original plan to sketch a modernist house on Frognal was scuppered. Instead I cycled down the hill to Swiss Cottage and sheltered beneath the library to draw the back of the Odeon Cinema…

Day 7: Swiss Cottage Odeon
copyright Thomas Corrie

More bad weather threatened Saturday and several attempts to draw the elaborate front of John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor House were stymied by showers. Instead I took advantage of a break in the clouds to quickly draw a brick and flint gate he designed to enter the estate…

Day 8: Pitzhanger
copyright Thomas Corrie

I am surprised and pleased that I have managed so far to stick to my plan. I am looking forward to the next three weeks and seeking out parts of London that I don’t know very well and elaborating on my usually straightforward commute.

Thomas Corrie's kit comprises:

• Seawhite of Brighton 200mm square 140gsm cartridge paper sketchbook
• Staedtler pigment liners 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8mm
• Brompton M3L folding bike
• Ortlieb Mini-O Bag

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You can continue to view Thomas Corrie's 28 Drawings Later 2014 Set on Flickr and/or see his posts as they come up in the Urban Sketchers London Group Pool

28 Drawings Later - Entrances in London by Thomas Corrie