Let's Draw Blackheath followup

I've been away on my holidays recently so I didn't get chance to scan my drawings from the last sketchcrawl until now. Thanks to all those who came to the Blackheath sketchcrawl - the weather wasn't too promising but it stayed dry, if a little chilly, and there was even some sunny spells. It was also nice to meet new people and get the chance to find out a bit about everyone, which can be difficult sometimes when it's a larger group.

Blackheath is such a big, flat, open space that it can be quite challenging to capture on the page. Instead I tried to focus on details or look at the architecture. There's also still a nice village feel to Blackheath, but on a slightly grander scale.

During the course of the day we had about 25 sketchers - special thanks to those who came from outside of London! As ever, if you want to share your drawings from the day, you can find the London group pool over at Flickr.

Now that summer is over it's only going to get colder, so make sure you wrap up for the next one, in Chelsea, on the banks of the Thames. Personally I'm looking forward to sketching the Royal Chelsea Hospital, which is an amazing building, founded in 1682 no less.

Let's Draw Blackheath followup

Let's Draw Blackheath - Saturday 5th September

Hello everyone - here are the details for Saturday's coming sketchcrawl.

Blackheath in London

 The Start

Meet 11.30am - in the car park next to Blackheath Railway Station.

For most people, the train or car will be the best way to arrive into Blackheath, so this seems the easiest meeting spot - it's not normally too busy, but just look for the people clutching sketchbooks.
If you're coming from Central London then it will be immediately adjacent to the platform you alight from. If coming in from further South, then you'll have to go up the stairs to cross over.

What with the bank holiday weekend just gone, I'm sure I don't have to remind you to bring an umbrella, but still, this being England, it's good to expect the worst. It might be rainy, it'll probably be cold and a bit windy.

Blackheath tends to get lumped in with Greenwich because they're so close, but there's actually plenty to explore by itself. However, for those who haven't already seen it, it would be worth the walk over to Greenwich Park on the other side of the heath, for the city skyline view from the Royal Observatory, simply because it is magnificent, and if you're an animal lover, there's also the deer park.

If the weather proves too much, there's plenty of coffee shops, pubs and tea rooms to sit in and sketch some people or interiors.

Braving the elements there's the heath, with lots of interesting views, kite flying, and the dramatic solitary presence of All Saints Church. I also hope to show you some of the less obvious sights, including a few impressive vistas and intriguing architecture hidden down some of the side roads in the area.

Lunch

Lunchbreak will be at the Princess of Wales, overlooking the Heath, at 1.30pm. Family friendly and spacious, with a decent pub food menu, however don't feel obliged to eat lunch here; if you prefer you can find somewhere else or bring your own  to eat on the heath should it be sunny enough, this is merely a gathering point for those of you who want to, with outside and indoor options.

The End

We will end outside All Saints Church at 4pm,  for a chance to show sketches, catch up and take some photos.

As always, the event is FREE and open to all, don't forget your pencils!

Look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Let's Draw Blackheath - Saturday 5th September