Let's draw Camden Market - Saturday 21 May 2022

Sketch by Ben Collins-Sussman visiting from Chicago

[Alison Gardiner, Christine Milewska, Mike Barber and Sasala Wickramasinghe write]

In May we draw Camden Market, one of London’s busiest retail destinations attracting up to 250,000 people each week

The market, which dates back to the early 1970s, started with a total of 16 traders selling antiques, jewellery and arts and crafts. Now Camden Market is home to hundreds of small businesses bringing to the area the multicultural diversity that we’ve all come to love.

Apart from independent retail, Camden has a rich heritage of music and fashion. Dingwall’s Dance Hall and the Roundhouse revolutionised London’s music scene in the 1970s, with iconic gigs by bands such as The Sex Pistols and Blondie. The boom in the music industry brought alternative fashion trends -– Camden market became the place to hang out and shop for hippy flares, leather jackets, slogan tees, and battered old Dr Martens footgear. 

Photo by Sasala Wickramasinghe

Today Camden Market has evolved and expanded into a diverse community of creative sellers, street food traders and independent stores next to the Regent’s Canal which runs through the heart of Camden. However, the punk rock heritage is still preserved in the fancy shop facades along Camden Road.

The day is free of charge, no need to book, just turn up with your artist’s materials.

Key times and meeting points

Meeting points and local landmarks are shown on our location map at the end of this blog post.

11 AM

Meet at The Quay in Hawley Wharf by the brand new Hawley Wharf shopping centre. It is just across the road from the Camden Market entrance. 

Arrive at Camden Market by the road bridge over the canal on Camden High Street.  Find the jewellers called "e & e" at 218 Camden Lock Place NW1 8AB. To the left of the jewellers is a ramped path going down to the canal towpath. Follow the ramp down, and then go back under the road bridge and follow the towpath. The meeting place at Hawley Quay is about 100 metres along the towpath, where there is a large open space by a newly developed commercial site.

Follow this link to the Camden Market Hawley Wharf website for a detailed site map

1 PM

Meet again at The Quay in Hawley Wharf. 

3:30 PM

Meet at the same place for the final throwdown.

Afterwards

For those who would like to stay on for a drink and chat (and sketch!) afterwards, we will head to the Ice Wharf Pub on Camden Lock, with outside seating and views over the canal towards the market.

Options for drawing

· The Market – Inside the market are independent shops selling clothing, antiques, and jewellery. Further along the road from Camden Lock, the Camden general shopping area is packed with fashion, craft and unique shop fronts, offering lots of colour and distinctive frontages.

Sketch by Alison Gardiner

· People – No shortage of people in Camden! On weekends the market gets very busy, especially on a good day. There are plenty of subjects to capture –- look out for weird and wonderful characters, from hipsters to punks. There are many eating establishments with external seating that also offer many people-sketching opportunities.

· Street scene – The streets are heaving with people, buses and railway bridges.

· Architecture – Canalside, there are existing and former commercial buildings, some of which are warehouses converted into chic residential blocks.

Sketch by Mike Barber

· Regent’s Canal – Draw the canal with its locks, boats, and barges.

Sketch by Christina Milewska

· Street art – Look out for colourful graffiti and street art, including a piece by Banksy on Oval Road, by the entrance to The Pirate Castle clubhouse.

· Primrose Hill (residential) – Sightly further afield from the Camden Lock site is the chic residential area of Primrose Hill. Here there is attractive late Victorian and Edwardian housing with pretty shop fronts giving a ‘village feel’. This area is much more sedate than Camden Lock, if you’re looking for a more serene area to sketch.

Sketch by Alison Gardiner

· Primrose Hill (park) – This green space provides fantastic views across central London. But please note this is a good kilometre walk from Camden, so you would need to allow 15 to 20 minutes to walk to and from the Camden site to return for our throwdowns.

Sketch by Christina Milewska

Practical information

The nearest Tube stations are Camden Town (5 mins), Chalk Farm (10 mins) and Camden Road (8 mins). Several bus routes (Kings Cross, 214; Victoria, 24; West End, 274; East London, 393) are also available.

There are plenty of independent cafés, restaurants and street food stalls inside and around Camden Market -- you’re spoilt for choice!

The toilets inside the market -- on the upper level of the Market Hall -- tend get very busy as the day progresses. The toilets in the Hawley Wharf shopping centre are newer, cleaner and quieter. Apart from these, most cafés and restaurants also have toilets which people can use.

COVID-19 visit information

Since COVID-19 and its variants remain, even though restrictions have been lifted, 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 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, and

· Practice good hand hygiene.

See you at Camden!

This event is run by Alison Gardiner, Christine Milewska, Mike Barber and Sasala Wickramasinghe. 

Location map

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Let's draw Camden Market - Saturday 21 May 2022

Drawing Attention - April 2021

 

The official zine of the Urban Sketchers organisation

Drawing Attention April 2021

Open in ISSUU or read as a scrollable pdf

Don't miss USk London founding member James Hobbs on page 51

"What really drew me to urban sketching was the storytelling side."

Drawing Attention, the official monthly zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters; and educates readers about the practice of on-location sketching.

To subscribe to Drawing Attention click HERE .

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Drawing Attention - April 2021

Simpson's-in-the-Strand

[By John Webb.] I had heard that Simpson's-in-the-Strand, the iconic wood-panelled London eatery with its stunning ceiling is closing.  But only for complete refurbishment. No one could say what will be done design wise but that it will be very different. A challenge for we Urban Sketchers who like to record reality which includes change. Simpson's kindly let me in towards the end of the luncheon sitting.

Started in 1828 simply as a smoking room, it became in the 1850s a restaurant then also the most important place in Britain for chess. P. G. Woodhouse called it ‘a restful temple of food’ and being able to sit in a corner for  two hours and observe lingering diners – some who came for a look and chat – confirmed that.

Simpson's-in-the-Strand

Let's draw in and around Tate Modern - 21 January 2017

View of Switch House by Isabel Carmona

In January 2017 we are meeting to draw in and around Tate Modern, an area with spectacular views of the Thames riverside (we will be opposite St Paul’s and the City of London). The new extension to Tate Modern – the Switch House - is also spectacular and from the top we can enjoy one of London’s best panoramic views. 

Date : Saturday 21st January 2017

Timetable for the day:

• Start meeting 11 am: Meet at the riverside, below the Tate Modern chimney. In wet conditions we will be just beside the chimney by the riverside entrance to the Tate (to the left of the chimney as you look towards the building).

• Halfway meeting 1 pm: Meet on the opposite side of Tate Modern, in the new circular terrace just outside the entrance to the new extension, between the Switch House entrance and the Terrace entrance.  If it is wet, we will be just inside the Terrace entrance.  See map of level 1 (http://www.tate.org.uk/download/file/fid/105226) 

• Finish meeting point, 3:30 pm: Meet inside, in the middle of the Turbine Hall, level 0,at the bottom of the ramp coming down from the Turbine Hall entrance.

• Afterwards - meeting point to continue discussions and drinks (and to draw some more if you wish), from around 4pm: Meet at the bar of the Citizen M Hotel in Lavington Street, almost Southwark Street. 

Tate Modern is free of charge (other than for special exhibitions) and there are extensive collection displays in both the Boiler House and the new Switch House extension.  See all you can do here: http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Drawing possibilities are inexhaustible around here, amongst others you could draw:

• the riverside with views of the St Paul’s embankment, the Millennium Bridge, 

• Tate Modern, outside or inside including the Turbine Hall and the new Switch House interior architecture,

• one of the best views in London from level 10 of the Switch House,

• the new terrace and mini park by the Terrace entrance

• People inside, outside the museum and around the cafes, the riverside, everywhere.

Please note the Gallery Rules: http://www.tate.org.uk/about/who-we-are/policies-and-procedures/gallery-rules  which state: ‘The use of charcoal, pastels, permanent marker, and watercolour or oil paint is not allowed in the galleries'.  We have sought clarification and this includes all areas of the building. 

View of St Paul's from Tate Modern by Isabel Carmona

How to get here: There is a map and information about transport and facilities on the Tate website: http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern#visit

There are plenty of cafes and sandwich bars for various budgets either inside Tate Modern or around Sumner Street, Convey Street or Southwark Street. The only pub in the area, the Founders Arms serves food but it is normally very busy.

In any case, there is so much to do and see around here and so little time, that you'll be itching to keep on drawing! 

We look forward to this day sketching together in London

Day organisers: Isabel Carmona and Dionisa Joseph Mattam.

Let's draw in and around Tate Modern - 21 January 2017

Let's Draw Galleries, Bookshops and Arcades in Piccadilly and St James

On Saturday 16th April, London Urban Sketchers will be drawing the galleries, shopping arcades and bookshops of Piccadilly and St James - and in particular the courtyard of Burlington House (where the Royal Academies are located) 

• Piccadilly is the street running west from Piccadilly Circus
• St James is the area south of Piccadilly
• Nearest tubes are Piccadilly and Green Park

The Courtyard of Burlington House - drawn from the RA looking towards Piccadilly through the arch
pen and ink and coloured pencils
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

This is a summary of the visit - followed by a description of what we are visiting.

• MAP: Map https://goo.gl/SK502v - see below for places and websites
• start/lunch/end in yellow
• galleries in red
• arcades and shops in Hatchards turquoise 
• books in blue
• DATE: Saturday 16th April 2016
• START venue/time: 11:00 Burlington House courtyard
• wet - under the archway (see sketch)
• dry - though the arch and turn right
• LUNCH: 1:00pm - same place
• FINISH: 3:30pm - same place
• AFTERWARDS: Depends on numbers, probably the Grand Cafe at the RA - otherwise over the road to the Gallery at Fortnum and Masons!
• Travel: Tube Station - Piccadilly or Green Park

Katherine Tyrrell is organising this but is very busy this week and may have problems being there on Saturday. James Hobbs will however be present on Saturday.

PLACES / Websites:

See the following websites for what the different places look like

Galleries 

• RA: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/plan-your-visit
• White Cube: 25 – 26 Mason's Yard London SW1Y 6BU http://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/white-cube-masons-yard
• Christies, King Street:  http://www.christies.com/locations/salerooms/king-street/

There's also a number of galleries in Cork Street and Duke Street

Shops

• Fortnum & Mason: https://www.fortnumandmason.com/information/our-history
• Piccadilly Arcade http://www.piccadilly-arcade.com/about-the-arcade
• Burlington Arcade: http://www.burlington-arcade.co.uk/the-arcade 
• Princes Arcade: http://www.princesarcade.co.uk/

Bookshops

• Hatchards 187 Piccadilly London: https://www.hatchards.co.uk/
• Waterstones - flagship store 203/206 Piccadilly  https://www.waterstones.com/bookshops/piccadilly

Let's Draw Galleries, Bookshops and Arcades in Piccadilly and St James

Let's Draw the Wallace Collection 20 February 2016

Sketching in the Wallace Collection by Katherine Tyrrell

Next Saturday London Urban Sketchers will be visiting Manchester Square and the Wallace Collection.

• Both are situated in Marylebone, just north of Oxford Street in the centre of London. 
• Bond Street provides the nearest tube (Central and Jubilee Lines) and 
• it's a short 6 minute walk via James Street or Duke Street to the Wallace Collection.

This is a summary of the visit - followed by a description of what we are visiting.

• MAP: Map https://goo.gl/maps/Nxq6LAz8E232
• START venue/time: 11:00 The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN
• wet - under the portico at the front door to Hertford House (see photo below)
• dry - on the pavement to right of the Wallace Collection front door
• LUNCH: 1:00pm - on the pavement to right of the Wallace Collection front door
• FINISH: 3:30pm - on the pavement to right of the Wallace Collection front door
• AFTERWARDS: The Wallace Collection Restaurant and Cafe - I can recommend the cream teas!
• Travel: Tube Station - Bond Street Station 
• Toilets: basement of the Wallace Collection (see plan below)
• Websites:  http://www.wallacecollection.org and

There are no large areas in the Wallace Collection where we can congregate.

• Ideally if the weather is dry we'll meet at the beginning, lunch and at the end of the day on the pavement to the right of the front entrance to the Wallace Collection
• If the weather is wet we'll huddle under the entrance portico!

Entrance and front elevation of Hertford House
Home to the Wallace Collection

Manchester Square

Manchester Square in London
from Richard Horwoods map of London (1792-99)

Manchester Square is one of the one of the smaller but better preserved Georgian garden squares in central London.

• The fourth Duke of Manchester, after whom the Square takes its name, obtained the ground lease from the Portman Estate for most of the north side and employed Robert Adam and others to build on the land. 
• It was first laid out between 1776 and 1788. 
• Lots of great Georgian architecture to sketch.

Hertford House - home of the Wallace Collection

The first house to be completed was Manchester House, in 1776. This is now known as Hertford House (Listed Grade II) see picture above

The Wallace Collection is housed in Hertford House - which is also worth sketching for those who like sketching the exteriors of buildings best

• The House was the home of the Marquess of Hertford - the 2nd Marquess acquired the lease in 1797 and was lived in by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Marquess and the Richard Wallace the 4th Marquess's illegitimate son.
• Hertford House is now home to the Hertford family’s fabulous collection of fine and decorative arts. It was left to the nation in 1897 by Lady Wallace.
• It has since become known as the Wallace Collection.

The Collection and exhibition rooms are on three floors of Hertford House. This is the link to the Floor Plan. The collection comprises:

• pictures and miniatures
• ceramics
• an absolutely AMAZING collection of arms and armour (better than the Tower of London!) 
• an important collection of French furniture
• a sculpture collection some 500 works
• a collection of various objects d'art focusing on metalwork

However one of the most attractive features of the Wallace Collection are views within the interior rooms.

Wallace Collection Floor Plan - Click the image to see a larger size

Afterwards, those of us who enjoy a cup of tea will hopefully be able to get one at the Cafe on the ground floor (the green section on the map). If you pipe up at the beginning if you are planning to stay on at the end I'll endeavour to book us a table.

Cream tea at the Wallace Collection by Katherine Tyrrell

Let's Draw the Wallace Collection 20 February 2016

Let's Draw - Borough Market - 7th November 2015

Borough Market by Lis Watkins

No one will go hungry at this month's gathering as we are meeting at one of London's most tasty markets - Borough Market - a dream for the foodies amongst us.There is multitude of produce/stalls/architecture/tasty morsels to sketch so your inspiration should rejoice.
See their intearctive map to plan your day.

The sketching day plan is as follows:

Start Meeting 11:30 On Stoney Street See map link here for exact location, just off Southwark St
To get there, nearest tube is London Bridge or see the market's page

Lunch time 1:30 pm at the Market itself under cover opposite Park Street

In the afternoon we suggest:
Continue to draw the market or you can explore the surrounding streets or the riverside between Southwark and London bridges.

The end - meet again at the entrance to the market under the railway bridge at 4pm to share our sketches and then from 4:30pm at the Wheatsheaf

Thanks to Lis Watkins for letting us use her sketches for our image this month!

Borough Market by Lis Watkins

Let's Draw - Borough Market - 7th November 2015

Saturday 11th July 2015 - Day trip - Let's Draw Oxford

Sketch by Isabel Carmona - Radcliffe Square - Oxford

WHAT - Day Trip and Sketchcrawl
WHERE - Oxford
WHEN - Saturday 11th July 2015
START - 11 am  - meet at entrance of the Museum of Oxford with Oxford sketchers and Oxford Workshop participants.
LUNCH - 1 to 1:30 m - meet outside St Mary's café in Radcliffe square.
END - 3:30 to 4 pm - back at the Museum of Oxford, inside, at the gallery by the Café to share sketches. Oxford workshop exhibition is on show.
AFTERS - 4:30 onwards - at the Head of River pub for further sharing of sketches, chatting and even some more drawing.
TRAVEL - from London there are regular trains and coaches - see the map below with details of stops in Oxford and links to the various websites.
MAP - Oxford Sketchcrawl Map Link includes start/lunch/finish/afters/places of interest information.
ORGANISER - Isabel Carmona - leave message here or on facebook page with any queries
PLACES OF INTEREST - indicated in map with links, include Oxford Covered Market, Christ Church Meadow, High Street and colleges, Radcliffe Square, Sheldonian Theatre, Ashmolean Museum, Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museums and much more. 

Oxford sketchers and participants and instructors of the Oxford USK workshop will
l be there to make this day trip outing the most enjoyable.

As always, it's free to join, you just need to bring your own sketching materials... and perhaps a hat and sun cream - let's hope it is warm.

Hope to see you all there!

Saturday 11th July 2015 - Day trip - Let's Draw Oxford

St Paul's and the Thames - we've got to do it again!

The general consensus from yesterday's sketchcrawl by London Urban Sketchers was that there was absolutely masses to draw and we need to go back!

We were sketching in the area around St Paul's Cathedral and down to the north bank of the Thames - next to the Millennium Bridge - see TODAY is "Let's Draw St Paul's to the Thames" and the map created in Google Maps/Drive of the area and key places

I think this location will become a regular feature of our sketchcrawls in future years!
This is a photograph of one venue which blew people away with the views!

Sketching after lunch from the Roof Terrace of One New Change

and here's a sketch of the same by Daniel Lloyd-Morgan.

Roof terrace at 1 New Change by Daniel Lloyd-Morgan

New people

Yet again we saw several new people join the group of London Urban Sketchers. Please note there is absolutely no requirement to live and work in London to join the group.

A warm welcome is extended anybody who likes drawing London - and this month we welcome:

From outside London

• Marissa Lee Swinghammer - living in Oxford since February, late of Boston, Massachusetts
• Chuck Stull from Kalamazoo Michigan, currently on sabbatical in Oxford.
• Sue Smith from Cambridge
• Laura Moore - from I'm not quite sure where but I think it might be the Herts/Essex borders! 
• Debbie Eyre from the Birmingham Urban Sketchers

From London

• Sue Thurlow - from London
• Homephoenix Wong - from London
• Chatelle Jeram, living in Hackney, East London. Just moved to the UK this month.
• Rosaline Darby from Long Ditton in Surrey (only just outside London!)
• John Swanson from Twickenham
• Jo Coombes from Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

and we hope to see your sketches on Facebook or on Flickr very soon! :)

Do please let us know if you are new and where you come from - we're always pleased to see new faces and to link up with you.  You can leave a comment at the end of this post.....

Logistics

On a practical note, we've certainly noticed that emphasising that:

• the "Let's Draw" event is FREE; and
• there's no need to book

gets a very positive response from people! :) 

However it would be great to also get some feedback about the maps. The use of a map link embedded in the notice of the "Let's Draw" even seems to be working quite well - for all those with smartphones. I think maybe we need to think about creating a downloadable pdf for those with no phone but access to a printer.  This saves organisers from having to personally cut down trees to print off maps ;) - but more to the point means that when the organiser's printer has decided not to work(!!) we still have a way of getting the "where is everything" out to people.

Some photos from the day

I'm going to show you in this blog post how much easier it is for me to include your sketches if you tweet them!

Here's kickoff under cover at the top of the steps in front of St Paul's and that's me up on the little ledge so people could hear me more clearly over the noise of the traffic and the tourists.

London's urban sketchers gather at St Paul's. #urbansketchers #sketchcrawl pic.twitter.com/Gx21A03BJ5
— UrbanSketchersLondon (@UrbSketchLondon) April 25, 2015

Here we all are at lunchtime

London Urban Sketchers on the Roof Terrace of One New Change at lunchtime

and here are our sketches at that stage

St Paul's and the Thames - we've got to do it again!