Tag Archives: Christmas

Festive family favourites being screened outdoors in the Cowgate

8th December 2017 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

This Christmas catch a Christmas movie at the Cowgate NYC Film and Street Food Festival, in the Three Sisters courtyard.With a huge outdoor cinema screening festive favourites, together with mulled wine and American style street food this sounds like the perfect way to start your festive night out.

The screenings run from Sunday to Thursday each week until December 29th and each Sunday is a Family Friendly Screening.

Keep an eye on their facebook page (link below) to see when the movie listings are announced, I’ll be there for sure if Elf is on 🙂

Cowgate NYC: Xmas Film & Street Food Festival facebook page.

Illustration drawn in black fine liner and watercolour wash.

Daily Sketch

A Night Under The Stars In Aid Of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity

24th November 2017 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

Last night I ran a stall at the Prosecco and Shopping evening, the first stall of the season for me.

The stunning dome roofed hall inside the Royal Bank of Scotland building at St Andrews Square has a wonderful ceiling of stars, which my sketch above (drawn from my stall) shows a small part of. The room is magnificent and well worth a visit if you are passing, the bank is open six days a week.

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (formerly known as The Sick Kids Friends Foundation) had organised the event and it was very well organised with prosecco and canapes handed out to shoppers as they made their around the many varied seasonal stalls.

I had chance near the end of the evening to sketch and visit a couple of stalls, namely the inspiring Glass Art of Mary W Drummond, and Halidon Home (my neighbouring stall) who had a delightful mix of home furnishings and original Christmas decorations, I will be popping in to their Dundas street shop to see more soon.

My next market is at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Saturday 9th December. If you know of any others with a table going free then do let me know, ’tis the season to make money after all 😉

My sketch was made on location using a black fine liner and water brush, on an A5 sketchpad.

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity website

Royal Bank Of Scotland website

Daily Sketch

Christmas is building, in Princes Street Gardens

1st November 2017 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

This morning whilst walking from the old to new town I noticed Princes Street Gardens is once again busy becoming a Christmas Wonderland.

On a rainy day in Edinburgh with the leaves still changing from green to orange to red is it perhaps hard to imagine the city in it’s Christmas guise, but the season will soon be here.

If you are in town during the next few days you will notice the transformation taking place ahead of the grand opening on the 17th November. Find out more about all the shows and attractions on over the festive period via the link below.

Edinburgh’s Christmas website

Competition

WhereArtI 30th October : Where in Edinburgh am I?

30th October 2017 Edinburgh Sketcher

Can you tell me where in Edinburgh I have sketched?

If so click the link below to email me your answer. I will pick a random winner from all correct answers on Tuesday morning.

Through October I have 5 pairs of tickets to this years Foodies Festival Christmas event in Edinburgh. Each week the randomly picked winner will receive a pair of tickets.

Foodies Festival Christmas takes place at the EICC in Edinburgh and tickets allow entrance to one session, either Friday 24th November (17:00 – 21:00), Saturday 25th November (10.00 – 18.00) or Sunday 26th November (10.00 – 18.00). Names will be put on a guest list rather than tickets sent out.

Click HERE to enter your answer

Usually the answer will be within Edinburgh, but on the first Monday of the month the competition is Scotland wide. Keep an eye on my facebook and twitter feeds for clues if they are needed.

I hope you join us to play along and keep looking up and noticing the details and the beauty in the everyday, you never know where I will be sketching next time!

Enter via the link above or email contact@www.edinburghsketcher.com with the subject line ‘WhereArtI 30th October 2017’.

Foodies Festival Christmas website

EICC website

Daily Sketch

Christmas doodles from two weeks with the family

27th January 2017 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and this time I enjoyed two full weeks away from the computer.

Although I couldn’t stop myself from sketching occasionally I did take the fortnight off to spend with family and friends and enjoyed the lack of screen time, returning in the second week of January refreshed and ready to plan my 2017.

Here are my sketchings from the time off, now scanned in and cleaned up for you to see.

I know Christmas already feels a long time ago but these are very happy memories for me, and only 10 months until we do it all again 😉

All the best for 2017 everyone!

Daily Sketch

Merry Christmas everyone, from my home to yours!

28th December 2016 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

Filled with Christmas cards, family photos and happy memories. Our festive fireplace makes me happy 🙂

This is the Sketcher family fireplace, and looking at it makes me feel all Christmassy. I hope you are all having a lovely relaxed time with family and friends, or just enjoying some peace and quiet over the festive period and recharging the batteries for the new year to come.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Daily Sketch

Edinburgh’s Street of Light

20th December 2016 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

A splendid show in Edinburgh as the sun falls on the Street of Light.

This week we have had some stunning sunsets in the capital, and sun rises too as the weather stays mild and wet. I captured this one on George Street recently as the sun fell and the city began to sparkle with the bulbs of Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations.

After last year’s successful Royal Mile residency for the Street Of Light the walk though light show has now moved to the West End of George Street.

It’s great to have Edinburgh’s Christmas stretching out to the West End as many of the markets and rides are in East Princes Street Gardens.

I recently took the family to the European Market but on a weekend the crowds are too squashed to be comfortable with little ones so it was nice to have the George Street attractions and the Scottish Market to visit instead. (I recommend visiting the European Market mid week as we did, much easier to move around).

The Scottish Market in West George Street is a winter showcase of some of the best craft, food and drink that Scotland has to offer, and includes a favourite of mine: Mimi’s Bakehouse.

Both the Street of Light and the Scottish Market will be on George Street until Christmas Eve.

My sketch is drawn with black ink and a watercolour wash.

Edinburgh’s Christmas website.

Daily Sketch

Carols for Christmas at Edinburgh’s St Cuthberts Church

15th December 2016 Edinburgh Sketcher 2 Comments

Last night St Cuthbert’s Church hosted the annual Carols For Christmas concert in aid of The Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

It was a wonderful night of choir singing, inspirational readings, and the stirring sounds of the Dalkeith & Mortonhall Brass Band who played a number of festive tunes.

Edinburgh Academy Chamber Choir sang throughout, guiding the audience through many classic Christmas hymns, but the cutest site was provided by the Choir of George Heriot’s Primary One class, who sang Child in a Manger Born beautifully.

The annual Carols For Christmas concert is a wonderful way to kick start the festive period and personally I love a good sing song at this time of year!

As many of you will know I am a very keen supporter of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation and know first hand the wonderful work that they do supporting the Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children and all those who go through that building at some point in their lives.

So I was honoured to be asked to draw the cover illustration for this years programme, which as you can see is a pen sketch of the front of St Cuthbert’s Church, which sits behind Princes Street and Lothian Road.

For more about the work SKFF do and how you can donate or get involved see the link below.

Sick Kids Friends Foundation website

St Cuthberts Church website

Daily Sketch

Get in to the Christmas swing with the help of Five Guys Named Moe

9th December 2016 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

As part of this years Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations the hit musical Five Guys Named Moe has taken over Festival Square.

Squeezed within the square inside the famous Spiegletent the show is a riot of colour and energy that jives its way through the crowd with the help of a rotating stage and fantastic energy of the excellent cast.

I loved the way the stage was brought out into the audience. giving you a perfect view where ever you are sitting in the Spiegletent, which is this year at Festival Square. Don’t make the same mistake I did and turn up at St Andrews Square, where the venue was last year.

After a quick jog along Princes Street I was soon relaxed (thanks for the prosecco!) and enjoying the uplifting songs, comedy and energy of this hit show.

There was a great party atmosphere throughout and I would definitely recommend it for an after work get together or family Christmas night out.

Here are my sketches drawn through the show, all in black pen with a watercolour wash. It was a challenge trying to capture all the colour and movement!

Edinburgh’s Christmas website.

Five Guys Named Moe information and to book.

Daily Sketch

Close up on Christmas

29th November 2016 Edinburgh Sketcher Leave a comment

For this week’s WhereArtI I drew an Edinburgh institution, the beautiful festive garlands which wrap around the pillars of The Dome on George Street each year.

The Dome is a wonderful building with stunning architecture both inside and out and for the past 20 years has been a welcoming venue to meet, eat, have a drink with friends in beautiful surroundings.

It really is worth a visit to see the dome from inside especially at this time of year, when dressed in all it’s Christmassy finery.

The Dome website.

This Christmas catch a Christmas movie at the Cowgate NYC Film and Street Food Festival, in the Three Sisters courtyard.With a huge outdoor cinema screening festive favourites, together with mulled wine and American style street food this sounds like the perfect way to start your festive night out.

Last night I ran a stall at the Prosecco and Shopping evening, the first stall of the season for me.

This morning whilst walking from the old to new town I noticed Princes Street Gardens is once again busy becoming a Christmas Wonderland.

Can you tell me where in Edinburgh I have sketched?

Enter via the link above or email contact@www.edinburghsketcher.com with the subject line ‘WhereArtI 30th October 2017’.

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and this time I enjoyed two full weeks away from the computer.

Filled with Christmas cards, family photos and happy memories. Our festive fireplace makes me happy 🙂

A splendid show in Edinburgh as the sun falls on the Street of Light.

Last night St Cuthbert’s Church hosted the annual Carols For Christmas concert in aid of The Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

As part of this years Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations the hit musical Five Guys Named Moe has taken over Festival Square.

For this week’s WhereArtI I drew an Edinburgh institution, the beautiful festive garlands which wrap around the pillars of The Dome on George Street each year.

Sketches, news and family life in Scotland's capital city.