Tag Archives: NMS

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Fantastic art created in the National Museums Scotland

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imagePrize giving at the NMS for this years Christmas Art Competition.

Now in its 44th year the NMS Christmas Art Competitioni open to all ages and runs each winter just for the few days between Christmas Day and the New Year.

Participants are givin paper and pencils and encouraged to capture any of the thousands of exhibits on display in the Chambers Street museum.

This January I was one of three judges asked to narrow down the many entries into 1st 2nd and 3rd places for each age category. Ranging from 3years to 70years the artists varied in styles as well as abilities and it was a great inspiration to see so many beautiful pieces created in so little time.

It was an honour to help pick the winners and congratulations to not just those who attended today to receive their prizes but also to all those who took part and found enjoyemeant from drawing in such a wonderful location.

This quick sketch is in watercolour, from days ceremony.

National Museums Scotland

Daily Sketch

A night at the Museum

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NMS afterhours photoLast Friday I enjoyed making festival fringe collages as part of the After Hours evening at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street.

Similar to the successful Lates events at NMS, the After Hours nights are for adults only, with live music, food and a bar to keep guests happy. On each Friday night during the Edinburgh Festival the museum opens its doors to a variety of acts in town for the fringe.

Find out more about which acts will be on this Friday, and book your tickets at the link below.

NMS Museum After Hours website

Daily Sketch

The Tomb: Ancient Egyptian Burial

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TheTomb room2
A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street tells the story of an ancient Egyptian tomb over 1000 years.

The exhibition which opens today and is open until September 3rd explores a tomb consructed in the great city of Thebes (modern day Luxor) shortly after the reign of Tutankhamun.

First built for the chief of police and his wife, it was looted and reused several times, leaving behind a collection of beautiful objects from various eras.

TheTomb mummy-case

Large pieces like the mummy-case (a detail of which I have drawn above) and intricate and delicate objects are displayed to give an insight into what the ancient Egyptians beliefs were and how they remebered the individual, protected thebody and spirit after death.

Below are a set of ‘Four Sons of Horus Amulets’ which measure around four inches in height and were placed in the tomb to protect the lungs, intestines, liver and stomach. Also below is a unique, full length, painted mummy shroud.

TheTomb room1

This exhibition is full of beautiful objects and a joy to look around and learn more about a facinating time in history.

National Museums Scotland website

Daily Sketch

The unmistakeable National Museum of Scotland.

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NationalMuseumScotland - india inkOn Edinburgh’s Chambers Street on the South side of the city lies the National Museum of Scotland.

In 2006 the two previously separate museums, the Victorian built Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland joined together to become The National Museum of Scotland.

The sketch above shows the former Museum of Scotland, which was opened in 1998 and has a much more modern look than its neighbour thanks to architects Benson and Forsyth.

The tower entrance faces out towards the George IV Bridge, which is where I was standing to draw this image.

Find out more about the museums history on their website HERE.

This sketch is made with a brush and india ink on watercolour art paper, it measures 200mm x 200mm and the original can be purchased for £50 plus postage. Email me HERE if you would like to purchase this piece. 

Daily Sketch

The Celts are coming … to the National Museum of Scotland

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Celts_Sandstone Cross
Tomorrow, the 10th March sees the arrival of the eagerly anticipated ‘Celts’ exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, Edinburgh.

 

This major exhibition, their first of 2016 spans more than 2, 500 years and unravels the story of those who have used or been given the name ‘Celts’ through the extraordinary art objects they made and used.

 

The piece I have sketched using cross hatching and shading techniques is a grey sandstone slab from Monifieth in Angus Scotland. Probably carved in the 9th century it is decorated with a cross carved in relief and filled with interlace and spiral patterns.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing this and around 300 other treasured objects from across the UK and Europe, assembled together in Scotland for the first time in this fascinating exhibition.

 

Find out more at the NMS website below.

 

This sketch is drawn in black fine liner, drawn free hand with no pencil.

 

National Museum of Scotland website

Daily Sketch

Lego Build It! exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland

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Lego at NMS with JamesThousands of Lego bricks have been piled up at the Museum, who’s coming to play?

 

Who doesn’t love Lego? The original multi-generational toy which lets imagination run wild and sees creations big and small come to life with the use of simple multicoloured bricks.

 

 

If you do then you should head to the museum just now, especially if you haven’t played with the iconic bricks for a while as both young and old are being encouraged to ‘Build It!’ as part of the museums latest exhibition.

 

Running until April 17th the event is sure to be popular this half term, and as well as having the chance to build you can also see some great mini-buildings and models by renowned brick artist, Warren Elsmore and his team in the Grand Gallery. They will also be on-site, building a special three metre model of the museum.

 

The sketch above is of Sketcher Twin 1 busy in a world of imagination, drawn in fine liner pen with a watercolour wash.

 

Follow the link below to find out more about Build It! Adventures with Lego Bricks.

 

The National Museum of Scotland website

Daily Sketch

A night at the Museum

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MuseumLates_SilentDiscoLast night I attended the RBS Museum Lates event at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, Edinburgh.

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The after hours event is an extravaganza of entertainment, culture, live music and surprises; like this silent disco (left) which was very popular. Very strange to hear only dancers singing the words, and whoops of delight as a favourite song was played.

The night coincided with the final final few days of the current exhibition: ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’, which runs until the 17th November.

I arrived early and headed to the Museum Brasserie for some dinner, and found this delicious gluten free burger, along with chunky chips.

 

With the main hall filling up with revellers and the DJs playing the dance music I headed up to the top floor to see this view of the main hall, the exhibits look on as guests mingle and have a drink at the bar. Including the mighty moose at the back of the room, can you see it? Click  on the sketches for larger versions.

 

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The smaller rooms were free to explore and as well as the usual exhibits to look at there were also a few surprises. Above centre you can see people having there faces painted while underneath a huge plane hangs from the ceiling. And above right visitors get chance to make there own artwork and badges with help from the Red Door Gallery, underneath the skeleton of a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex!

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Finally I love this one, it sums up the night perfectly. An Amur Tiger, one of the exhibits on the third floor sits in front of a glitter ball, sparkling down on the main hall below. There were sights like this all night, two worlds combining. You can’t help thinking what the perminant residents are all thinking 🙂

 

Look out for the next Museums Lates night, it really is a great experience, and a super way to show off the Museum; it’s exhibits and the beautiful building. And in the mean time visit the museum before the 17th November to see the extremely interesting, and harrowing story of Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

 

 

Daily Sketch

RBS Museum Lates night

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NMSLatesall

On Friday night I was lucky enough to attend the latest RBS MuseumsLate night at the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street. The events are run four times a year and are themed around the current exhibition, this time being the Vikings!

The evenings are adult only ticketed events with live music, food and a couple of bars in the main hall, showing the museum in a whole new light.

The montage above shows all my separate doodles put together but I will separate them out below so you can see them a little clearer. I used a range of mediums including fine ink pens, Letraset markers and watercolourwashes on the night. MainHall

This was my first sketch before the doors had opened to the public and down in the main hall staff were hurrying to set everything up.
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For this one I was looking down from the stairwell, visitors could get their photos taken dressed as Vikings in front of a stand with a painted boat. All in the quizzical gaze of the Giant Deer.

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Many visitors came dressed for the part, but for those who did not you could make yourself a Viking helmet and ask the face painters to give you scars and bloody noses, as if fresh from battle.

MainHallBar

This sketch shows the main hall with a bar and many visitors all listening to the music being played on the stage to the left. You can see the lighthouse light to the right and the gazebo to the left, recognizable from the museums usual day to day appearance.

Dinosaur

Daily Sketch

Oh what a view..

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On Saturday the family and I visited the stunningly visual, mind expandingly educational, humongously huge and importantly free, National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, Edinburgh.

Followers will know this is a fave haunt for the EdinburghSketcher and family but even I still haven’t seen everything they have to show. On Saturday I took the lift to the top, the seventh floor infact and stepped out into the Roof Terrace garden. A stunning 360degree panorama of Edinburgh’s skyline awaits with handy plaques describing each famous landmark.

My sketch is looking towards Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile. It’s well worth a trip to see the cityscape, high above the buildings of central Edinburgh.