Tag Archives: Scotland

WHEREArtI Edinburgh?

Monday 14th December

Can you tell me where I have sketched?

Do you recognise this Edinburgh winding street?

Leave your answer in the comment box below.

Your comment will not show up until I reveal the answer. Closing time for entering is midnight tonight and I will pick a random winner from all correct entries by this time tomorrow.

This week’s prize is a screen printed tea towel featuring the Shore in Leith.

Keep an eye on my facebook and twitter feeds for clues if they are needed later today, and remember you can also see my weekly competition in the printed version of the Edinburgh Evening News each Monday.

Keep looking up and noticing the beauty in the everyday, you never know where I will be sketching next!

My Edinburgh sketched merchandise is available on my Etsy shop and although I am fully booked for Christmas commissions there are plenty of Edinburgh prints available.

Urban Sketching with Cassandra and Mark
Join in my fortnightly online workshops with Edinburgh artist Cassandra Harrison. On the first and third Tuesday of every month, from 7pm – 8.15pm

Edinburgh Skyline in Rainbow

My lock down influenced rainbow sketch of Edinburgh’s iconic skyline.

I had previously added a rainbow to my Leith Shore print, which you can see HERE but for this week thought about drawing a sketch from the start with rainbow colours.

This view is the iconic capital skyline featuring Edinburgh Castle and the clock tower of the Balmoral hotel on Princes Street.

I started with a pencil sketch of the skyline and then from that top edge drew a block of watercolour down the page.

After leaving to dry I then started added darker washes of each colour to pick out the shadows in the photo. With each darker layer the painting gained more depth.

You can currently buy the original painting which is 297x210mm for £150, which includes recorded delivery. Plus 20% for this sale goes to the NHS Lothian Covid-19 Appeal. More info HERE

Also you can buy prints from £20 from my Etsy shop HERE, with 10% from all print sales of this piece going to the NHS Lothian Covid-19 Appeal.

WhereArtI Edinburgh?

Monday 9th March

Can you tell me where I have sketched this week?

There are so many great views from here you may of missed this one.

Leave your answer in the comment box below. Your comment will not show up until I reveal the answer, which I will do before the end of the day.

I will pick a random winner from all correct entries and they will go on to the ‘Winners wall’ for the month. At the end of the month one of those will be picked to receive a prize.

The prize for March is a screen printed tote bag featuring my sketch of Edinburgh Castle.

Keep an eye on my facebook and twitter feeds for clues if they are needed later today, and I will pick a winner for the Winners Wall before the end of the day.

Keep looking up and noticing the beauty in the everyday, you never know where I will be sketching next!

If you would like to buy an Edinburgh Sketcher tote you can find them in my Etsy shop.

WhereArtI Edinburgh?

Can you tell me where I have sketched?

A view over housing to Holyrood Park, but what is the street called?

Leave your answer in the comment box below. Your comment will not show up until I reveal the answer tomorrow.

I will pick a random winner from all correct entries on Tuesday morning, and they will go on to the ‘Winners wall’ for the month. At the end of the month one of those on the wall will be picked to receive a prize.

The prize for November is a pack of my Edinburgh Christmas cards, a set of six illustrated Edinburgh locations, each one coming with a white envelope.

Your comment will not show up until the winner is announced. Keep an eye on my facebook and twitter feeds for clues if they are needed later today, and I will pick a winner for the Winners Wall tomorrow afternoon.

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

If you would like to buy a set of my Edinburgh Christmas cards you can find them in my Etsy shop.

WhereArtI 8th October 2018

Can you name this Edinburgh location?

If you know click the link below to enter your answer. I will pick a random winner from all correct entries on Tuesday morning, and they will go on to the ‘Winners wall’ for the month. At the end of the month those on the wall will be entered into a draw to receive a prize.

The prize for October is one of my Edinburgh Mugs. Available in Victoria StreetLeith or Edinburgh Castle they are perfect for a Monday morning cuppa!

Leave your answer in the comment box below …

Your comment will not show up until the winner is announced. Keep an eye on my facebook and twitter feeds for clues if they are needed later today, and I will pick a winner for the Winners Wall tomorrow afternoon.

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

Can’t wait?  Buy an ES mug right now online HERE.

 

Sketching Workshops for Summer 2018

WorkshopPage LauristonCastleAs the weather improves in Edinburgh join me sketching around the city.

First off I have a welcome return to Lauriston Castle (above), a stunning 400 year old castle which overlooks the Firth of Forth from a 30 acre estate of beautiful gardens and woodlands. The perfect peaceful place to practice your sketching, I have led successful workshops here for a number of years and the venue has a special place in my heart. My 2018 workshops at Lauriston are on June 13th, August 4th and 17th.

WorkshopPage QueensGallery

New for 2018 are two dates at The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse. I will be running afternoon workshops capturing the Canongate area and details around the Palace exterior, influenced by their current Canaletto exhibition. This is an exclusive chance to sketch with me at Holyrood and I expect tickets to sell fast. Workshops will be on 15th June and 3rd August.

WorkshopPage CityArtCentre

Following on from last months debut Sketching Tour at the City Art Centre I will be returning to this fantastic setting for another sketching workshop on 20th July. This is a great opportunity to draw with me as we tour and draw our way along Market Street and the Mound area before returning to the 5th floor of CAC for refreshments and to colour our drawings.

WorkshopPage Arienas

And don’t forget my wonderful Sketching Days at Arienas Collective in the heart of the New Town. These small relaxed workshop days run from a beautiful home close to Queens Street from where we tour the cobbled streets of Georgian New Town and the Portrait Gallery,  drawing all sorts from street furniture to Robert Burns statues! Lunch is included and plenty of delightful nibbles and drinks thanks to the very hospitable Arienas Collective. The next full day workshop is on Friday 22nd June

You can book all these tours on my Workshop page HERE, and I look forward to seeing you at a workshop through the summer.


Exciting news ahead for August.: I am currently planning a return to sketching in the West End with Paper Tiger, the must visit shop for beautiful and creative giftcards, stationary and gifts. Details to come soon.

 

 

 

WhereArtI 19th March 2018

Where in Edinburgh have I sketched?

If you can you tell me where in the Scottish capital I have sketched then you could win a great prize. Email me your answer using the link below and I will randomly pick a correct answer tomorrow morning, who will then go into the monthly draw to win a prize.

The prize for March is a set of my new Edinburgh Sketcher wooden postcards.

Currently being printed the three sketches featured on my new wooden postcards, which can be posted with the same postage as a normal postcard, will be Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars Bobby and the Forth Bridge. A photo will appear here later.

Click HERE to enter your answer

The answer is always in Edinburgh so keep looking up and noticing the details in Scotland’s stunning capital city. Keep an eye on my facebook and twitter feeds for clues through the day if they are needed.

Enter via the link above or email contact@www.edinburghsketcher.com with the subject line ‘WhereArtI 19th March 2018’.

 

A perfect January walk: sunshine, snow and blue skies

Arthurs Seat in snow 2018Yesterday I went for a walk through the crisp fresh snow which had fallen overnight on Arthur’s Seat.

The capitals extinct volcano sits in Holyrood Park and enjoys fantastic views over Edinburgh.

On this occasion however I did not trust myself to climb to the top in such icy conditions so instead walked around the hill to the crags from which I could see the view above showing Arthurs Seat to look like a mighty lion sitting looking out to sea.

The sunshine but so bright from top right creating beautiful colours withing the snow, notably strong blue shadows which I tried to capture above.

This sketch was drawn with ink and watercolour, using a Windsor & Newton paint set and Artgecko A5 sketchpad.

New Year New Skills at the Engine Shed in Stirling

montage sketchesI will be running a series of workshops in Stirling this year at the Engine Shed, an educational conservation centre.

Scotland’s first dedicated building conservation centre is run by Historic Environment Scotland. Since opening last year it serves as a central hub for building and conservation professionals and the general public, and is a fascinating place to visit.

The original ‘shed’ dates back to around 1900, built as a goods transfer building it lies on the banks of the River Forth opposite the train station and enjoys great views over Stirling to the Castle.

I was there this time last week for a day of sketching and will return for more next month. During the morning I supplied paper and pens to visitors and encouraged them to sketch the displays as they toured the shed, before adding some paint with a watercolour wash. Above are some of the fabulous drawings created by visitors.

sketchers

In the afternoon we had a more structured two and a half hour class where we worked on some sketching exercises and I shared some time saving tips to help capture a complicated view in a few quick lines.

I look forward to returning in February and to book a place on the next Sketcher Day keep an eye on the Engine Shed What’s On page via the link below.

The Engine Shed website

montage masks

A new skill for a new year

Pyrography Castle 2I was very lucky this Christmas to receive a pyrography set from Mrs Sketcher and I have been having fun experimenting since.

It’s always great to find a new way to be creative and from my early experiences it seems pyrography, which is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks is perfect for my style of sketching.

Using a ‘pen’ with a heated tip you can make a marks on wood and with a number of different shaped tips you can make various marks from curved lines to broad shading. Below is my first mess around with the pen, and a burn portrait of Mocha, the Sketcher Cat.

Pyrography Mocha

I have included a link to a similar kit to mine online if you want to have a go yourself, it is a little tricky to get used to the speed in which you move the pen, as depending on the wood if too slow the tip can stick resulting in a large burn mark, and if too fast then the linework can be too light. But once you have a controlled speed the drawing is relatively easy.

The kit I received had a number of wood pieces within to try out the pen but unfortunately they were not labelled so I cannot name the wood that these are made on, if you can then please let me know.

A similar pyrography kit at the HobbyCraft website.

The original Edinburgh Castle burnt sketch is available framed for £75. Let me know HERE if you would like to purchase it.

Pyrography Castle frame