Category Archives: Daily Sketch

Daily Sketch

Festival fun at The Lyceum

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A quick festival visit to the Royal Lyceum Theatre on Grindlay Street.

The first sketch above was a quick one whilst waiting for the doors to open. I was there to see the press preview of As Far As Possible at the Lyceum Theatre. Such a beautiful building in the summer sunshine.

The second sketch below is from inside and the rehearsal of As Far As Possible, which runs from tonight to 14th.

The play tells the stories of humanitarian workers and I loved how the simple white tent which we all know is brought to life, being raised up and lowered revealing many layers of colour and shadows. Together with the thumping drum beat the small part I saw was very moving.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre website

Daily Sketch

Time for a check up

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This sketch is of my precious watch which has been in the family for three generations and now needs a little TLC.

My watch was not on my wrist, instead in my pocket as it hasn’t been working and I had hoped this would remind me to drop it off at a repair shop.

I was early for a meeting in the museum on chambers street so had a coffee and placed the watch on the table in front of me to sketch. I had just bought some lovely thick hand made paper from Cass Art on George street so wanted to try it out with a little watercolour.

I loved the texture from the paper and the colours of the leather and shadows came out great.

Daily Sketch

Garden Strawberries

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Trying my new professional watercolours on these ready to pick strawberries this Sunday lunchtime.

I love to paint with watercolours only, no pencil or pen lines first, I just look at each colour as a shape and try to copy that sharp with my waterbrush.

It’s a great way to really look at the colours and also the individual shapes rather than the whole image.

Especially beneficial as these strawberries were not like the iconic drawn berry you might have in your head or see in the supermarket. The ones we grow in the garden are a bit more individual, natural and they tasted great!

Daily Sketch, Workshops

Workshop By The Sea

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This month I was asked to run a workshop in beautiful North Berwick for the Scottish Seabird Centre’s annual Marine Fest.

It seems to be always sunny in North Berwick, such a beautiful seaside town on the east coast just an hour from Edinburgh. But it’s also a little windy, which I always forget!!

I arrived early and had a lovely look around before my eager sketchers arrived or a couple of hours where I share my tips for getting started with sketching and capturing the views around you with ink pens and watercolours.

It was great fun and we drew shells close up before heading around to the boats and sketching the Life buoy hanging on a beautiful stone harbour wall.

We ran out of time to sketch the boats so I stayed on after lunch and drew the fishing boat with the town’s hill ‘The Law’ in the background.

My next sketching workshop is this Saturday back in Edinburgh’s New Town and there are a few places left for this walk and draw session capturing some beautiful details and touching on a little perspective too. All abilities are welcome and I provide all the materials you will need.

Have a look at this link for more details and to book your place.

My finished drawing above and below as it was before I added the watercolour. I wasn’t sure whether to add the colour or not, what do you think?

Daily Sketch

Sunshine on Scone

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Scone Place provided the perfect host for last weekends Scottish Garden Fair.

My family and I visited the Garden Fair at Scone Palace last weekend and it was a glorious day. Summer vibes, great food and lots of beautiful plants to look at and take home.

We are keen gardeners and we all enjoy a walk through nature, tall trees and fields of wield flowers are great for the soul and a chance to catch up and talk over our daily concerns and plans.

And so the Scottish Garden Fair seemed like the perfect day out, and it was, the stalls and food trucks were very welcome but the star of the show was Scone Palace itself and the wonderful walks through their gardens. Wonderful tall pines and many colours of rhododendrons lead us to the great maze which proved quite a tough task!

We will be back with a picnic soon. Find out more about this beautiful palace at the link below.

Scone Palace website

Daily Sketch

Flying boats

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How I want to be back here today, where the sail boats seemed to float through the clouds.

This sketch from a few months ago is Lake Windermere and a quick trip to see friends. We were skimming stones and following the ducks along the shore, letting time drift while we let our breakfast settle and the nearby aquarium get ready to open.

I stood at the end of one of the jetty’s and sketched the view, the mirror surface of the water made the lake look like an extension of the clouds above. It was mesmerising and I am so glad I made this quick painting, looking at it it takes me right back there now.

We stayed at the Lakeside Hotel and Spa, and I would go back in a heart beat 🙂

Daily Sketch

Blossom heaven in the Meadows

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The ‘Lion’ of Arthurs Seat sleeps on a bed of blossom.

I love this view of Arthurs Seat, ever since it was pointed out to me that the volcanic remains look like a lion looking out past Leith into the Forth.

For this sketch I visited the Meadows on the south side of Edinburgh during the month of May. The all to fleeting time when the city is awash with blossom and the Meadows park in particular dramatically changes colour with large stripes of pink.

It’s a time I have caught a few times with my watercolours but this one of the ‘lion sleeping’ is a new one for me.

Available as a print HERE.

Daily Sketch

Views across to Fife

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A favourite place for a summers evening walk, The Old Chain Pier has great views across the Forth.

I live just along a bit from here and its a nice half hour wander with a pint at the end, and those views are amazing. Seals are often seen from the window seats and they also have outdoor seating overlooking the bay between Granton and Newhaven.

The Old Chain Pier website.

Daily Sketch

Peter Howson at the CAC

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A major new exhibition of Howson’s career is now on at the City Art Centre.

Last night I was lucky enough to have a sneak peek at the new major retrospective of Peter Howson’s paintings, at the City Art Centre Museums & Galleries Edinburgh 

It’s an amazing opportunity to see so many of his works together over four floors, showing graphic and emotional pieces which see the world as it is now, not once was. I will be back and recommend it too, on from Saturday until October as part of Edinburgh Art Festival . 

City Art Centre website

Daily Sketch, Support A Business Sketch

Tigers in Morningside

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New opportunities in Morningside as Paper Tiger stretches out a paw southwards.

There is a new bright and colourful addition to Morningside Road on the corner of Springvalley Gardens. Gift shop and Edinburgh destination Paper Tiger has been selling beautifully designed, unique and quirky gifts and stationary from the West End since 1981, and has now opened its third store in Morningside’s busy shopping district.

I remember visiting their West End shop, spending ages looking around the basement full of wonder and creativity. And I was so glad to become a stockist there when EdinburghSketcher took over my full time work almost ten years ago.

Now I am equally excited to have my gift cards and other printed items in Morningside. It is great news to see a local business doing well and I look forward to sketching more scenes of the Southside for the new shop.

https://www.papertiger.co.uk/