Tag Archives: bicycle

Daily Sketch

Where the bicycles meet

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Fine lines and sketchy scribbles on Jeffrey Street.

My first sketch of Edinburgh in the new year is this view of bicycles on Jeffrey Street. I was there visiting my latest collaborating stockist, Hot Toddy who have a cafe and give great whisky tasting tours to locals and visitors to the city.

I have noticed this view before, I love the lines cross crossing through the picture and the depth that the bikes plus the Balmoral in the background give to my sketch.

I sketched with my favoured Uni Pin Fineliners and then added a quick watercolour wash to give a little colour to the famous hotel in the distance.

Happy New Year everyone and I hope you continue to follow my sketching journey through 2024. Mark 🙂

Daily Sketch

Electric power hits Edinburgh streets

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This week saw the launch of Edinburgh’s electric bikes, joining the already 500 strong fleet across the city.

I was invited to cover the launch outside the City Chambers on the Royal Mile, as councilors and bosses from Serco and sponsors Just Eat showed off the brand new bicycles which are now available to hire.

The electric versions will stand side by side with their normal bikes in the many dock stations around Edinburgh and are all named after local areas in the city.

To hire a bike you will pay the usual £1.50 per ride as with the other bikes but then an addition 10p per minute for the battery power. With each ride on the Just Eat Cycles currently averaging at around 15 minutes that would be an extra £1.50.

I would definitely encourage you to have ago as the powered bikes are great fun, especially as for the first 2 weeks there is no addition charge. The power is very subtle, its a little like someone running behind you with a hand on your back, giving you a wee push when you need it.

I imagine I might be getting an electric one into town up the hills and then a none electric one home as its mainly down hill.

For more information see the Edinburgh Cycle Hire website below.

Just Eat Cycles website

Daily Sketch

My Victorian Cycle postcards have arrived

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vintagepostcardsallMy new set of Victorian Edinburgh Cycle themed postcards are now available to buy in my online shop.

I have been planning this set of cards for some time so am pleased to see them printed and available to buy. This time last year I was asked to run a sketching table at the National Museum of Scotland and their Museum Lates event which was Victorian themed to tie in to their display all about photography since its origins in the Victorian era.

I was so inspired by the portraits and landscapes from the time I thought it would be great to try and sketch some Victorian scenes of Edinburgh, and I have always been a fan of including bicycles in my drawings. The lines and circles just appeal to me 🙂

So here are the resulting pieces from researching photographs of Edinburgh streets, clothing and bicycles being ridden at the time.

We have a young woman cycling through West Port, another circling the fountain in Princes Street Gardens and a smart gentleman riding a penny farthing along Princes Street. Bottom left sees a librarian delivering books on Hanover Street, a chap pushing his bike though the Meadows and finally a cycle race down the Royal Mile into Canongate.

vintagepostcardsback

Each of the A6 (105x148mm) cards is decorated with a backing design to mimic postcards of the time, with room for your message and senders address.

These postcards will retail around town for around £1.00-£1.20 each but you can buy a pack of all six designs from my online shop for just £5.00 plus postage and packaging.

 

Buy a pack of postcards on through my shop website

 

Daily Sketch

Autumn in the Meadows park, Edinburgh

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MeadowsAutumnThere’s a wonderful show of colour currently in Edinburgh, as Autumn waves a magic wand over all our trees.

Everyone should take a walk through the beautiful colours of the Meadows park just now as October runs into November and the Edinburgh central park runs from green through bright yellows to vibrant oranges and deep dark reds.

 

I tried to capture a few of these colours this afternoon with my watercolours, but to be honest similarly to taking a photograph, the reproduction is a poor relation to the real thing.

 

BikeMeadows

Daily Sketch

Thanks to the car, a new view from the bike

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Calton Hill from Queen's Park
Calton Hill from Queen’s Park

Today I had to take the car into the garage. I am now awaiting the dreaded call to tell me what is wrong with it and how much it will cost to put it right.

But on the plus side I put the bike in the boot and cycled from Seafield to work in between Queen’s Park and Arthur’s Seat. This was my view through the park to Calton Hill, with Holyrood Palace below and the old Royal High School to the left.

Now, fingers crossed for some relatively good news from the garage…