Tag Archives: cobbles

Old Town Angles

click to zoom

This view from Upper Bow through the railings and on to The Hub caught my eye this week.

A big part of making a sketch is picking the right perspective and angle of a scene. Something I maybe picked up while at art college studying photography.#

And maybe come to think of it that is why I like double yellow lines so much! The way they can lead the viewers eye into a photo, or drawing. It helps tell a story or create more interest in the scene if your eye is led around.

Earlier this week I took a walk through the city to capture some photos of scenes like this, noticing new angles and views through streets I have walked along so many times.

Just like this view of The Hub venue through the railings of Upper Bow, as I walked up from Victoria Street onto Castle Hill. Beauty in the everyday 🙂

A cloudy view to Broughton St Marys Parish Church

There is beauty evening the dull cloudy days here in Edinburgh.

I have been practicing my clouds recently, and this dull morning last week was perfect for combining some grey clouds with a little perspective sketching, plus a lovely church in the centre.

As often happens I was driving along the road when I spotted the stunning composition of tis view and had to pull over and sketch.

I then spent the next five minutes finding the place to park the car, to get the best angle to paint from – as it was baltic outside!!

This sketch was drawn with a 0.3 fineliner and then a watercolour wash over the top. This sketch is available (from £18) as a print on my Etsy shop HERE.

Happy Valentines Day… now spit!

Heart_of_MidlothianThe Heart of Midlothian sits outside St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh.

 

St Valentines Day and what better a sketch than that of the heart-shaped mosaic, made from coloured granite and which lies on the spot where once stood a prison and public execution site!

 

You may well see passers by spitting on the heart for good luck, a practice thought to originate from a sign of disdain for the former prison. I always thought that there was once a dungeon below and folk would spit on the prisoners as they passed but it seems I was mistaken. The crest of one of Edinburgh’s two Premier League football teams, Heart of Midlothian is based upon the mosaic.

 

The sketch is black fine liner with a watercolour wash over the top.