Tag Archives: Family

Daily Sketch

Christmas doodles from two weeks with the family

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Christmas Tree detail 2016Christmas is my favourite time of the year and this time I enjoyed two full weeks away from the computer.

Although I couldn’t stop myself from sketching occasionally I did take the fortnight off to spend with family and friends and enjoyed the lack of screen time, returning in the second week of January refreshed and ready to plan my 2017.

Here are my sketchings from the time off, now scanned in and cleaned up for you to see.

I know Christmas already feels a long time ago but these are very happy memories for me, and only 10 months until we do it all again 😉

All the best for 2017 everyone!

Christmas Fireplace 2016Stargazer 2016Quality Street Fudge

Daily Sketch

Merry Christmas everyone, from my home to yours!

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xmasfireplaceFilled with Christmas cards, family photos and happy memories. Our festive fireplace makes me happy 🙂

This is the Sketcher family fireplace, and looking at it makes me feel all Christmassy. I hope you are all having a lovely relaxed time with family and friends, or just enjoying some peace and quiet over the festive period and recharging the batteries for the new year to come.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Daily Sketch

Botanic Lights once more illuminates and transforms the Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh

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botanicslights2016_houseAs green spaces are turned orange with fallen leaves and the evenings are getting darker quicker, it is time once again to wrap up warm and head to Edinburgh’s Botanic gardens for a light show to amaze and stimulate.

After being out of the country for a week it was great to be back in Edinburgh and what better way to soak up the autumnal weather which greated us but with a walk around the Botanics. Usually a haven of peace and calm, for a short time every autumn the famous landscaped gardens are transformed into a trail of colour, sound, light and projection.

botanicslights2016_tree

There are food and drinks carts to warm you as you walk – the marsh mallows, hot chocolate and mulled wine went down very well with the Sketcher Clan.

I captured a few of the sights in my sketch book but there was so much more to see, we all enjoyed changing the colour of the trees with little touch screens, and especially the water show on the duck pond which had all the crowd gasping and cheering.

Head along to see the event which runs to November 6th, it will put you in the cosy wintry mood for sure. Book via the links below, tickets cost around £7.50 to £15.00.

botanicslights2016_bulbsilhouette

All sketches were made with black fine liner and a watercolour wash. 

Botanic Lights website

Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh website

Daily Sketch

A weekend camping in the Scottish Borders

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ruberslaw-camping_tentThe past weekend the Sketcher Clan took a short break in the Borders to try out our new tent and found a beautiful little campsite hidden in the woods.

With twins who are five and a half Mrs Sketcher and I though it was a good time to invest in a family tent and introduce the kids to the wonderful world of camping.

Although not the sleeping on hard ground, crawling in and out of your tent, getting dressed without standing up camping that I knew as a boy, oh no. This was more like glamping to me – blow up beds and a 6 man tent with seperate rooms, that you can walk through without ducking once! The words ‘don’t know you’re born’ came to mind but I resisted.

We set off from Edinburgh after collecting the wee ones from school and were headed to a campsite near Berwick but unfortunately half way there we found out they had closed so had a slightly panicked internet search to find another one with space and our one must have – the freedom to light a fire.

This was more like glamping to me – blow up beds and a 6 man tent with seperate rooms

So after a slight detour we found our self at Ruberslaw Wild Woods Camping just outside Hawick.

We couldn’t of been more pleased, the site is partly within a walled garden, surrounded by trees and with cars kept to the very close car park it is perfect for kids to make friends and wander free. Plus we had our own fire pit sit around at night toasting marshmallows. Pure Bliss.

The Sketcher Twins and I drawing in the campsite.
The Sketcher Twins and I drawing in the campsite.

Hopefully autumn still has a few sunny weekends to come so if you can head along for a mini break before they close at the end of October.

The Ruberslaw Wild Woods Camping website

There is a lovely illustrated map of the site on there by Melrose artist Diane Lumley.

The twins watercolour drawings of our tent
The twins watercolour drawings of our family tent
Daily Sketch

Beach sketching in warmer weather, at Elie in Fife

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elie-beachA beautiful curved golden beach awaits in the small fishing village of Elie, in Fife where the Sketcher clan and I took a day trip earlier this month.

Sitting on the sunny side of the Forth we looked out across the water to North Berwick and the Berwick Law, the mound in the distance on my sketch.

We rock pooled, bult sandcastles and moats and collected seashells before grabbing a bag of chips in Queensferry on the way home. Summer time bliss to close out the season 🙂

Sketch drawn on location with ink and watercolour

My Elie sketch is available as an original 200x150mm watercolour for £50 or via my online shop as a print in two sizes. 150×100 = £18 or 297x210mm = £32. Prices do not include postage.

Daily Sketch

Heatwave in Granton today

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GardenTwinsEnjoying a long lunch in the garden today with my beautiful Sketcher twins!

All this week I am working at a printers in Leith, covering for someones holiday. On a day like today I am thankful it’s only a 9-1pm shift so I still get to enjoy my lunch with the Sketcher Twins.

This afternoon we had it in our garden, too hot to move much I watched and sketched as they made mud pies and ‘saved’ creepy crawlies from the garden!

Special days with loved ones, captured in a sketch.

This sketch is drawn in pen and watercolour, brushed on with my new (and brilliant) Pentel Aquash Water Brush Pen, more of which to come in future posts. 

GardenTwins crop

Daily Sketch

Enjoying the Magic Festival with the Sketcher Twins.

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MAgicFestivalAt the weekend the Sketcher Twins and I soaked up some Summerhall magic.

The Edinburgh creative hub for the arts is home to studio and workshop spaces, and is situated close to the east end of the Meadows park in Edinburgh’s south side. It’s a favourite place for me, drop in for a coffee or bite to eat and there is always some interesting a new artwork or creativity to see.

From the 1st to the 8th of July the venue, and others around the city has been taken over by the Edinburgh International Magic Festival. I took the twins there on Sunday for the ‘Magic Fair Family Morning’ which ran on Saturday and Sunday.

The twins loved it … as did I

The entrance fee of £12 (under 7’s were free, children over 7 £7), got you 4 hours of access to various magic shows, magic related craft and even a mini magic school.

The twins loved it (as did I – the magicians were very funny) and combining the shows with the arts and crafts was a good way of breaking up the day and avoiding too much queuing or waiting around.

Although that particular session was only on for the weekend there are plenty of other shows to see before the finale on the 8th July. Click through the links below to find out more, and remember to book the Magic Fair Family Morning next year!

The sketch above was drawn from photos taken on the day, in black ink and watercolour. 

The Edinburgh International Magic Festival website

Summerhall website

Daily Sketch

EdinburghSketcher sketching workshops – on Pinterest

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PinterestScreengrab
See photos from my latest Sketch Classes on this Pinterest board. Collected from various events I will add more as I go.

 

Included are ones from Lauriston Castle​ and Honey Pot Ceramics – Arts and Crafts Studio​ from over the weekend.  If you have taken any photos from the classes which you would like to add to the board send them to me at contact@www.edinburghsketcher.com

 

EdinburghSketcher sketching workshops on Pinterest

Lauriston Castle on Facebook

Honepot Ceramics Arts and Crafts on Facebook

 

Daily Sketch

My next sketch class, on Sunday 26th July

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AutumnLeavesCones_RBGEMy next sketching workshop is just two days away!

Call Honey Pot Ceramics Art and Crafts studio on 0131 333 6348 tomorrow between 10am and 5pm to book your place on this family sketch class, focusing on nature and texture drawing. This is what they had to say about our first sketch class together…

 

EXCITING NEW PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCED TODAY!

We are really excited to announce that we will be working with the Edinburgh Sketcher (aka Mark Kirkham) over the next few months on a variety of projects. The first is detailed below:

Sketching Workshop for Families: Sunday 26th July 10.30-12.30

This is a fantastic opportunity to join us with the Edinburgh Sketcher for 2 hours of sketching bliss.

We’ll go outside into the quarry/canal and forage for items to draw. Mark will then show you how to do some close sketching, distance sketching combining short timed sketches with longer studies. You’ll discuss your sketches before mounting your favourite sketch.

This 2 hour workshop is aimed at Families: Adults £20, children (age 5+) £6 with an accompanying adult, who is also sketching.

You will learn speed sketching skills and techniques to be able to capture the world around you in ink and watercolour

 

Honey Pot Ceramics Art and Crafts Studio Facebook page

 

Daily Sketch

Loving the lazy days waiting for Christmas

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ChristmasTree2014With commissions done and shelves stocked with ES goodies I can take it easy for a few days with the Sketcher family.

I love these lazy days of family games and festive films on the telly. Walks in the fresh air and cosy cuddles on the sofa, the view from which is this lovely Christmas tree the sketcher family decorated together many nights ago now.

 

It may be a little full and too colourful for some, but each trinket and bauble has a special meaning, many of them family made this year.

 

Have a great Christmas everyone, thank you for all your kind comments and support throughout 2014, a year when Edinburgh Sketcher went full time. Here is to a happy 2015 which will see new merchandise competitions and exhibitions for ES and also a lovely new website to showcase my sketches.

 

Below is the Christmas tree sketch before the watercolour wash.

 

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Look back through my sketches of 2014 HERE