Tag Archives: workshop

Watercolour workshops online

This week I took part in our second ‘Urban Sketching with Edinburgh Sketcher and Cassandra Harrison’ workshop on Zoom and had a great time.

Local artist and teach Cassandra Harrison and I thought we would set up an online fortnightly workshop where people could join us and create artwork looking at different mediums and techniques.

We will be sharing our tips and skills learnt over the years and also inviting guests on to share their thoughts about art and the city of Edinburgh.

We hope this will grow into a small community of creative types at all levels who can then share and learn together twice a month.

This week we were joined by comedien and Leither Jo Caulfield who introduced three of her favourite Leith buildings, which we all then captured in watercolours.

Above are my drawings as I showed people how to layer watercolour washes, leaving each one to dry and working on all three at the same time.

The results were amazing and to see some of the art out workshops produced go to the workshop facebook page at Urban Sketching with Edinburgh Sketcher and Cassandra Harrison

Above is a screen shot of our artists on zoom. If you have been on my ‘in person’ workshops in Edinburgh before then you will know that I always like to get a photo of everyones drawings at the end. It is a great way to see everyones unique take on the same subject, and to see how they all have merits. This is the zoom equivalent!

Join us on the next workshop by booking a place via the link below, each 75 minute class is £10 (£7.50 concessions) and on the 1st September we have architect David Blaikie joining us.

Read more and book your place here.

Online workshop 2: Layering watercolours in Leith

In the second of my collaborative workshops online I will be looking at drawing with layers of watercolours, taking inspiration from the industrial buildings of Leith.

Just a week to go before the second of our 75 minute Tuesday night workshops where we take a look at urban sketching and the various techniques you can use.

This time on Tuesday 18th at 7pm (UK time) we will be looking at layering watercolours to achieve atmosphere and depth in your sketches. This can be a quick way to capture a scene and with a combination of loose strokes and steady detail can achieve great effects.

We will also be extremely pleased to welcome comedian and Edinburgh Fringe regular Jo Caulfield joining us live and telling us a little about her favourite Leith buildings.

Tickets for this zoom event are £10 (£7 concessions) and can be booked via the link below. You will need 3 roughly A5 pieces of watercolour or thick paper and a watercolour set for this week’s class.

Book your place HERE

Collaborative online workshops now available

So excited to be launching these fortnightly Zoom workshops with Edinburgh artist and teacher Cassandra Harrison.

With Covid-19 stopping all my outdoor events I have had to stop all walking workshops until later in the year. However to keep everyone being creative I have started running online workshops which you can join in on from the comfort of your own home.

Cassandra Harrison is a well known Edinburgh artist and teacher and together we will be capturing urban scenes using various mediums and techniques. The first one is on Tuesday 4th August 6-7.15pm where we will be looking at perspectives.

Follow the link to book this limited class for just £10 (£7.50 concessions). You will also find more details about our future sessions and a list of a few materials for you to get ready prior to Tuesday evening.

We will have QnA time for you to ask any questions about our work and also have some special guests dropping in on some of the sessions.

Please share and we look forward to seeing you there.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/urban-sketching-with-cassandra-and-mark-perspectives-tickets-114869870876

Online workshops in June

This month I am joining Cassandra Harrison to bring you a three session workshop online. Whilst we may not be drawing outside as much as usual why not join us once a week for an hour of online creativity. 

Cassandra Harrison is an artist and teacher who creates beautiful bright and colour street scenes. Together we will walk you through creating some art in your own home, learning a few tips which you can then, once allowed, take outdoors to capture the world around you.

You’ll learn drawing, painting and mixed media techniques and the first session starts on Monday 15th June when Cassandra will introduce you to Urban Sketching and line work. I will take the second session on June 22nd where we will look at perspectives and adding detail and watercolour to your drawings. Then during the final session on June 29th Cassandra will help bring all you have learned into a piece which also uses oil pastels to add another dimension. 

This collaboration is sure to ignite creativity and experimentation in your art and is ideal for both professionals and absolute beginners. For me I find seeing how another artist works fascinating and trying new materials or a new way of using those materials can be very beneficial to my own process. 

This is the first online workshop for me and I am so excited about it, and very thankful to Cassandra for sharing her workshop and I look forward to developing this partnership in the future, and sharing more of my process with you. 

Find out more and book for either the whole session or a particular day via the link below, and I look forward to seeing you online!

Urban Sketching – Let’s Draw Some Awesome Cities

Bookbinding and sketching workshops with Arienas Collective

My first book binding and sketching workshop of 2020 was a success at Arienas Collective in Edinburgh’s New Town.

The morning is spent learning how to put together and stitch a couple of books using recycled paper and leather (or pleather) covers. There are so many ways to customise and add your own mark to them that they become unique to you, I love the one I made last time.

The class then have a delicious and locally sourced buffet lunch of fish, cheeses and salads with a warming soup which prepares us for heading outside to sketch.

After lunch I take everyone on a tour or the neighbourhood picking out New Town details, along with wide perspective views or Edinburgh’s stunning Georgian architecture. We return with a number of ink drawings which we can then touch up and add watercolour too whilst having a cuppa and a piece of cake.

It really is such a lovely way to spend the day, plus you come away with a renewed confidence in drawing the world around you plus a personal sketch book ready to be filled.

For details of all my workshops see the Sketching Workshops page and to book the next bookbinding and sketching day at Arienas Collective, which is on Friday 13th March, click HERE.

Make Christmas cards from your West End sketches

Join me on Sunday 17th November and be inspired by Edinburgh’s Georgian architecture.

Following on from my first Christmas Card themed workshop a couple of weeks ago I will be back at Paper Tiger on Stafford Street to run two more workshops in November.

Each person who buys a ticket will receive a goody bag including a moleskine sketch book which we will use to draw a few locations around the West End in black ink.

I will be there to help you get started with a few tips and techniques so your confidence will grow as we move around the area. Working in black ink you will capture perspective and depth in your drawings.

Once back at Paper Tiger I will show you how you can turn these drawings into Christmas Cards ensuring you can send out your very own works of art this year.

Each place is £25 and included in that is your Paper Tiger goody bag and also all materials needed to take the workshop.

Book your place here:

17th November 12.30pm – 2.00pm

17th November 2.30pm – 4.00pm

Paper Tiger Facebook page

These photos were taken on the previous workshop with Paper Tiger

West End sketching in the sunshine

Last weekend I had a workshop with gift card and stationary shop, and Edinburgh institution; Paper Tiger.

I have run workshop tours from the Stafford Street shop before but not at the shorter time of 90 minutes so I was a bit nervous of how I would fit in my usual amount of drawings.

I needn’t of worried though as we had a plenty of time to start a few sketches and for me to pass on a few of my tips and tricks to get people started.

The group of around 12 people all created some great work and also we had a quick shot of the watercolours and waterbrushes which I usually take around with me.

Here are some photos from the afternoon and if you would like to join me on the next one, which we will be theming around creating bespoke Christmas cards then check the link below to see if there are places available.

Plus each ticket comes with a goody bag form Paper Tiger including a Moleskine sketchbook so you can keep drawing after the event!

Moleskine Christmas Card Workshop with Edinburgh Sketcher ‘Sketch Your Own Christmas Cards’ – 6th October 12.30pm – £25.00

Moleskine Christmas Card Workshop with Edinburgh Sketcher ‘Sketch Your Own Christmas Cards’ – 6th October 2.30pm – £25.00

Rooftop art workshops

Join me sketching from the private 5th floor roof terrace of John Lewis, in the heart of Edinburgh.

Following on from last month’s sketching from within the John Lewis cafe I am pleased to announce two exclusive workshops from the shop’s roof top terrace.

With panoramic views over the north of the city we will draw inspiration from the forth bridge on the left to Calton Hill on the right, and all of Leith below us.

In collaboration with New Town creative hub The Arienas Collective, these two dates (8th August and 15h August) are the first time John Lewis has run workshops from their roof space, and as such are a rare chance to walk out and see this stunning view over the city.

Using black ink and watercolours we will capture the skyline in a number of sketches which will teach you some of my tips to speed sketching and at the same time increase your confidence in capturing your view in a sketchbook.

We will also mount our favourite drawing to take home.

Tickets to this 2.5 hour workshop which runs from 10am – 12.30pm on both 8th and 15th August are £38 and include all materials needed and also a tea or coffee.

Places are limited to ensure more one to one time as I work around the group. To book your place click on the correct date below.

John Lewis Rooftop Sketching – 8th August – 10am

John Lewis Rooftop Sketching – 15th August – 10am

Mini sketching sessions in Stirling this February

Join me at The Engine Shed on February 16th for some sketching instruction at their dedicated building conservation centre.

Explore The Engine Shed with sketchbooks in hand, using ink and watercolour to bring your visit to life. Either stop by during the 10-12pm drop in session, or book onto one of the 45 minute workshops during the afternoon.

We will have a go at different shading techniques, with both ink and watercolour to capture depth and perspective, making your drawings jump off the page!

There will be four bookable 45 minute sessions in the afternoon, starting at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. Book your places now as spaces are limited, using the link below.

Find out more and book your tickets from the Engine Shed Eventbrite page here

My first sketch tour of 2019 was along the Royal Mile


On Friday I ran a sketching workshop for 28 lawyers visiting Edinburgh from the Netherlands. My sketching two hour workshop was a break from their talks and visits to Parliament House and the Supreme Courts.

Blessed by such stunning architecture we sketched both the Georgian interiors of the Signet Library and exteriors, before visiting St Giles Cathedral for a little perspective practice.

Capturing the dark and light inside St Giles Cathedral was a real challenge, and using that shading to create depth in your drawing can be a tricky but rewarding task.

My group created a number of drawings around Parliament Square, and the two hours passed by quickly as each person found a little peace and creativity in their otherwise busy schedule in Scotland.

If you would like to discuss booking me to run a workshop for your visit to Edinburgh, or business conference then do get in touch. Sketching can be the perfect stress free distraction between meetings, when total concentration can be achieved quickly.

The Signet Library website

St Giles Cathedral website