Bubble Car

One of the exhibits at the Museum of Croydon, a Trojan ‘Bubble car’, made along with about 6000 others at their factory in Purley Way, Croydon in the early 1960s.

The museum of Croydon website has more information at http://www.museumofcroydon.com/

(urban sketch)

getting some shuteye

chocolate digestive

coat of arms

get lucky

Che Guevara's buses

I’d heard this tale several times on the Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London, not knowing if it is true or just an urban myth but when I saw that the theme for the Serco Illustration Competition this year was ‘London Stories’, it seemed a great opportunity to use it as the basis for an illustration. 

It goes something like this…

It was the 1960s and the Cuban government needed some new buses, red preferably. The political situation meant they had to look far afield for supplies. Their Minister of Transport, who at the time was Che Guevara, looked to socialist governed Britain and it’s state-owned motor company to supply them.  The load was to be transported on an East German ship but the ship mysteriously sank on the voyage and never reached it’s destination.

Whether there is any truth in it or not, I think it’s a fascinating story and I chose to illustrate the buses being loaded at the dockside.

lighting

Saturday morning at Tesco

Sketching plants and flowers in a London garden

Sketching plants and flowers in a london garden... from lineandwash

Speedy sketching at the 1230 TWC Christmas Meeting

I was invited yesterday to sketch at the ‘1230 The Women’s Company’ Christmas meeting in Henry’s Bar in Bromley.  Set up by Jackie Groundsell in 2002, it’s a lunchtime networking group aimed at busy businesswomen.  I’m always looking for new people and places to draw so it seemed a great opportunity and I offered to do ‘speedy sketches’- 2 minute line drawings (I added some wash at home later) and in return I would post them on my blog with details about each of the businesses. 

You can find out more about Jackie and the 1230TWC at http://1230.co.uk/

Denise from ‘Shopping Bag’ http://www.shoppingbagltd.com/

 Denise from ‘Damson Belle’, image consultants http://www.damsonbelle.co.uk/            

Lee from NYR Organic  http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/

           Annabel from ‘Irenicon’, specialists in employment law http://irenicon.co.uk/

Susan, Annabel’s colleague at ‘Irenicon’ http://irenicon.co.uk/

Denise from ‘Expectancy’, complimentary therapies during pregnancy http://expectancy.co.uk/

 Jo, Denise’s colleague at ‘Shopping Bag’ http://www.shoppingbagltd.com/

Sandy

Fiona from ‘Business Junction’, business networking http://www.businessjunction.co.uk/

Nadine from ‘Crawford’s Bookkeeping and Accounts’ http://www.crawfordsbookkeeping.co.uk/

Charlie, from ‘Lottie Art’, who is currently developing a business idea.

Paola from ‘Inner Power’, specialising in hypnobirthing http://www.innerpower.co.uk/index.html          

Nikki from ‘In Focus’, a training and coaching consultancy http://you-infocus.co.uk/category/homepage/

Kim from ‘KRH Beauty’ 07956 834487 for appointments.

Jackie from ‘1230 TWC’ http://1230.co.uk/

Trisha from ‘Tabbris’, holistic therapies http://www.tabbris.co.uk/

Abi from LUSH, fresh handmade cosmetics https://www.lush.co.uk/

Elinor, Abi’s colleague at Lush https://www.lush.co.uk/

train faces

confetti

Life drawing - quick pose

get the party started

falling asleep

X factor

Sketching and shopping

Sketching and shopping from lineandwash

The Royal Bell Hotel

Today I sketched the former Royal Bell Hotel in Bromley, which is currently the target of an enterprising initiative to bring a permanent Arts venue to the centre of the town.  The group who are behind the idea are called the ‘Bromley Arts and Community Initiative’ and they have just received funding from Bromley Council to progress with their plans.

This is what they say about their aims on their blog;

‘We are a Bromley based community group with two specific and related goals:

1) To procure the Royal Bell Hotel in Bromley as a focal point for social, recreational, cultural and educational interests including a community pub

2) To promote and encourage the work of Bromley based artists and creative organisations by enabling the delivery of imaginative, varied and engaging arts-based activities which benefits the whole community’

Keep up with developments via the blog at http://bromleyartsandcommunity.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow them on twitter ‏@BromCommunity 

                                                               

The new extension

The Tate Modern in London is building an extension.  Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, you can take a look at what the finished building will look like here at http://www.tate.org.uk/about/projects/tate-modern-project.

I sketched the skeleton like structure from the fifth floor of the main building.

(urban sketch)

misty skyline

the mint with the hole

Chelsea Old Town Hall

The Chance Gallery

A few months ago, Stephanie Sadler, the person behind the ‘The Little London Observationist’ website featured ‘Line and wash’ on her London Art Spot.  When I heard that she was holding an exhibition of her photographs, I thought it only right that I return the favour.  So this morning I set out to do a sketch of the gallery in Chelsea where she is holding her first solo exhibition next week.  The forecast was a dry with rain later but the typically the rain started early and I only managed a line drawing on the spot and added watercolour when I got back home.  The gallery is the white building at the end of this terrace of very Dickensian-looking properties in Sydney Street, Chelsea.

'The Little London Observationist' website is at http://littlelondonobservationist.wordpress.com/  

The exhibition runs from 12 – 17 November at the Chance Gallery, 123 Sydney Street, Chelsea, London SW3 6NR. 

For opening times go to https://thechancegallery.squarespace.com/

(urban sketch)

Trees in autumn

Sketching in a London garden...

Sketching in a London garden... from lineandwash

lemon

rosehips

glass

detail

I've just submitted my entry for the Serco Prize for Illustration 2014.  This is a detail - doesn't give too much away!

Sketching Paris...

Sketching Paris... from lineandwash