A snapshot of 2023

January

Worked on: Map and watercolour illustration for client

Sketched: At the V&A and the Wallace Collection

Inspired by: Curtis Holder exhibition at the National Theatre

February 

Worked on: Admin and promoting illustration work

Sketched: In Tonbridge, Kew Gardens, Chelsea Harbour and Kings Stairs Gardens

Started mentoring sessions from Adé Bolaji at the studio

March 

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client

Sketched: In Cambridge

Took part in a photo shoot at Jackson’s Art for upcoming article

April

Worked on: B&W line illustrations for client, started UK Export Webinar Series

Sketched: At the Barbican, Shoreditch and Broadgate

Inspired by: Workshop with Rob Ryan at House of Hackney

May

Worked on: UK Export Webinar Series

Sketched: In Toulouse

Took part in a Zoom call to sketchers in China with Jenny from Chicago

Applied for the RA Renee Gailhoustet Residency

June

Worked on: Watercolour illustrations for client, B&W line illustrations for client

Sketched: In Barcelona and London

Inspired by: Workshops with Maru Godas and Marina Grenchanik

July 

Worked on: B&W illustrations for client, roughs for watercolour map illustrations for client

Sketched: In Crystal Palace Park, Intragna and Locarno

Inspired by: Artists workshops in Switzerland

August

Worked on: Map watercolour illustrations for client, house portrait for client, watercolour travel illustrations for client, B&W line plus digital colour illustrations for client

Sketched: In Brussels and Leicester

Inspired by: Jean Julien exhibition at MIMA Brussels

Started to send regular ‘Pencilbooth’ notes to email list

September

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client, changes to where I share and sell online

Sketched: In Stratford-upon-Avon

Gave workshops to students at the London Metropolitan University

October 

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client, travel illustrations for client, started making videos at the studio

Sketched: At Farringdon and the Barbican

Gave workshops to students at the London Metropolitan University

November

Worked on: Watercolour illustration for client

Sketched: In Santiago de Compostela

Talked to Lana Lé on her Instagram series‘Artist Chats’

Went to ‘What is drawing research?’ symposium at Birmingham Art College

Put an entry in for the V&A Illustration Awards

December

Worked on: Maps and watercolour illustrations for client, B&W rough for client

Inspired by: Victoria Semykina and signed up to her Patreon

Business Away Day reviewing the year and planning for 2024

Received copies of 'Draw' and 'The Beginner's Guide to Urban Sketching' both of which contain some of my sketches

 

A sketching trip to Malaga

I spent five days drawing in the beautiful Spanish City of Malaga in April and I am sharing the sketches from the trip here. Further down the page, a little about some of the places where I ate and a few extra tips which might be useful if you are planning a trip yourself!

A few extra tips:

• Most places in the centre of the city are easy to walk to but if you need to go further, buses are a great way to get around and a “bonobus’ ticket, for 10 trips, is good value. 
• The free Citymapper app covers the Malaga area 
• The Musée Picasso Malaga is free for the last two hours on a Sunday afternoon.
• A ticket for the Alcazaba gets you into the Castillo too.

Food

I’m sure there are so many great places to eat but here are a few that I tried and would recommend: 

Casa Lola -  Ate there three times and each time enjoyed it, including tasty tapas and a wonderful goats cheese salad. Their specialty of thin slices of aubergine, deep fired and served with molasses may sound strange but you need to try it!

El Pimpi - It’s in all the guide books and there was always a queue but still worth going to. The surroundings are part of the experience, a rambling interior and outside terrace with views of the Amphitheatre and Alcazaba. Ate a variety of tapas which was much more filling than it looked!

Casa Aranda - A lovely café selling churros and chocolate which seems to have taken up most of the little shops in the alley where it is based. Enjoyed breakfast there a couple of times and would recommend for the food and people watching.

Panderia Cafeteria Granier - Nice little bakery selling sandwiches and cakes with friendly service.

Summer Sketchbook Spreads - Part Two

Second part of my sketchbook spreads from the Summer months. 

Mostly London but a couple from Durham and Shoreham-by-Sea too. 

All watercolour and pen in Stillman & Birn sketchbooks.

Berlin - Sightseeing

I was given a list of ‘must see’ places to visit when I went to Berlin in April. Here are photos, sketches and brief descriptions of some of them, and if you are heading there too, you might like to check them out.

Berlin-Hohenshönhausen Memorial

A former Stasi prison now open as a memorial. I bought a ticket for a 90 minute guided tour in English for €6. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is a little way from the centre but easy to reach by tram. A really chilling insight into the darker side of life in the former East Germany. Many of the guides are people that were held there, so the stories are very personal and really resonate.

DDR Museum

The museum is by the river opposite the Berlin Cathedral. Lots of memorabilia from East German family life which on one level seemed to be very like life in Britain in the 1970s! Quite a compact collection and very interactive, including a chance to ‘drive’ a Trabant. Information in German and English.

Alexanderplatz

For me forever linked with the ‘Bourne’ movies. Shops, a main travel interchange and of course, the TV Tower looming over it.


The Jüdisches Museum

The architecture of the building, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is stunning here. It’s like being inside a piece of art. Not to be confused with the Holocaust Memorial and Museum.

The Holocaust Memorial and Museum

The Museum is tucked away under the Memorial which was designed by Peter Eisenmann. Entrance is free but I bought an audio guide in English for €3, which I recommend. A very moving and emotional experience.

East Side Gallery

An outside gallery on the longest surviving piece of the Berlin Wall.


Potsdamer Platz

Big buildings. I think I missed the good bits! Nearby, the Mall of Berlin, a big shopping centre, open until 9pm, Monday to Friday with a food court on the top floor. I found it a handy place to stop off when it rained and to use the loos!

Brandenburger Tor, ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ and the Reichtag

The Brandenburg Gate is impressive both during the day and at night. Checkpoint Charlie less so. The Reichtag is a huge monumental building. Unfortunately I didn’t realise that you had to book well in advance to go inside, so just seen from the outside.

KaDeWe

A big department store with a very swanky food court on the top floor with great views across the city. I drew the Gedächtniskirche from the window of one of the coffee shops.

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum

I’ve always loved Käthe Kollwitz’s work after seeing it quite a few years ago in an exhibition of German Expressionist prints. Her bold work is in black and white, mainly drawings and prints, and focuses on the themes of war and hunger. The collection is shown over several floors and also features photographs and information about her life, friends and family, in English as well as German. There are several sculptural pieces too including a life size sculpture of her head. It stands on a plinth so could stand right in front of it and look straight at her.

The museum is in a stylish old house next to the equally lovely Literaturhaus café, where I had lunch of beautifully presented veggie cannelloni in their ornate dining room. Do go!

Bebelplatz

The sun was setting and the shadows were long by the time I reached here. The only place to sit was a bench placed directly opposite the Hunboldt University building so I tried to capture a little of the scene. Figures in the centre are the people who sporadically stopped to look at a small memorial in the centre of the square, reminding us that this was the site of the infamous Nazi book burning in 1933.

U-Bahn

The underground system was pretty easy to navigate. I had a Berlin Welcome card which once I’d validated it, I could travel anywhere within the city. Unlike London, there are no barriers at stations which seemed to make travelling quite simple. Lots of the U-Bahn routes are overground so great views of the city too.

Kaffee und Küchen

Lots of this! Chocolate shops too.

Pipes

The pink pipes that I first thought were an art instillation but were in fact a way of the utility companies dealing with building work in the city. Each utility has a different colour so I saw blue and grey ones too. For some reason, I found them fascinating!