Chris Fothergill - Architectural Artist and Illustrator » Urban Sketching

Greenwich Old Naval College sketching

Chris — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:07:09 +0000

A day out with my family in London visiting the Greenwich Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark. I had to do the sketch above, it’s such a lovely architectural subject. Trying to simplify this into its component parts was the challenge, so as not to take more than 45 minutes or so. Didn’t get round the museum in the end, as the Cutty Sark was so interesting, and Henry and I had to do several sketches which slowed the pace down!

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Urban Sketching St Patrick’s Day Parade in Birmingham

Chris — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 10:31:59 +0000

Out with the Birmingham Urban Sketchers Group on 17th March 2019 for attempts to capture something of the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Digbeth. Not easy when the wind is furious, and suddenly sleet and hail come out of nowhere! Add to that moving targets to try and draw, and crowds swirling around you, and it’s quite challenging for a country boy like me who is used to frequenting quieter streets. A short day out, I got too cold to carry on and settled for a Guiness with the other sketchers in the warmth and noise of the Night Owl in Lower Trinity Street.

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Sketching in Malvern Town Centre

Chris — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:24:27 +0000

A bright but very windy Saturday drew me out with my sketchbook, not with a group this time but on my own for a bit of sketching. However familiar places are to us in our own home town, they transform in our minds when we start to sketch them and we see them afresh.

I drew this with a fountain pen filled with non-waterproof ink. Adding just water to it created the half-tone wash, which although not very controllable gives a certain life to the sketch! It was so windy and to me this comes out in the drawing.

Retreat into the Library Cafe to warm up, and do a sketch in soft pencil and soluble pencil for half-tone.

With the sun out I found a corner to tuck into, out of the howling gale, and enjoyed doing this pen and watercolour drawing, almost a cartoon, of the Theatre entrance.

And finally on the way home at Malvern Link I stopped to draw a view that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. It’s only a quick watercolour impression, simplifying as much as possible what seems like a very complicated scene. The atmostphere I was after? Blustery.

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Urban Sketching Spring Hill Birmingham

Chris — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 17:49:45 +0000

The first days of Spring, and appropriately enough I find myself out again with the hardy Urban sketchers of Birmingham meeting at Spring Hill Library. I managed to get the first sketch in before we officially met at 11.00am.

If you look carefully you’ll spot an eagle carved into the wall at the bottom of the drawing. I couldn’t help doing another impression of just the eagle, it has such attitude proudly standing out from the corner!

On this occasion I didn’t use my usual fine liner pens, but just a thick 2B pencil on quite heavy watercolour paper, to try to stop myself getting too bogged down in details.

When it started to rain in the afternoon we all retreated in the Tesco Cafe and compared sketchbooks. It’s always inspiring and fun.

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