Urban Sketchers Symoposium

I am thrilled to be attending the Urban Sketchers Symposium in fabulous Barcelona in July, which sold out in less than 2 hours. Luckily I was working at home on Monday so planned my time to be ready when registration went live Monday 1pm GMT. Not only that, I have enrolled on workshops with some of my favorite urban sketchers including Tia Boon Sim and Luis Ruiz. It promises to be an overwhelmingly creative few days and I can't wait to completely immerse myself in an urban sketch-fest!

I am now an official USK member for Manchester and you can find me on the global blogroll http://www.urbansketchers.org/p/usk-members.html

Here's my most recent urban sketch. All Saint's Gardens, Manchester on a freezing cold March afternoon, a couple of weeks back. Sketch is so loose because I couldn't feel my fingers! It took about 20 minutes including splashes of watercolour.

All Saints Gardens, Manchester

Kurio Up North masterclass in urban sketching

Slightly belated post but I had mentioned previously that I had been invited to run an urban sketching masterclass for the first Kurio Up North, a programme of events organised by Colebrook Bosson Saunders, an award-wining London ergonomic design company. This took place on Thursday March 14th, was facilitated by local creatives No Chintz, and the venue was Bench in the Northern Quarter (Manchester). Our audience was comprised of about 40 architects and interior designers. After my brief introductory talk about urban sketching, we set about doing a couple of hours of informal drawing and painting. After a couple of hours, a glass of wine or 2 and a pie(!) we shared our work and photographed it. A shortlist was picked and some rather splendid prizes awarded. 

What I really want to say is that it was great that so many people turned up on a chilly March evening and our drawing challenge was met with such enthusiasm. It proves there is a real interest in sketching and needless to say some lovely work was produced (as expected from a room full of architects and designers)!

Because I now teach, my days are filled differently and I have the time to be more creative than when I worked full-time in architectural practice, but I am fully aware that other people aren't afforded that luxury - of time to be simply creative. I was delighted, and quite astonished that people had made such an effort, and so obviously enjoyed the sketching part! It demonstrates there is a real appetite for urban sketching and hopefully we have a recruited a few new members for our Manchester urban sketching group.

Urban Sketchers: Out and about and Inside In.

Urban Sketchers: Out and about and Inside In.: Life's been so hectic with work to finish for my solo show at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.  It opens on 23rd March and we&#...

New Islington, Manchester

New Islington, Manchester, a photo by simoneridyard on Flickr.

Urban sketch of Piccadilly Basin, Manchester

Piccadilly Basin, Manchester, a photo by simoneridyard on Flickr.