Recent Society of Architectural Illustration meeting

I have been meaning to write this post for a few days after I returned from a meeting of the Society of Architectural Illustration at Solent University School of Art in Southampton last Friday. It was a long day, flight down and long very busy train back...being a Friday and rush hour...and half term. It was the first time I had met my fellow Society of Architectural Illustration members, and very good to meet some of them at last! I arrived late into a packed seminar room full of staff, students and practioners, just as Don Coe (FSAI) and ex president, had started an illustrated talk - and how fabulous his speedy, evocative sketches were! Good to see a professional illustrator working at the top of his game, the students must have been so delighted. Then followed a series of presentations and demonstrations, highlights for me included Keith Hornblower's stunning live watercolour demonstration, I am such a fan of his loose and expressive watercolour style. Also Shona (I'm not sure her surname), did an excellent 'how to set up a perspective exercise' from a plan and elevations. I sort of know how to do this intuitively, but how good to have it explained so clearly. I will definitely be repeating this with my students and also Pete's (again not sure of his surname) very clever 'draw a peg' exercise. Great also to hear from Joe Robson, our current president talking about his CGI work and inspiration for it. So...a whole series of excellent talks, quick lunch, a few introductions then straight into a workshop session at which the students could choose to work alongside one of the illustrators and attempt one of the earlier demonstrations...with the added incentive of good prizes! Students were interestingly from both interior design and illustration courses, this is something I am keen to feedback to my fellow tutors at Manchester School of Art. Because of the long journey north I had to leave them to this session, but was delighted to have made the trip and I am sure the students will remember this day for a long time. I for one was very inspired, came away more enthused about my teaching practice and involvement in architectural illustration...and hopefully have made some new friends! Big well done to all involved.

Here are a couple of photos from the afternoon:

One of the student groups working in the afternoon

Another group working with Keith Hornblower

London skyline

This is a drawing from Greenwich Observatory looking out across the Naval College and River Thames, over towards Canary Wharf.  I was partcularly interested in the complicated juxtapostion of classical buildings in the foreground, with the modern city skyline beyond. The drawing is A3 sized and taken from from an assemblage of my photographs. I have had it professionally printed onto watercolour ready to paint.

Another sketchbook drawing

Stockport Town Hall ceiling detail drawn during a Stockport Symphony Orchestra concert, December 2011. Fascinated by the overly ornate ceiling and (I think) slightly Rococco detailing.

ManchesterInArt exhibition

I am delighted to be one of the artists in VenturesInArt's 'ManchesterInArt' exhibition, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, Piccadilly Place. I have five Manchester city views on display and they are available to buy online via VenturesInArt's website. The exhibition is an interesting mix of original artwork with over 70 paintings and photographs by 18 local artists. Definitely worth a visit and runs until January 2013.


ManchesterInArt website
ManchesterInArt Simone Ridyard

Add caption

Manchester skyline watercolour (reworked 2012)