Travels with a Sketchbook in.......

Product review: The Derwent Safari Journal

2008-09-24T08:20:00.014+01:00

Derwent recently sent me a Safari Journal which I took out last week for a trial run. It's probably best if I start by saying something about what I look for in a sketchbook - as I'm a bit picky! Medium/Mini Derwent Safari Journal beige soft touch cover I like my sketchbooks to: lie flat easily as I often work across a double page spread. Which basically rules out wire bound sketchbooks and

The RHS at the Inner Temple

2008-09-11T08:54:00.010+01:00

The RHS at the Inner Temple 11" x 16", coloured pencils in Daler Rowney sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell Last week I went to the RHS Floral Celebration in the gardens of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple - one of the four Inns of Court, where you normally find lots of barristers. The show celebrated the return of the RHS to the Inner Temple after more than 90 years. Between 1888

Greenwich - very nearly sitting on zero

2008-08-26T09:10:00.008+01:00

Nearly sitting on zero (The Greenwich Observatory and the Prime Meridien) pencil and coloured pencils in sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell Greenwich is a world heritage site with a wonderful mix of the historical, the maritime and the scientific. On Friday last week we went to visit the National Maritime Museum in the Royal Park in Greenwich. After the museum closed, I sat behind the

Sketching the Olympics in Trafalgar Square - and afternoon tea!

2008-08-20T11:14:00.009+01:00

The medal ceremony in Trafalgar Square 11.5" x 17", pencil and coloured pencils in sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell Yesterday, inbetween the Press View for the Threadneedle Figurative Prize and the evening Preview Party at the Mall Galleries, I sat on the steps in Trafalgar Square, in front of the National Gallery, and sketched the huge screen showing the Olympics and the watching crowd.

Which art sold at the Summer Exhibition?

2008-08-17T09:38:00.007+01:00

Afternoon tea in the Annenberg Courtyard 8" x10", pencil and coloured pencil in Moleskine sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell It's official - I know what collectors like to buy! Or rather what the public likes to buy. How do I know? How can I be so confident about my expertise? Why should I be so presumptuous even? Well, I paid my third visit to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy

Groombridge Place - home of Pride and Prejudice and the Draughtsman's Contract

2008-08-04T09:34:00.005+01:00

It felt very weird going to Groombridge Place last week. It has played host to a couple of well known British films. It masqueraded as Longbourn (home of the Bennets) for the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and was also the star of The Draughtsman's Contract written and directed by Peter Greenaway. There's something very odd about seeing a garden which you've previously

The gardens of England

2008-08-03T08:11:00.005+01:00

I'm developing a series of information sites related to the English gardens I visit from time to time with my sketchbook. As regular readers will know I like to provide information about the places I visit so that others can find out more about it if they want to and also to visit - either on a virtual basis or in reality. Consequently, I usually end each blog post with a set of links

The Long Border at Great Dixter

2008-07-28T11:00:00.000+01:00

"Not a lot of room for weeds" The Long Border at Great Dixter 12" x 16", coloured pencils in sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell One of the things I love best in gardens is a big long herbaceous border full to overflowing with blowsy perennials. Such borders came about as a nineteenth century response to over formal gardens and were then popularised by garden designers such as Gertrude

The Rother Valley from Great Dixter

2008-07-26T17:51:00.006+01:00

The Rother Valley from Great Dixter pencil and coloured pencils in Moleskine copyright Katherine Tyrrell ...or more precisely, this is the view of the Rother Valley from the car park at Great Dixter at Northiam in East Sussex. Great Dixter has very many people who visit this superb garden as it metamorphoses through the planting season. The garden was originally designed by Lutyens. It has

Carluccios - 12 West Smithfield

2008-07-22T12:33:00.005+01:00

Carluccio's, 12 West Smithfield 12" x 16", coloured pencils in sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell I had dinner with my 30 something god-daughter last night. She was in town for a training course and we went out for dinner at Carluccio's in West Smithfield. South west of the historic Smithfield Market and opposite St Bart's hospital. Farringdon, Barbican and St Paul's are all close by.

Drawing trees in St James Park

2008-07-14T12:00:00.002+01:00

St James Park - the Lake View, with trees 32" x 12", coloured pencils in double page spread of sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell This is a sketch of a view of the Lake in St James Park from the Horse Guards Road end of the park - Duck island is on the left, Buckingham Palace is at the other end of this lake (beyond the Blue Bridge and obscured by the Swire Fountain and the slight bend in the

A hot summer's afternoon in a Kentish garden

2008-07-02T10:25:00.019+01:00

The Garden Tower, Penhurst Place 8" x 11.5", coloured pencils in Daler Rowney Sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell Yesterday was a glorious English summer's day - hot (but not too hot) with clear blue skies - so I headed out of town to spend the afternoon in a traditional English garden in the High Weald of Kent - also known as the garden of England. I visited Penshurst Place (next to the

Sketching at The RA - The Friends Room #3

2008-06-25T08:00:00.002+01:00

The Friends' Room 11" x 16", pen and ink and coloured pencil copyright Katherine Tyrrell Another sketch from inside the Friends Room at the Royal Academy of Arts. This one is slightly larger than the others as we had our mandatory pot of tea after working our way through two exhibitions in October 2007! This is the view from very near the counter looking down the full length of the room -

Sketching at The RA - The Friends Room #2

2008-06-24T08:00:00.002+01:00

This is the second of my sketches of people in the Friends Room at the RA. This one was done late afternoon in August 2007, after I saw the exhibition "Impressionists by the Sea". Tea in the Friends' Room, Royal Academy of Arts 8" x 10", pen and sepia ink in Moleskine sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell I particularly like the composition of this one and the value pattern, with a bit of

Sketching at The RA - The Friends Room #1

2008-06-23T08:00:00.001+01:00

This week I'm going to post a series of sketches done in Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy of Arts (the RA) in Piccadilly. Drinking tea and drawing people 8" x 10" pencil in Moleskine sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell I'm one of the 85,000 Friends of the RA. I'm a Friend primarily because it means I don't have to pay for exhibitions, don't have to queue for tickets, get to go to

Tea at Fortnum and Masons after the Summer Exhibition

2008-06-20T08:00:00.005+01:00

Cream tea at Fortnum and Masons after the Summer Exhibition (in the old Patio Restaurant) 5.5" x 8", pencil in Daler Rowney Sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell On the 6th June 2004 I went to see the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly and then went across the road for a cream tea in the Patio Restaurant at Fortnum and Masons (now sadly no more due to a refurbishment).

Lunch at Fortnum and Masons

2008-06-19T08:00:00.001+01:00

Following on from yesterday's post, two years ago - on the 9th June 2006 - I saw three exhibitions and about 2,500 images in terms of paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture. In the middle of the day I sketched at the St James Restaurant on the 4th floor of Fortnum and Masons and these three sketches are the result. The First Course at Fortnum and Masons 8" x 10" pencil and coloured pencils

A day out in Piccadilly

2008-06-18T12:30:00.001+01:00

Robyn of Have Dogs, Will Travel is in town and on Monday we spent a day seeing exhibitions, eating and buying books - but most of all talking. Those of you who have met up with other 'cyber buddies' face to face after a long time talking online will know all about what that's like. My Fortnum and Masons cheeseboard 11" x 8", pencil and coloured pencils copyright Katherine Tyrrell We started

More sketching at Bankside

2008-06-15T16:03:00.003+01:00

River Thames series:Bankside Shore #2 pencil and coloured pencils in sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell Every time I go to the Bankside Gallery I look to see if the tide is out - and if it is, out comes the sketchbook. I've got a fixation about the view towards Blackfriars Bridge and the 'beach' at Bankside just in front of the Bankside Gallery. You can see another recent sketch in The

Lunch at the Portrait Cafe

2008-06-12T16:06:00.004+01:00

Lunch at the Portrait Cafe 11" x 8", pencil and coloured pencils in sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell After attending a preview of the BP Portrait Award yesterday, I had lunch in the Portrait Cafe which is in the basement of the National Portrait Gallery. Most of the ceiling is some sort of glass or perspex which gives splendid light down into the basement. The wall on the left then has

Trafalgar Tavern and low tide on the Thames

2008-06-04T11:00:00.000+01:00

Trafalgar Tavern and low tide on the Thames 8" x 10", coloured pencil on Moleskine copyright Katherine Tyrrell We went for a walk down at the southern most point of the Isle of Dogs on Saturday afternoon. This is a map of where we were. Wewalked along looking at the opposite shore which is Deptford and Greenwich. We tend to park next to Masthouse Terrace Pier next to what is left of the point

The view from the Downs

2008-06-01T23:37:00.007+01:00

The Weald from Emmetts Garden on the North Downs 8" x 10", coloured pencil in Moleskine sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell Emmetts Garden is the highest garden in Kent which is open to the public. Last weekend we went there on the sunny Saturday before the deluge which followed. I parked "he who must not be bored while I sketch" on a bench so he could read his book in the sunshine and then

Taking tea at Kew Gardens

2008-05-19T06:47:00.014+01:00

Taking tea at Kew Plaza cafe pen and sepia ink and coloured pencils all images copyright Katherine Tyrrell A lot of my plein air sketches at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew seem to be of people having a cup of tea. Maybe because that's often the only time I sit down and can sketch. Otherwise, because it's a very big garden (over 300 acres), it's sometimes feels a bit like a route march while

Spring fields from Sissinghurst

2008-05-16T12:47:00.007+01:00

Spring Fields 8" x 10" coloured pencils in Moleskine sketchbook copyright Katherine Tyrrell This was my sketch from the windows of the Barn Restaurant at Sissinghurst on Monday afternoon which I did while I drank my afternoon cup of tea after taking the previous sketch Spring at Sissinghurst as far as I wanted to go. Below is a sketch of what the view slightly to the left of the one above

Spring at Sissinghurst

2008-05-15T08:04:00.007+01:00

Moat Walk in Spring, Sissinghurst 7.5" x 10", coloured pencil on Arches HP copyright Katherine Tyrrell Here's my latest sketch of the garden at Sissinghurst. I've previously done posts about Summer At Sissinghurst and Autumn at Sissinghurst - now it's time for Spring at Sissinghurst! Above you can see a view of the Moat Walk with the vivid yellow azaleas on the right and the Japanese Wisteria