Tag Archives: London

London buildings, Sketching, urban sketching

Urban Sketches from the Holloway Road

August 23, 2017 ronniecruwys 4 Comments

Any urban sketcher knows that it’s almost impossible to walk past an art shop without looking inside and buying at least a new pencil. So, when I walked past Cowling and Wilcox, on Holloway Road a few years ago, I gave in to a new Daler Rowney sketch book, about A5 size.

I go to London regularly – partly family visits to our son and also to draw some of my Great North Road street drawing series, Holloway Road.

Ronnie Cruwys Urban Sketching Holloway road — *Photo outside Cowling and Wilcox thanks to @seanazzillustration*

This ancient route has shown up at key points in my life: at school in York, going to University in Edinburgh and now as our son has made his home beside it. I’ve made a start drawing chunks of the buildings along the Holloway Road and the photo above is on one of the sunnier days sketching out Denmark Place preparing for the formal architectural drawing. It’s only when you stop to draw that you notice things like date stones way up the top.

photo of Denmark Place Holloway Road — *Denmark Place Built 1863*

Back to the sketch book. I decided to keep this one just for sketching during my London visits. Three years later, it’s full!

Page in sketchbook for Holloway Road — *Page One dedicated to the Holloway Road*

I’d like to share some of the content from time to time. All the sketches are made on location and most sketched in about five minutes. Less than minutes for my wobbly sketches from the top of a bus!

It’s easy enough to spot the ones made in the time taken to enjoy a brew in a cafe.

skethc of Odeon, Tuffnell park, Holloway Road — *Window on the Odeon Cinema, Holloway Road*

sketch of windows on Albermarle MAnsions — *Windows on Albermarle Mansions*

pen and ink sketch of Albermarle MAnsions — *Detail of a door on Albermarle Mansions*

Pen and ink drawing of the Odeon cinema Holloway road — *Odeon from La Scelta Cafe Holloway Road*

pen and ink sketch of Hollywood Cafe on Holloway Road — *View from the Golden Croissant*

sketch of the Eaglet pub on Seven sisters Road London — *The Eaglet on Seven Sisters Road*

print of Holloway Road Denmark Place — Limited edition print of drawing of 81 -129 Holloway Road

More sketches of Holloway Road to follow soon, but if you are in Highbury, pop in to The Only Place For Pictures and see a few more London streets.

Thanks for reading,

Ronnie

Architectural drawings, London streets, Sketching, Uncategorized

Ready, Unsteady, Draw!

January 29, 2017 ronniecruwys Leave a comment

sketches from a london bus — *Unsteady thumbnail sketches from the 253 bus*

Been thinking ahead to drawing another stretch of the Great North Road later this year. I like to sketch from the street first to get a good look at some of the details so pitched my perch opposite the Fig and Olive on Upper Steet, Islington.

pen and ink and wash in sketchbook of Upper St Islington — *Looking up at gables on Upper Street, Islington*

I use a handy portable camping stool – it’s lightweight and fits easily into a bag and I tucked myself into a corner, well clear of the fire station.

Stating the obvious, it was pretty cold and so on the fist day of the Chinese New Year (Rooster), I chickened out after one sketch and went for an indoor brew nearby. Couldn’t see a Shirker’s Cafe, but this place, the Workers Cafe looked like I could sketch from the empty seat in the front window.

workers cafe Upper st — *The Workers Cafe for a mug of tea*

Sketch book view of Islington Town Hall — *View from inside the Workers Cafe on Upper Street*

thumbnail sketches — *43 bus to London Bridge*

Back home again next day via a catch-up with a dear old pal, meeting up in Milton Keynes.

Thanks for reading, Ronnie

sketches Milton Keynes — *Back home the next day via Milton Keynes, 50 years old*

Pen and ink drawing, Uncategorized

Pegging out Holloway Road

November 30, 2016 ronniecruwys 1 Comment

pen and ink urban sketch of Holloway Road — Pegging out the Holloway Road

Thought I would share a few pics of the couple of days spent sketching another stretch of the Holloway Road. This time I brought along a length of cartridge paper which I had prepared at home with a wash of gum arabic and French and English Ochre pigments, to give the paper a bit of warmth.

Note the colourful tote bag by the French American artist Gwenn Seemel – I admire her outlook on copyright as well as her colourful artwork.

preparing per fro sketching — *Adding a wash of ochres and gum arabic to cartridge paper*

pen and ink and water colour on holloway road — *Sketching out the buildings opposite Cowling and Wilcox*

I’d packed half a dozen clothes pegs to clip the paper to a folder which seemed to work quite well. Even though it’s non-stop busy along this road, several people stopped to pass the time of day with me and thanks to Sean for taking this photo and sending it to me.

5-holloway-road-ronnie-cruwys — Pegs and toes keeping the paper curl held down

Holloway road — *Have to be quick to sketch between the traffic.*

new drawing of Hollway road on water colour paper — *Back home and on to the formal drawing.*

holloway-road-wip — *preparing for the lettering*

lettering-on-holloway-road — *Adding the lettering*

81-to-129-holloway-rd-crop-b — *Section of the final drawing – Denmark Place build 1863, the same year that work on the London underground began.*

The drawing is now complete, scanned and can be seen in full on my website. Limited edition prints are now available to buy.

Thanks for reading

Ronnie

Crohns and colitis UK, London buildings, Pen and ink drawing, Sketching, urban sketching

Porridge at Bill’s

June 7, 2016 ronniecruwys 1 Comment

Bills for breakfast — *Starting the day with tea and porridge at Bill’s, Longacre*

Last weekend we joined up with Crohns & Colitis UK fo their annual walk around London. It’s a great way to see our capital and better still, it gets the word out about the support that’s available for anyone who has Crohn’s or Colitis.

CkFv_QCWYAASh4S.jpg large We set off from Stoke Station in our purple tee-shirts. Once on the train, it wasn’t long before a lady offered us a donation; her sister was diagnosed 50 years ago, but back then it was something that wasn’t talked about at all. I found this a very moving gesture as I think that it is only in recent years that it is finally being brought to light and all credit to those who have worked so hard to raise its profile.

It was a day out for us and yes, I brought my sketch book! I’ve had my head down recently gettting on with my icon diploma work as it’s only four months till our end of diploma exhibition in Shoreditch.

I enjoy sketching on-the-hoof and my favourite sketching has to be the half minute bus/train stop sketches….they’re just thumbnail views of life on the go. Enough words – time for a few pictures!

train sketches 2.jpg — *Train stop sketches*

london bus sketch 3a.jpg — *Bus stop thumbnails*

whitehall old shades — *Whitehall, The Old Shades, gable dated 1898*

no prizes — *Opposite Condor bikes on Grays Inn Road*

Thanks for reading,

Ronnie

Architectural Drawing

Every Picture Tells a (short) Story

October 10, 2015 ronniecruwys 5 Comments

Now my story begins — Stoke Station. Are you sitting comfortably?

Getting back in the groove can be an effort, but it’s always helped by a brew. It’s been a while since I wrote here but it’s time to return to the sketch book. I have had 10th October 2015 in the diary for some time as it is the first #ArchitectureDrawingDay, set up by the RIBA as part of The Big Draw.

This year’s theme for the Big Draw is ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’. I packed my pencil case and took off to London to draw a few more sights on the Holloway Road, the old A1, that Great North Road.

No better sight at Euston, than the 253 which heads out to Nags Head:

pen and ink drawing of 253 bus — Hop on the 253 bus at Euston Station

pen and ink sketches — Quick wobbly thumbnail bus stop sketches from the top of the No 253 to Hackney Central

pen and ink drawing London — A window, a carved flower on a stone detail

sketches form the bus — More bites of bus stops

Hopped off the bus at the Nag’s Head and found a bench free opposite this lovely frontage. The sun was out, so I pitched up to draw.

Boots Chemist Holloway road — 414 Holloway Road, the building above Boots the Chemist

A few hours later, I made my way down the road for a bite to eat where I could continue drawing outside but under awnings. Had a tasty lunch at Constolia – and drew this domed character opposite. I have no idea about its history – have you? I would love to hear from you if you can shed some light on the building.

Festac nightclub and Holloway Mosque sit below this red brick and stone building – for an intriguing insight into this hot-spot corner of the Holloway Road, have a read of Islington Now .

Then, only a few hours later and it’s time to go home. This time back on the number 29 bus.

pub man chatting — Cahtting man having a cigarette outside a pub in Camden

Thats all for now. I will say goodbye with the back of a very fine London bus.

Been such a tonic to spend the day with #ArchitectureDrawingDay.

Thanks for reading

Ronnie

Architecture, Building conservation, London buildings, London streets, Sketching

Dorset House and Southwark Bridge

June 20, 2015 ronniecruwys 3 Comments

pen and ink on Khadi paper — Dorset House, Holloway Road

I have returned to drawing Holloway Road, the Great North Road – and paused to draw Dorset House in more detail. It caught my eye as it is quite small compared with its neighbours yet with a few faded classical details, it quietly holds its own.

Here it is in context with its neighbours:

photo of Dorset House — Dorset House on the Holloway Road

I have tried to find out a little bit of the history of the building but not got very far until today perhaps…

We have been down to London to join today’s walk in support of Crohns and Colitis UK. The walk takes place every June, and around a thousand supporters walk through the City as a fundraiser and to raise awareness of this disease.

Walking has a lot in common with drawing as it allows you the time and space to enjoy details in the landscape and architecture you might otherwise miss. In this picture, we are walking along South Bank towards Southwark Bridge and you can just make out its trident lamposts above a band of green; here’s part of the bridge in detail:

balustrading details — Southwark Bridge details of balustrading

Having only just finished drawing Dorset House, I immediately recognised the balustrade detailing and couldn’t help but wonder if it is by the the same architect. looking at the plaque, I see that Sir Ernest George designed this bridge.

ernest george RA Architect — Sir Ernest George, RA Architect, opened 6th June 1921

I love finding little details like this. If you know anything about this architect, or Dorset House, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Ronnie

Architectural Drawing, Pen and ink drawing, Sketch Book Skool, Sketching

Sketches from a London Bus

December 9, 2014 ronniecruwys 1 Comment

Pen and ink sketch of London Chimney pots — Chimney pots from the 253 Euston bus to Nag’s Head, Holloway

Over the summer, I spent some time down in London, with our son. I was in the middle of Sketch Book Skool drawing frenzy, making the most of every moment I could to draw – even on the top of a London bus!

Pen and ink sketches of London windows from the bus — Windows from the 253 bus from Euston to Nags Head

Once you start sketching, you can’t help but notice how much more you want to draw and it was during this time that I made the rash promise to myself that I would draw the Holloway Road.

After a few months preparation I have begun to work on the first of what I hope will be many more drawings, but thought you would like a flavour of what’s to come with some of my summer sketches.

Thanks for reading!

Ronnie

Pen and ink sketch of Croissant D'Or Holloway Road — Le Croissant D’Or, Holloway Road, London – a great place for breakfast!

Sketch of the windows on Albermarle Mansions — Windows on Albermarle Mansions, Holloway Road.

Pencil and watercolour wash drawing of a window on Albermarle Mansions — Detail of Window on Albermarle Mansions

Pencil and watercolour drawing Albermarle Mansions Holloway Road London — Detail of another window on Albermarle Mansions, Holloway Road, London

Pen and ink drawing of Windsor Road London N7 — View from top flat, WIndsor Road, Holloway, London

Drawing the Street

Tag Archives: London

Urban Sketches from the Holloway Road

Ready, Unsteady, Draw!

Pegging out Holloway Road

Porridge at Bill’s

Every Picture Tells a (short) Story

Dorset House and Southwark Bridge

Sketches from a London Bus

drawing out the best in our streets