Tag Archives: #Sketches

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*

Burslem Heritage, Sketching, Uncategorized, urban sketching

Recharging the Batteries

January 18, 2017 ronniecruwys 2 Comments

Church Stretton jan 2017 a.jpg — *Church Stretton, Shropshire*

Plans for January to be a time of taking stock of where I’m going and all that have gone out the window! Instead I’m treating it as a time to recharge the batteries.

We went for a great leg stretch up on the Long Mynd a week into the New Year which helped me recover form some cold bug (too long spent sketching in the cold in Hanley!) when I did the above sketch in Church Stretton whilst Iain went and had a look in a bike shop.

Christmas was fab but we had to say cheerio to our much loved old girl Nina shortly after. She almost made it to 14 years.

*Nina, our Chesapeake Bay retreiver, sunbathing*

It’s a quiet house without a dog (first time in 18 years) – although noticeably cleaner!

Then last Saturday afternoon it was really lovely to meet up with some sketching enthusiasts in Middleport Potteries, as I joined the Stoke branch of Urban Sketchers sketching in and around the buildings.

Middleport Pottery sketch.jpg

pottery-molds

Canadian Pine.jpg — *Met up with Paul and Mandy of The Canadian Pine Company – thanks for your hospitality!*

Middleport is famous for its Burleighware, those rich deep blue and white pots – we have a jug at home which my sister bought for me – like this one:

Anne's Burleighware Jug.jpg

Thanks for reading and wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2017.

Ronnie

Architectural Drawing, Leek, urban sketching

Spouting Sketches

December 24, 2016 ronniecruwys 2 Comments

The Perfect Sketch book — *Sketch from Spout on St Edward Street, Leek*

It’s Christmas Eve so this will be a short one. Just wanted to say thanks for all the follows and comments this year and to wish you all the warmest wishes of the season.

Also, some of you sketching fans may be interested to learn about the Society of Architectural Illustration – full of great drawings by architectural illustrators all over the world. I have been working towards joining this society for some time and not long ago sent off a few examples of my work. I’m really pleased to have been elected a member and the Wedgwood Door, Burslem is now my profile avatar!

I will close with a section of St Edward Street, Leek, where last Saturday I had a coffee in Spout (served up in Blue Calico Burleighware – fantastic!) with a great view of the opposite side of this historic street – formerly known as Spout Street.

Thanks for reading,

Ronnie

Drawing the street in Leek Staffordshire — *Broad Street, Leek*

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

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

Drawing the Street

Tag Archives: #Sketches

Urban Sketches from the Holloway Road

Ready, Unsteady, Draw!

Recharging the Batteries

Spouting Sketches

Pegging out Holloway Road

Every Picture Tells a (short) Story

drawing out the best in our streets