Tag Archives: urban sketching

It Never Really Hushes

May 4, 2023 ronniecruwys Leave a comment

A week alongside the Holloway Road

Late last month (April 2023) I hopped on the bus to London.

Leaving Hamilton, just south of Glasgow early-ish on Sunday I was in Golders Green, North London by dusk. This is my second trip by National Express Coach (Avanti train service had engineering works and planned disruptions); this option worked for me.

I like the time spent on a road trip when someone else is driving. It gives me a chance to read, think, look out the window, sketch and sleep. It was also convenient being only a short drive at either end.

There are brief stops at various towns along the route – just enough time to make a quick sketch of what is in view and add some colour.

It’s surprising what you can capture in a few minutes…

*Blast of yellow daffs growing at Tebay Services*

*Coach to London – rest break in Birmingham*

So here’s the reason I’m in London – to look after this wee chappie!

Not to mention a great opportunity to see family and friends and just lose myself in London life.

*Tiny sketches from the top of the 43 bus to Highbury and Islington*

*Fresh blossoms on a shrub outside St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Holloway Rd*

Sketching my favourite time of day in London – when there’s a pause in the bustle, a glow in the sky and the crows settle down for the end of the day.

‘*The moment between the bustle of the day and the London Klaxon night*‘

*On my way to see the exhibition at the Tate Modern – Hilma Af Klint and Piet Mondrian – fantastic!*

*Back to the beginning…Golders Green and heading North*

*Birmingham streetscape from the Upper Crust at the Coach Station*

It was wonderful to have a week in London but I’m always happy to be home again.

Things have been quiet here on this blog so far this year as my attention has been on taking my artwork in a new direction…following the call of our orchard and a year of Professional Development at Paintbox School of Art. If you are on Instagram, you can see what I’m up to @ronniecruwysart …I’m nose down getting a body of work ready for a group exhibition at the Dovecot in Edinburgh

As always, thanks for reading and stay well!

Ronnie 🙂

Burrell Collection, Sketch book, urban sketching

There’s always time for a brew

October 30, 2022 ronniecruwys Leave a comment

*Flask on board the 8.01 Carluke to Glasgow Central train*

I like to think that I always have time for a brew – a tea, coffee, whatever’s going. Either taking some time for a chat with a friend, family, stranger or just chatting to myself.

I made a few sketches whilst on a recent field trip to the Burrell Collection, in Glasgow (part of my Professional Development year with Paintbox School of Art) and smiled when I reflected on some of the subjects that had caught my eye, especially since the building is a work of art and there are hundreds of outstanding artifacts.

*Kyathos cup c530-510BC* – *Burrell Collection*

This hand-sized Kyathos cup with its elongated handle reaches back 2,500 years. I love the imagery of the winged horse and the all-seeing eye that decorate the outside. This beautiful, useful object has survived millenia to connect me with someone in ancient Greece who also enjoyed a beverage.

What caught my sketching eye next was this soft leather gauntlet, showing the creases and folds of the hand that once worked with falcons.

The upper part of the glove was meticulously hand-embroidered with brambles and mistletoe – symbolising healing and life.

Here we are back on the beverage theme again and this Worcester porcelain teapot, tea bowl and saucer from c1750-8.

A well-placed bench helped me to decide on my next subject. Numerous historic architectural features are built into the fabric of the gallery walls or placed as part of the overall display. This limestone French window built between 1440-1550 is one of a pair facing opposite each other.

I’m going to have to return to the Burrell as this contains a feast of art that should be savoured.

I paused for a moment in front of this one….

Edmond Duranty, deep in thought, painted by Edgar Degas – you can see the painting here. A brief extract from this link descibes:

‘Edmond Duranty (1833-80) was a close friend of Degas. The two men probably met in 1865 at the Café Guerbois, where Manet was another regular. ….. He (Duranty) also wrote reviews of the Salon and articles on a wide variety of art matters. Manet so strongly objected to one of Duranty’s reviews that he challenged the writer to a duel – fortunately both men survived.‘

At least it looks like Duranty gave considerable thought to whatever it was that he wrote!

As always, thanks for reading and for any Stokies reading, some beatiful ancient pottery just for you!

Ronnie 🙂

acomb york

Acomb in a few Sketches

June 28, 2022 ronniecruwys Leave a comment

My sister celebrates her birthday in June – a great reason to head south to Acomb to celebrate together and to sketch some of the familiar sights of the village where I grew up.

*Dad used to grow peonies in the old place in Hobgate*

Acomb has a strong sense of place and features in the Domesday Book (1086) when it consisted of some 14 houses. Its name most likely derives from the old English Acum – meaning ‘at the oaks’.

Acomb Green is in the middle edged by mature trees. There’s a slight slope on the land on one side where there’s a childrens’ formal play area. Some 50+ years ago it was a great destination when it snowed – perfect for kids on a toboggan including our family!

*Sketching the Sun Inn and St Stephen’s Church on Acomb Green* – *photo credit Megs!*

Long before this, The Green used to be a sand quarry and there are some great photographs in an article in the Yorkshire Evening Press. Stephen Lewis writes: “The Green was originally known as ‘Yarcomb Sand’oil’, apparently, or the ‘Acomb sandhole’. It is said that this was where sand was extracted for sale in the streets in York – and reputedly for making the glass that went into the great medieval windows of York Minster.”

*The Sun Inn with St Stephen’s Church Tower behind*

The Green is triangular, defined by three roads. This side here shows York Road (B1224) where you can see the profile of St Stephen’s Church tower – the building itself is set well back from the road.

*Lychgate leading to St Stephen’s Church, Acomb*

This is a great vantage point to see further afield. As the notice says, the church has a trig point marking it 33.5m above sea level and you can see for miles on a clear day.

This was a morning for quick sketches so we moved along to Front Street to sketch what used to be the Wesleyan Chapel; it’s now private flats.

Whilst looking up some history of Acomb, I came across a blog ‘Acomb – York Stories’ which although written in 2006 has received comments and Acomb anecdotes for over a decade after. It includes a photo of the Chapel in a former life as Ebor Carpets with white-washed brickwork.

*29 Front Street, Home to WRDunn* *Architects and Building Surveyors*

Just time to sign off with the exciting news that a set of 60cm size limited edition prints of all four of my Front Street Acomb drawings are hot-off-the-press ready to buy from my Esty shop which can be reached via my website here. Only nine prints available of the 90cm size – please get in touch if you would like to place an order.

*Front Street – Love the long views between the buildings*

Thanks for reading,

Ronnie 🙂

Architectural Drawing, Building conservation, Listed buildings, Newcastle-under-Lyme History

The Old Barracks

June 1, 2022 ronniecruwys Leave a comment

Waiting for the X164 bus from Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre back to Whitmore was a sketch moment. My car must have been getting fixed at Ryan’s garage – sketched here the year before.

I keep places/buildings that I find interesting in mind to draw later – in this case several years later! Recently I’ve concentrated on some new sketches in and around the town centre and I thought I would start sharing the first of them ‘The Barracks’, here.

Barracks Road was once named Friar’s Road; the name changed in recognition of the Barracks. It was built in 1855, in red brick ‘Italian style’. This was the headquarters of the 3rd King’s Own Staffordshire Rifle Regiment, which assembled annually at Newcastle for training, until 1880.

You can discover more about the history of this building here on the Potteries website. I’m delighted to hear that it received a grant a few years ago towards window repairs.

The Barracks workshops is now home to a number of small businesses and has been popping up on various social media posts.

There is also a heritage project running which is looking for people who have memories of the history and uses of this building – more about that on the Sentinel’s website here.

You can see the full set of new drawings on my Drawing the Street website.

The original drawing of the Barracks is available to buy mounted and ready to frame in my etsy shop here .

Thanks for reading

Ronnie 🙂

Lanark Heritage, Sketch book, Tolbooth Lanark

The Tolbooth: from Jail to Jewel of Lanark

September 8, 2021 ronniecruwys 2 Comments

A recent post by Tolbooth Arts has prompted me to look a little further into the history of this significant Lanark landmark. It sits at the bottom of the High Street with the Provost’s lamp (from the 1890’s) standing outside. The lamp is a relatively recent feature in it’s history – the third of the Tolbooth buildings to have existed on this site since the early 1400’s.

Lanark is one of Scotland’s oldest Burghs and back in the 12th century it was a favoured hunting ground for the Kings of Scotland. Over the years, the town has been a creative hotspot for shoes, gloves, saddlery, weaving, oil, and knitwear whilst the Lanark markets traded in livestock and agricultural implements. A walk through the Closes of Lanark give a great insight into the layers of history woven into the town.

Information boards on the wall of McKenzie’s Close – drawings by Kirsten Harris Art

The Town Council would have had a Council Chamber – a ‘Tolbooth’ in which to hold their meetings and to serve as a base for their officials, the treasurer and town officer. The Tolbooth served as a point for collection of customs or charges imposed on all goods brought in to the town for market. The ‘Customer’ or ‘Tacksman’ based here had control of the weights and the ‘Tron’ or public weighing machine located nearby.

The first building referred to in Lanark records was located approximately on this site and is thought to have been built around 1400. By 1571 it was in a ruinous condition and was replaced by a building which survived until 1778 but the Council didn’t have the funds to repair it.

‘Gentlemen of the Tolbooth’ – Volunteers Ernest, Tom and Millie, Christmas 2019

However, this was when the “Gentlemen of the County” stepped in and offered to pay for erecting a new building entirely at their expense with the one condition that they were allowed to use the Upper Hall as a gathering place. This is the Tolbooth building that exists at present.

There is plenty more on the history of the Tolbooth on the Discover Lanark website and on the Canmore website.

In 2017 The Tolbooth Trustees embarked on the redesign of the ground floor unlocking the buildings potential as a gallery, heritage centre and arts hub open daily manned by a dedicated group of volunteers. For the past few years that I have been living near Lanark, the Tolbooth has indeed been a creative hub and I’ve been delighted to have participated in several exhibitions with many happy hours spent sketching inside and out – a few examples follow:

*Richard Price giving a pottery demonstration in the Upper Hall*

Lanark’s town pigeons settling down to roost for the night

The Tolbooth Christmas shop has been a growing success over the past few years and artists are well underway preparing new work for this year’s stock, myself included.

Skilled creative work of local artists in the Christmas Shop

Lanark’s town Crier taking shelter in the Tolbooth, wearing Thomson Blue Tartan

Look out for the next exhibition – ‘Clyde Valley – Garden of Scotland’ coming very soon to the Tolbooth – more on that in the next post!

In the meantime, I will sign off with this drawing of the Tolbooth Lanark. It will be in the Christmas shop from November, or get it touch with me or a volunteer at the Tolbooth. Price is £225 framed (20 x 17in) which includes a commission towards the upkeep of this fantastic community hub.

Thanks for reading, Ronnie

Scotland, Sketch book, urban sketching

Airborne

August 26, 2021 ronniecruwys 2 Comments

*Roofline of a Victorian School on Westmuir Street, Glasgow*

A hold up, a queue or a gap in the day’s proceedings are a gift to me – if I remember to take it – or if I have my sketch book to hand. Today was one such gift. A slight delay for my sis-in-law as we waited for her pre-flight Covid test on Westmuir Street, Glasgow.

You just have to look up and there’s the skyline full of Victorian chimney stacks, turrets, ridges and eaves.

Birds flying with ease from one perch to another.

I’m almost at the end of this pocket sketchbook – a strange feeling as sketchbooks are companions to me. When a book gets filled up there is a sense of a chapter closing.

A page has turned in our family story as my nephew begins a new life as a student in St Andrew’s, a long way from his home. Little does he know but it’s thanks to him that I have filled the last pages of this sketchbook with Glasgow rooflines and scarlet rosehips!

Pen and ink drawing, Sketch book, Uncategorized

Rekindling the Sketchbook

June 22, 2021 ronniecruwys 3 Comments

My ‘handbag sketchbook’ has been dormant for a while. It’s a hand-sized book which I normally sketch in when out and about but over the last year or so, trips out have been straight to the point and home again.

I realised how much I had missed capturing some of the day-to-day aspects of life when I was waiting for my second Covid jab. This chap was ahead of me in the fast moving queue at Ravenscraig Sports Centre and it struck me that I should get the moment down even if it was just a few lines.

I was surprised at how l had fallen out of the habit of these short sketches – I’ve been drawing and painting plenty of other things (more on this another time) but these sketches are my visual diary. Life goes past so quickly that I sometime wonder what I was doing last week and these capture the moments when I pause.

These sketches are for me – I don’t mind how haphazard they are as long as I sketch something of the moment. I had added a wash of yellow ochre on one of the pages – it’s a simple but effective background to liven up a few hasty lines.

A ten minute wait for a routine vet visit was a great opportunity to sketch the profile of the church at Lesmahagow.

*Lesmahagow church – waiting outside the vets*

Here’s my first café sketch in over a year – looking up to the shelf where there was a line up of colourful Edinburgh Gin bottles.

A visit at last to see my sister in York for her birthday. She placed these beautiful lily-of -the valley flowers in a vase that came from Kerry, the part of Ireland that my mother came from.

In-person classes have resumed at Paintbox – the Art School by the Sea – over in Cockenzie. You can catch the feel of a place in just a few lines – enough to remind you of the day.

If I arrive at Cockenzie a little earlier than class starts, I have a coffee from my flask and sketch the view from the car.

The perspective is skew-whiff on this one below but I loved the crow-step gables against the red roof and bright blue sky.

I’ve been over to Cockenzie many times but not stayed to have a look further up the coast so we set Midsummer’s Day aside to go out to Bass Rock. Another few minutes waiting our turn to board the boat and I sketched what was in front of me.

Bass Rock is spectacular! Located just off the coast of North Berwick, it’s high-rise accommodation for 150,000+ gannets! We had booked on an hour trip which took us right up to the side of the rock where we got a great view of the birds and their young chicks.

The only way to pick up where you left off is to turn the page and pick up a pen.

As always, thanks for reading 🙂

Ronnie

London streets, Sketch book, Sketching, urban sketching

Forgotten pubs around the Hornsey Road

September 17, 2017 ronniecruwys 4 Comments

Gourmet coffee stoke station — Coffee from Gourmet Cafe Stoke Station

Back to the London sketchbook. All trips to London start with a tea from Gourmet on Platform1, Stoke Station. Here are a few sketches which I made around the Hornsey Road which runs parallel to Holloway Road, drawn over several visits.

On some of these trips, I enjoy making tiny thumbnail sketches in less than two minutes, then adding a bit of colour at home.

London bus no 253 Holloway road — *253 to Nags Head, Holloway Road*

It’s surprising what you can catch when you know you only have seconds when the bus stops.

sketches from the bus stop — *A few bus stop sketches*

On my way to the Hornsey Road, I walked past Royal Northern Gardens, a park created in 2002 on Manor Gardens. The Royal Northern Hospital opened in 1888 and once stood on this site. A new Casualty Department was opened in 1923 following WW1 as a memorial to the people of Islington and these rainwater hopper heads caught my eye, having been salvaged from the subsequent demolitions in the mid 1990s. They are now part of the memorial wall and used as planters.

sketch of rainwater hopper Manor Road Holloway — *Rainwater hopper head from the former Royal Northern Hospital*

Heading down Bavaria Road, I stopped to draw the ghost sign from the former Alexander Coffee Tavern. it turns out that this was once home of The Blenheim Arms, 395 Hornsey Road. Following closure this became a temperance pub called The Alexandra Coffee Tavern.

Look above the road sign and you can just make out the former Blenheim Road name

Sketch of the Alexandra Coffee tavern Bavaria Road — Alexandra Coffee Tavern on the Hornsey Road

Another old sign caught my attention – ‘Plough Stables’. I was joined while I sketched by Martin and his dog Barney and I discovered it too was once a pub, a favourite of Martin’s dad.

sketch of Plough Stables Hornsey Rd London N7 — *Plough Stables, Hornsey Rd*

Mosque which was once a pub — *Mosque on Hornsey Road which was once a pub – there’s a green man over the door!*

Then sketching this ornate entrance to the Mosque, it too was once a pub – I smiled when I learned it was called the Hanley Arms.

I usually have to go inside to warm up at some point and since a kind person brought me out a green tea from the Rusty Bike Cafe, I went in for a bite to eat.

sketch inside Rusty Bike Cafe, Hornsey Road — *Warming up inside the Rusty Bike Cafe, Hornsey Road*

I will sign off with this sketch of an old red phone box, not so many around these days.

George Gilbert Scott design telephone box Hornsey Road — *One of the original George Gilbert Scott design telephone boxes*

Thanks for reading,

Ronnie

Pen and ink drawing, Sketch book, urban sketching

Sketchbook scan tips

September 6, 2017 ronniecruwys 2 Comments

Colquhoun lodge banner.jpg

Rhomany’s Realm of Urban Sketchers Stoke-on-Trent recently asked me this great question: “Can you give us any tips on scanning/photographing your sketches for sharing online?” I thought it was worth taking some time to answer.

With most mobile smart phones, it’s straightforward enough to take a great photo, crop and edit it and post on line. Here’s an example from a few years ago, when I began with indoor sketching, the softies option. I took this pic with my camera and although it looks ok, it doesn’t really engage the viewer with the content of the sketch.

colquhoun lodge — Early indoor urban sketches

I’m sure that most people can do a much better job than this with their phones and the wide range of editing tools available but over the last few years, I’ve found I get a fresher and more consistent image by scanning the sketch.

I keep a record of most of my sketches and file them by date and location. I scan them as a jpeg at a medium resolution (300dpi), on a six year old Canon MG5250 scanner/printer.

When I place the sketch book on the scanner, I press the lid down to flatten the spine so as to get an even scan up to the binding otherwise the edges are blurred. This works up to within 1cm of the spine and it’s worth bearing in mind to keep any penwork away from the spine when sketching. Pressing down also helps flatten bumpy page surfaces.

Here’s the unedited scan of the sketch. You can see the blurred lettering where the spine can’t quite lie flat.

Colquhoun lodge unedited.jpg

The next thing to do is to crop the image and get rid of any unwanted parts in Photoshop or Microsoft Picture Editor.

I’ve cropped the image below but the lettering still looks fuzzy so I opted to lose it for the shared image and cropped it again.

Chateau Bill edit 1.jpg

There are lots of tools for colour corrections but I often end up using the ‘auto-correct’ tools to enhance contrast which lifts the mist from the image.

Colquhoun lodge Cruwys — *Bill’s holiday cottage supplies*

I add my web address in the image as a reference so when it sails off into the ethers, it retains a reference to my website. I prefer to keep the web address fairly discreet so as not to distract from the sketch. I also save the image at a lower resolution so it looks fine on screen but isn’t sharp enough to print.

This is a simplified description of my editing and like all these things, I could go into it in more detail, so any questions, just ask. That said – I may not know the answer!

I have all my street drawings scanned, colour corrected and printed professionally by Smith York Fine Art Printers as it gets quite complex.

Although this process takes up a bit of time, it’s an organised way to keep your sketches so you can find them easily and it’s also a record in case your sketchbook gets drenched in rain or coffee or your cat decides to help out…

Normans Paw.jpg

by the paw of Norman.jpg

Happy sketching and thanks for reading.

Ronnie

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

drawing out the best in our streets