2019 honestly felt like the fastest year on record ever. Perhaps it's a symptom of ageing that years begin to pass by quickly, or the fact it was just a crazy busy year. There was so much we packed in: renovating our home (still ongoing!), family holidays, going back to work full time and generally... Continue Reading →
Autumn is my favourite time of the year especially as the colours of nature during this time are so beautiful. I wanted to capture the final moments of Autumn before winter and the colours of Christmas are officially here. Even though I'm missing my pens and watercolours I'm still using my ReMarkable as a sketchbook.... Continue Reading →
This the first month in years where I haven't sketched at all! Work has been super busy and I've just not found the time to sit with my sketchbook and pen. I think about sketching all the time. And, I find inspiration scrolling through Instagram. If you're on Instagram, follow me @Biralsketch. I'm hoping November... Continue Reading →
I've been reading a book by Eckhart Tolle, which talks about the importance of being present. It's an amazing book and one which is life changing. However, for those that know me, being present is something I find difficult, mostly because my attention span is similar to that of a fish, and generally I'm so... Continue Reading →
I'm a huge fan of Danny Gregory. I've read his books, taken an online course at sketchbook skool and follow him on social media. His sketches are amazing and over the past year or so he has been drawing/sketching/painting using his iPad. I've always battled with drawing using tech whether that's using an iPad, Wacom... Continue Reading →
We headed down to Cornwall for our family holiday and it would have been a sin (as a sketcher) not to pack my sketchbook and attempt to paint a little bit of Cornwall. Cornwall is beautiful, and I can see why it's a popular destination for Artists. The beaches, boats, the lighthouse, the rocky shore... Continue Reading →
I have to admit this is the first time in many months where I haven't sketched anything or even thought about sketching. House renovations and life in general has completed zapped my energy and my time; and because of this my sketching has completely halted. This blog has become a little record of my life,... Continue Reading →
I mentioned in my previous post how I am really enjoying the concept of abstract realism. Unfortunately, this month has been busy with job interviews and home renovation that I've not found dedicated time (or energy) to put brush to paper. But, I was able to create abstract watercolour triangles and I really enjoyed watching... Continue Reading →
This month was the, 'One Week, 100 people' challenge, unfortunately, similar to previous years I didn't take part. This is because this week coincided with school holidays and I couldn't find the time in between laundry and entertaining (shouting at) my lovely children! I promise next year I will take part! However, I did spend... Continue Reading →
I normally try to post on this blog once a month, it's been running since January 2016 and I've not missed a month so far! But, March has been such a busy month that I honestly felt I wouldn't be able to post on here at all. Luckily, I went to a beautiful wedding in... Continue Reading →
I've been meaning to sketch this beautiful orchid for a while now but keep being distracted with the busyness of life. I also convinced myself I needed at least 30 minutes to sit down to create the perfect sketch. Well, I knew if I kept thinking like this, this sketch will never happen and knowing... Continue Reading →
It has been such a long time since I have sketched and I know I say this every month, this time it's true!! I joined the London Urban Sketchers group at the Barbican as a way of forcing myself to sketch and it was great to take pen to paper especially with fellow sketchers around... Continue Reading →
Christmas is over and 2019 is almost here, so what better way to bring in the New Year by decluttering my sketching kit! In my quest to find the 'magic' pen or pencil I have acquired so many that I can now open a stationary shop! However, what I have noticed is having so many... Continue Reading →
I tend to avoid drawing faces or portraits mostly because I find it difficult to capture a true likeness and I haven't found it as enjoyable as sketching buildings. However, recently, I have found faces fascinating. The deepness of the eyes, the untold stories etched into lines or how the shadows falls - faces are... Continue Reading →
For me, sketching is more than capturing a realistic or pretty picture or something for others to enjoy and comment. It’s a series of moments where so many things unfold. I slow down and I really notice the world in front of me - the shadows, bright spots, colours, shapes, rooftops, the arched windows and alongside... Continue Reading →
I have found a new love for September, the transition from summer to autumn, the colours and the coolness of the air whilst the sun still streams, it really is nature at it's best. With sketching, it's not about the end result but the process of just putting pen to paper and being in the... Continue Reading →
My lovely arty friend has been going to life drawing which she absolutely loves. I honestly never thought life drawing was for me as seeing another naked body would be erm slightly awkward! Anyway, after seeing her amazing sketches, I decided to put my nervousness to one side and found a local life drawing group.... Continue Reading →
This month has been crazy busy as we are moving home! And at the moment we are surrounded by boxes upon boxes of stuff! A few of these boxes are all my art supplies. I didn't realise the amount of art materials I have gathered over the years - brushes, ink, sketchbooks (most empty!), pencils,... Continue Reading →
June has been a month of glorious sunshine in London and I've enjoyed using my blackwing pencil and watercolours. My sketching this month has been inspired by Paul Wang, his use of continuous line and loose watercolours are a dance on paper. If you are on instagram, check out his work by following 'paulwang_sg' or... Continue Reading →
I love Urban Sketching because being outside in the environment and capturing scenes in your sketchbook is a sensory heaven. But this also means I have millions of excuses not to sketch such as having the kids around me (they never let me sketch!), not having the time and as this excuse list is never-ending... Continue Reading →
Life has been so busy with a house move, stressful job, crazy kids and a never ending to-do list that my sketching attempts have been completely abandoned. I wish I could sketch daily but for some reason it is just not happening. So, I am allowing myself to have a break, enjoy the pause and... Continue Reading →
This month I've been fascinated with learning all about perspective, it definitely is a case of when maths meets art! I feel having basic perspective brings a sketch together and helps the sketch to be more visually engaging. There is a beauty in perspective which I only now appreciate because of Stephenie Bower. Stephenie Bower... Continue Reading →
February has been pretty cold here in London and so I've not really ventured out to sketch. Instead, I have embraced sketching small and the everyday items around me. This month, I have also been reading some fantastic books by established and amazing Urban Sketchers. If you are new to Urban Sketching or want to... Continue Reading →
January has been cold, wet and devoid of any sunshine and so taking my sketchbook out just hasn't happened. Instead, I found some time to sketch our 10 year old shoe cabinet. It was one of the first pieces of furniture we brought as a married couple. Today, we are dismantling this and replacing it... Continue Reading →
I love Christmas and this year our Christmas Tree has been extra special. Over the years, our tree has grown with all the little crafty baubles and decorations made by our lovely children and it feels extra special to see them hanging from our tree. So, I just had to sketch our tree for 2017... Continue Reading →
This month I've been hiding away from the cold and keeping warm by sketching people in coffee shops. I also attempted a self- portrait in my hat and scarf! I've particularly enjoyed sketching with my new Lamy Joy pen which is the closest fountain pen to a dip pen. The Lamy Joy pen has great... Continue Reading →
This month, we embarked on a family holiday abroad and of course I took my sketchbook with me!! I've really enjoyed sketching on holiday for so many reasons, here are a few of them: Sketching smaller elements of a bigger picture meant I could get my sketchbook out frequently as I wasn't overwhelmed... Continue Reading →
September has been a very busy month and my sketching has been gathering some serious amount of dust. But, this month has ended on a sketching high with Francine Lawrence and Susi Hoyle on their amazing course, ‘Draw London’ with City Academy. We gathered in the morning at Tate Modern in London and sketched our... Continue Reading →
This month, I attended a course taught by George Butler at the House of Illustration in London. George is a reportage illustrator and sketches amazing scenes all over the world mostly with a dip pen. You can see his work here. We spent a few hours sketching at St Pancras in London. For the first... Continue Reading →
This month my art buddy and I went to Bath for a weekend of sketching and visiting friends. Although I have visited Bath before it is so different to be able to sit down and truly breathe in just how beautiful Bath is with my ink and watercolour. From sketching stone washed buildings to... Continue Reading →
I have found a new love in life for yoga. Similar to sketching it takes you away from your mind chatter and makes you focus on what is happening in the moment. I managed to take some time out on my first yoga retreat to sketch a beautiful summer scene near a lake. There were... Continue Reading →
One of the best places to sketch people are those in a museum as they stay still long enough for you sketch them. I stumbled across an art class taking place at the museum and I was able to sketch them sketching!! It is so fascinating to see how sketcher's look at their subjects and... Continue Reading →
It's a view from my bedroom window which goes unnoticed most the day until I take a moment to stop and look out. I always find myself wanting to sketch this view of the Crystal Palace Transmitting Station, the colourful skies in the background and the green trees in the foreground. Whether it's with ink... Continue Reading →
It's been a busy few weeks. I've been trying to sketch daily, learning at Sketchbook Skool on their Exploring course and reading all about Urban Sketching - and breathe! I came across a habit app which tracks anything you like and for me it was sketching daily. I managed to sketch for 13 days in... Continue Reading →
It was brilliant to meet at Alexandra Palace with the London Urban Sketchers today. The Ice Rink was a great place to practice gesture sketching with my new dip pen. It was a challenging sketch with all the skaters moving around so fast, it felt like you had 0.00000001 of second to capture them whilst... Continue Reading →
I prefer sketching buildings over people but I was inspired by the challenge to sketch 100 people in one week. I tried to give this challenge a good try and even though I didn't get anywhere near 100 people, I developed an interest for capturing people and gestures. Suddenly, watching people took on a new... Continue Reading →
There is something comforting about art clutter - pens, brushes, paper, easel and pencils. I am still focused on sketching with ink - it's quick and makes me focus on seeing tones.
The best part of Urban Sketching is finding a spot to settle down and it always involve tea and cake. This month, we got together at the Barbican which is an interesting place. My first sketch was of an old church which forced me to really work on my perspective and details. For my second... Continue Reading →
When this elderly gentleman boarded the train and sat directly opposite me, I felt the need to sketch him. He seemed so sad, cold and fragile. I was grateful that he didn't notice I was sketching him as it was nice to have captured him with my pen and ink.
This weekend I joined the London Urban Sketchers Group to sketch views of London from the Tate Modern. It was a lovely sunny day but extremely cold. The Urban Sketchers group is an amazing group of talent and there is a huge degree of comfort to see other sketchers around you while you sketch. I... Continue Reading →
I miss out on so many sketching moments every day even though I carry my sketching kit everywhere I go. So far, there was the queue I was standing in, at the soft play centre, on my commute, at the coffee shop, drinking my tea at home, whilst the kids were playing and many more. Upon... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year!! What better way to spend the first day of 2017 sketching. This is my new bag which is big enough to carry my sketching kit everywhere I go. I am hoping to sketch many moments this year.
It's often difficult as a busy mum to find time in the day to really connect with my children. I am a mum who gets distracted so easily and then feels guilty for not being present with my children or really being there and connected for them. So, today we put our trainers on and... Continue Reading →
December has been entertaining with these two hanging around our home. Most importantly, you both were the only reason why my little ones went to sleep on time. See you next year - my quiet evenings will miss you!
It has been a long time since I last sat down and sketched. I find myself making many excuses because either I haven't thought through exactly what I will sketch or that I am not out on location so what's the point! This time I decided to stop making excuses and I grabbed my tools... Continue Reading →
October has been jammed packed with classes and learning. I just finished a local watercolour class which was amazing and I will blog more about this soon. Being self taught, I spend a lot of time reading books or learning online so it was nice to be in a classroom environment and have a teacher... Continue Reading →
A great thing about sketching is finding like-minded people around the world who share the same passion. A passion to steal small moments from daily life and take pen to paper to capture the world around you. I am very excited to feature Carmel Campbell's amazing work here, her blog is wonderful and her daily commitment... Continue Reading →
I really enjoy sketching houses from the comfort of my car. For me, good perspective really helps to bring a sketch together but it can slow me down especially when I like to work quickly and loosely as possible. I admire sketchers who can work quickly as well maintain great perspective. Liz Steel, Stephenie Bower... Continue Reading →
Anyone born in the 80's may remember these Raleigh trikes - mine is around 30 years old (give or take a few years!) and still going strong. It's such a joy to see my little one pedalling it and whenever I see it I have the urge to grab my kit and sketch it. Finally,... Continue Reading →
I was waiting for my train and suddenly thought to take some time to sketch my surroundings using my new daily sketching kit. I've only sketched with a friend or with a group in public so I had to overcome my public sketching nerves. At first, I felt slightly awkward and super paranoid that everyone... Continue Reading →
