Reading perspectives: December 2018

It's been a very long year (though still with twelve months in it) - here's a selection of sketches and memories from 2018.

January
A collage at the Reading Museum for a Urban Sketchers Reading meetup. It turns out I didn't sketch that much in January so a regular meetup helps.

February
A colleague had told us about the snowdrops at Welford Park so we decided to head out there. It was gorgeous. I'd just started reading a book by Eric Sloane who did "colour drawings in black and white" so I was inspired to try to draw in black in white. If you get the chance, go to see the snowdrops there.

But I couldn't resist using colour in February because I was given a JoanOfArt sketching tin and some flowers and had bought a gorgeous Emma Bradbury vase.

Snoozing on the train (esp in the mornings) is so relatable (at least for me)

March

March was when it was OneWeek100People challenge. Despite saying I wouldn't do it again after last year, I got inspired by James Richards and decided to give it another go. I even managed to use a rapid sketch/self-portrait (a reflection in the train window) to use as my twitter profile photo.

Being as it was March, we got snow so I sketched the scene during one lunchtime.

Snow also impacted the Smart City Challenge in Reading where I was asked to live sketch
(the first event where someone had requested me to sketch)

Thanks to the lovely Urban Sketchers Reading group, I found about a course running in Wokingham with Pat Southern Pearce and decided to attend an actual workshop IRL. She introduced us to using wax crayons and when I got home I tried out some of her techniques to draw the Blade.

April
I was getting a bit anxious about trying to finish the SketchbookProject in time in April (an extended deadline!). I swore to my husband that I wouldn't do this again as he pointed out I didn't actually seem to enjoy the process. And then I bought two sketchbooks for this year - one for him (!!) and one for me (both, as yet unopened) so we can share the pain together. Hubby, when you're reading this I want you to know that you're welcome.

Late April was very sad as we lost the wonderful @declarationball who introduced us to the Whitley Pump and so much more about Reading besides. Here's a sketch at Vel which he had reviewed.

May
A couple of sketches from Cup in St Mary's Butts using the tricky KarstStone paper.

June
June sketches include a lovely battered doorway in London Street Reading .

We visited Bletchley park again after it got saved thanks to Dr Sue Black. It's amazing and you should also go.

July
The Abbey Gateway re-opened and we sketched there for Jelly's Open for Art weekend.

James Richards was doing a course and a sketchcrawl in Oxford and I decided to go along in person (his online course is pretty awesome and obviously cheaper - currently 17 quid). Oxford has many vintage, happy memories for me as well as only being a short hop on the train from Reading (apart from this particular weekend where there was a rail replacement service from Didcot). This scene doesn't convey the flies, smells and ever-present chance of being mugged when I went out into an alleyway for one of the exercises. I love how sketches are triggers for memories. All that said, it was an intense but fun course and I saw Oxford differently as this time it didn't include friends, family and places away from the crowds.

Coffee - I love sketching the coffee over breakfast.

I also enjoy capturing people and sketching people who are at work - I sketched a lady at the Karting place in Reading.

August

WhitleyPump had asked me to sketch some Whitley/Redlands/Katesgrove sketches/thumbnails for them. I went walking about and sketching one day. This was just the right moment in Cintra Park. For the rest, check out the What's On pages every week.

They had also asked me to live sketch a meeting which was a terrifying but wonderful learning experience.

September

Folding towels at Thames Lido. I can't believe she's 3 feet tall, though. We got there early for a lovely Sitelines production by Laura Mugridge and I did a quick sketch.

October

It was Inktober and the first I'd managed to do most of! I decided to really focus on ink style and also tried to make most pages not look out of place in a graphic novel - so I really enjoyed looking through the sketchbook I made of it. Here's a couple of my favourites.

The amazing Clays had requested a sketch to announce their Xmas menu and I did one for them. As I type there's a doggy bag in the fridge from a visit where we ordered with our eyes instead of our heads. It won't go to waste.

November

It is lovely being asked for illustrations to accompany pieces. WhitleyPump asked for one to go with their ode to old pubs. Read the poem by the Anonymous Bard.