Sketching Edinburgh

Since January I’ve been taking a cityscape painting course at Edinburgh College of Art. It has been everything I hoped it would be – namely, an excellent shove back into daily life as a painter.

Sometimes having too much freedom about what art to make next can be overwhelming – endless possibilities, how to choose? Having someone say, “draw this, paint that” is incredibly helpful. Rather than thinking about what art to make, you just make art.

Taking a class or workshop is also a great way to learn a new approach to making art. My teacher is big on sketching on location, and then using those sketches (rather than photographs) as source material for paintings. In my practice I tend to use photographs more than sketches as source material, so this has been an excellent trip outside my comfort zone. I can’t remember the last time I’ve filled up a sketchbook so quickly.

Going outside to sketch every week has also reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to live in a city as gorgeous as Edinburgh. Even on cold drizzly mornings like today, I am so happy to be here.