Urban Sketching London Part 02 “Dream City”
Urban Sketching London Part 02 “Dream City”
Urban Sketching London, a recent trip…
I went to London in early December to meet contacts for 3D work and also to do a Cites Of the Imagination Workshop at The South London Makerspace.
While there, I spent time to do some urban sketching everyday, Urban Sketching London…
Someone told me a year or so back “I was a dreamy type”. That hurt me at the time.
We all need to dream, I dream and I then turn my dreams into reality.
Of course dreaming can take you know where if you let it, but dreams can also be used to get things done.
We dream first then create. I believe that’s how civilization develop, great inventions and art is made, and in general great achievements are made.
Urban Sketch Dreamer
Urban sketching is a kind of dream, you get detached “people are strange”. People can look menacing, people start to look the same.
Some Reasons Why I Do Urban Sketching
- Come up with ideas from this dream state for my art projects and to create art in itself as a raw sketch
- To always improve my drawing style, detailing areas and creating “energy” strokes that define the life blood of a city.
- To act as a visual scrapbook of creativity to find things photos do not find.
London Dreaming
London is a sprawling octopus type city. I never really “get it”. New York my favorite city. It is bold brash and exciting like the best essences from a Hollywood film.
London is reserved, calculator like new buildings that look great but I don’t quite like but with life and hidden gems between blander skyscrapers and more reserved people in general.
Every-time I visit London, I discover new things. In an almost autistic way, I go to the same places, Embankment, South Bank, Trafalgar, I expand each time into other parts of this octopus city, exploring new areas and discovering new architectonic structures and places.
Little by little, I start to understand London. The calculator city, the Blade Runner esque South bank at night with its neon, the small reserved lights of Piccadilly, compared to its “uber” brother equivalent in Times Square New York. The multiculturalism of London, a transitory place. Where people come to find their dreams. They may not find their dreams but find other things like in life in general. A patchwork quilt of history and the future.
Because of this London is an interesting city to do urban-sketching in.
London is not my dream, for a city New York would be, even Toronto or Montreal where I spent time. These places are where I want a cool architectural apparent for example Habitat 67 someday, a dream? Could be but not in my world.
Some London Urban Sketches
Here are some sketches of London with thoughts for each one. I hope these resonate with you in some way, let me know if they do.I would love to hear. I no longer try to sketch exactly what is there, it is a scribble, a note journal, energy and ideas.
Walking Human Adverts…
Charing Cross Railway Station, Rush Hour Cyborg Faces…
Piccadilly Circus London Crowd Moving Organism…
Waterloo Station London Wall Of Rail Destinations…
M&M Shop Leicester Square, Remember Times Square?…
Colour Of The Low Sun, Time To Go Home, Wherever You Live…
Keep dreaming, go out and sketch and make sure that you turn your dreams into reality.,,
Now Watch The Accompanying Video For My Urban Sketching London Trip…
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You can also request to buy a sketch like the ones above or request a commission of a street scene or if you own a shop or bar e mail me at info@jamesabellart.com to discuss.
