[By Shiho Nakaza in Manchester, UK] Here are some more sketches I made in Manchester outside of Urban Sketchers Symposium. (And what I’ve learned in the sketching workshops are on my blog post here.)
What struck me the most when I first landed in Britain this summer are the clouds, which are ever-present and dramatically shifting by the minute. They are so fun to paint (when it is not downright pouring rain) and are a refreshing change from flat blue sky back home. Thanks to Ketta and Mario for letting me know about this view from the eighth floor of Manchester School of Art.
I had one day free after the Symposium, and I relished the chance to sketch and catch up with other like-minded folks while exploring the city. A group of us went to Manchester Cathedral. This city is full of intricate Gothic buildings, and while I enjoyed looking at and sketching this building, it was quite overwhelming to get the details in…
…so I indulged in sketching the gorgeous details of windows, gargoyles, and ornaments. I loved looking at them and figuring them out with my pen. The square ornaments by the windows all had different designs on them!
After lunch, our group went to John Rylands Library, which is another beautiful Gothic building and easily the most ornate public library I’ve ever visited. I sketched the outside of it at Liz Steel’s workshop; I now went inside to do a small portion of the interior. I only had time to do a sketch below, but I enjoyed being in this space.
After a quick sketch in the library, I just couldn’t resist English afternoon tea with homemade scone at the Café inside Manchester Town Hall. The afternoon light filtered through the arches.
I rode the train out of Piccadilly Station the next morning to head out to part 2 of my UK trip, this time to London….
