F is for Flowers #AtoZChallenge

It took me a while to find this one and thankfully I’d finished it. Bishops Gardens in Peterborough during 2020 summer had amazing bright pink geraniums. They were so bright it was difficult to walk past and not smile. After having such a horrid and worrying start to 2020 (Global Pandemic) it was such a pleasure to sit and draw the views from the benches in the gardens.

Bench Views Revisited No. 162 September 2020

Whilst you can see the Lido (open air swimming pool) in the background it wasn’t open when I drew this illustration. The Lido didn’t open during 2020 after the start of the Global Pandemic COVID-19.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is my Bench Views Revisited illustrations done from benches in and around peterborough UK which I started in September 2019. I drew No. 88 in February 2020 then lockdown hit. I restarted the series in August 2020 which meant almost half the series were drawn pre-covid lockdown and the rest of the 190 illustrations were done post COVID-19 lockdown.

A to Z Blogging Challenge

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E is for Exercise #AtoZChallenge

There’s a bench which looks at nothing. Well, it’s next to a busy road and is at an angle down a footpath which heads to the river. It means people are very close to me when passing and if it’s sunny the bush on the other side of the narrow path looks like circles of bright green.

Bench Views Revisited No. 25 August 2019

People passing are often on bikes and whizzing past which makes it very difficult to capture them. There’s lots of my Bench Views Revisited that could fit with Exercise but they’re not finished yet. I’ll try to add some in letters later in the month.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is my Bench Views Revisited illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in September 2019. I drew No. 88 in February 2020 then lockdown hit. I restarted the series in August 2020 which meant almost half the series were drawn pre-covid lockdown and the rest of the 190 illustrations were done post COVID-19 lockdown.

A to Z Blogging Challenge

D is for Drafts and Deliveries #AtoZChallenge

Drafts, I’ve got a few..

Of the 190 illustrations which make up the Bench Views Revisited series I’ve only finished about 40 I think, which means there’s well over 100 still to do and probably nearer 150 that are currently drafted in pencil. They still need the watercolour wash then the acrylic inks then the final permanent pen lines which finish them.

Bench views Revisited No. 114 August 2020

Sometimes I sit on a bench and wonder what people must think as they watch me sketching. It’s more obvious when I’m sat on a bench in front of this church but I get some strange looks when I’m sat in front of a building being developed for example and I’m looking at large wooden panels covering a building works. I never know what will pass or what I’ll see. This day was bank holiday August 2020 and motorcyclists were passing with deliveries. As I drafted it so long ago I have no idea how it will look when finished. That’s all part of the magic of creativity and what I love about the Bench Views.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is my Bench Views Revisited illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in September 2019. I drew No. 88 in February 2020 then lockdown hit. I restarted the series in August 2020 which meant almost half the series were drawn pre-covid lockdown and the rest of the 190 illustrations were done post COVID-19 lockdown.

A to Z Blogging Challenge

C is for Church #AtoZChallenge

Oh, of course, C could have been for many other words linked to my illustrations but I’ve not finished the ones which relate to those. As I’m on catch up, I’m using pictures of images I’d already finished and am planning to complete other illustrations for later letters.

Bench Views Revisited No. 44 All rights the artist.

This illustration is of St Johns Church in the middle of Peterborough. There’s lots of benches nearby but usually my illustrations have lots of people in them in the foreground. It’s unusual for me to draw it like this. The illustration was drawn September 2019. I wasn’t happy about it initially but it’s grown on me and there’s something quirky about it that I like.

My theme for A to Z Blogging Challenge is my Bench Views Revisited illustrations done from benches in and around Peterborough UK which I started in September 2019. I drew No. 88 in February 2020 then lockdown hit. I restarted the series in August 2020 which meant almost half the series were drawn pre-covid lockdown and the rest of the 190 illustrations were done post COVID-19 lockdown.

A to Z Blogging Challenge

B is for Bubbles and Blue Birthday #AtoZChallenge

One of the things we all got a bit obsessed over during the past few years were bubbles.. Who’s in your bubble? Are you in a bubble? I’m not in anyone’s bubble. Can you even be in a bubble? What was a bubble? A bubble was an extended household to make sure those who were on their own during the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic had support. That included single parents who had young children.

A Saturday in September 2019, Bench Views Revisited No. 42 All rights the artist.

What’s the illustration to show household bubbles during lockdown? Probably families and Bench View Revisited No.42 was drawn in 2019 and has bubbles in it at a time when I had no idea that the phrase Bubbles would come to mean something so different. This is a pre-covid bubbles picture.

Friday 20 Sept 2019, Bench Views Revisited No.45 All rights, the artist.

During Covid lockdown December 2020 I had what could have become a blue Birthday. It was a big one and I had to have it isolated from others because the rules were that we were in the and I’ve already said I wasn’t in a bubble. Somehow it became the best ‘big’ birthday I could imagine and very memorable. Prople dropped of presents without coming in and I had a couple of virtual parties during the day while working my way through a bottle of bubbly, had to be done. Bench View Revisited No.45 drawn pre-covid somehow fits the bill to illustrate that. It ended up very blue with some happy birthday balloons being the bright colour on the page. Like my birthday in 2020, a very happy, bright event surrounded by a more muted world.

My theme for A to Z Blogging is my Bench Views Revisited illustrations done from benches in and around peterborough UK which i started in September 2019. I drew No. 88 in February 2020 then lockdown hit. I restarted the series in August 2020 which meant almost half the series were drawn pre-covid lockdown and the rest of the 190 illustrations were done post COVID-19 lockdown, well, after the first lockdown I think.

If anyone’s out there I hope you are able to pop back and enjoy some of the illustrations of Bench Views Revisited that I’ve finished. I might also need help formatting if the ‘like’ button’s disappeared, it’s been four years since I posted here.

A to Z Blogging Challenge

A is for Anyone out there? #AtoZChallenge

It’s been a while. I’ve missed three years of this A to Z blog challenge. I’m not on the master list this year and am joining a week in so if you’ve found me, well done. Hopefully I’ll catch up with some pals I’ve not ‘met’ up with for a while and am looking forward to meeting some new ones.

In theory my theme is my illustrations currently called Bench Views Revisited. These are illustrations done from benches in and around peterborough UK. I first sat and illustrated from benches in 2014/15 and repeated the series five years later starting September 2019. You can guess what’s coming.

I’d got to Bench Views Revisited No. 88 on 1 February 2020 then lockdown hit. Even when I could get out and about I didn’t want to do illustrations with no-one in them so I waited to continue till August 2020. That means almost half the series were drawn pre-covid lockdown and over half were done post COVID-19 lockdown, well, after the first lockdown I think.

If anyone’s out there I hope you are able to pop back and enjoy some of the illustrations of Bench Views Revisited that I’ve finished.

A to Z blogging challenge

Z is for zigzag #AtoZChallenge

Z’s linked to Peterborough Cathedral: zest; zion, then I asked a number of people what on earth I could do for z and one kind person said “zig zag”, genius.

I knew there would be lots of zig zag designs within the cathedral and was very pleased when my favourite spot for the architecture had so many I didn’t know which way to look. Sitting at the east side of the south transept looking North-west I could get in a bit of the medieval ceiling with it’s Victorian overpainting of zigzags alongside the Norman arch with many zigzags all along the arch and the gothic arches which have less zigzag design on them.

Peterborough, UK, is celebrating 900 years of the current Peterborough Cathedral building which is my 2018 A-Z theme. Rather than give you lots of information which you can get from the website, books or by visiting and having a wonderful guided tour I’ve provided a list of topics and an illustration of one of them.

This is one of hundreds of blogs which have completed the challenge. Take a look at what others have done during the 2018 AtoZ Blogging Challenge.

Huge thanks to those who have popped by during the month and those who have regularly liked and commented each day. It’s been a pleasure to show you a beautiful building, my way. I hope you’ve enjoyed my style of illustration, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed creating quite a few new ones during the month.

For now, I’ll get back to sketching daily life as it ‘s played out in Peterborough, UK and wish you a wonderful year until we blog again (I’ve stopped even thinking I might blog at other times during the year). My original goal was to create a blog and I have and it gets used, for one month of the year at least.

Y is for Years, 900 of them #AtoZchallenge

Y’s linked to Peterborough Cathedral: Years; yellow and you.

There are so many years dating to many occasions in the 900 years since Peterborough Cathedral foundations were laid. This illustration is of the Holy Spirit Chapel in Peterborough where there are many years on memorial plaques to many who lost their lives in wars.

Peterborough, UK, is celebrating 900 years of the current Peterborough Cathedral building which is my 2018 A-Z theme. Rather than give you lots of information which you can get from the website, books or by visiting and having a wonderful guided tour I’ve provided a list of topics and an illustration of one of them.

This is one of hundreds of blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing and support this AtoZ Blogging Challenge.

X is for a Cross and Christmas (xmas) #AtoZchallenge

X’s linked to Peterborough Cathedral: cross and xmas (Christmas)

There was a Christmas fair in the nave last year and here’s one of the illustrations I did on the day also showing the cross (a bit loosly related to x I know..).

Peterborough, UK, is celebrating 900 years of the current Peterborough Cathedral building which is my 2018 A-Z theme. Rather than give you lots of information which you can get from the website, books or by visiting and having a wonderful guided tour I’ve provided a list of topics and an illustration of one of them.

This is one of hundreds of blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing and support this AtoZ Blogging Challenge.

W is for West Front WOW #AtoZchallenge

W’s linked to Peterborough Cathedral: West front; working; Wealth; Water; Wake; Worship; WOW; Weddings and Windows.

The west front has the WOW factor. It gets me every time, whether it’s alone in the early morning or late evening or there’s hustle and bustle around and in front of it like this day during the heritage festival,  (the festival is 16-17 June this year). Peterborough Cathedral is a very busy place, with worship, work and WOW factor it has a draw that can’t always be described.

We can now say it’s 900 years since this building was started (it took 120 years to complete), I hope those around when it celebrates 900 years since the west front was consecrated enjoy being in it’s presence as much as I do now.

We’re getting to the end of my AtoZ of all things Peterborough Cathedral and I hope you’ve got a hint of the place. It’s not always thought of and yet, it’s got it’s place in history.

Peterborough, UK, is celebrating 900 years of the current Peterborough Cathedral building which is my 2018 A-Z theme. Rather than give you lots of information which you can get from the website, books or by visiting and having a wonderful guided tour I’ve provided a list of topics and an illustration of one of them.

This is one of hundreds of blogs doing this challenge. Take a look at what others are doing and support this AtoZ Blogging Challenge.