Southbank Sketching

GCSE Artists captured the city’s skyline from the banks of the Thames on workshop led by a prizewinning artist.

Year 10 students took part in a workshop led by acclaimed visual artist Jeanette Barnes, exploring different ways of drawing the cityscape while experimenting with materials including charcoal, fine liner and pencil. Lyla writes about the highlights of the day:

‘One of the most interesting parts of the workshop was learning how to become more expressive with mark-making and how to use a variety of drawing media together in one piece. Jeanette encouraged us to work quickly through timed tasks, which really helped improve my confidence and drawing speed. At first this was challenging, but it taught me how to capture the atmosphere and structure of buildings in a much freer and more energetic way.

I also found it really helpful to receive individual feedback on my work and advice on how to improve my compositions and techniques. The workshop completely changed my perspective on drawing cityscapes and introduced me to a more expressive style that I would like to continue exploring in my sketchbook work. Overall, the trip was inspiring, enjoyable and extremely useful for developing both my observational drawing skills and my confidence as an artist.’