“urban sketching”

Snowdogs by the Sea – Day three: 6th November

Day three: Nearly 10 hours of sketching and stalking Snowdogs.

Additions to my kit: An extra hat, another jumper and two pairs of gloves.

If you enjoy what you see, please make a donation to Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust.

8:10am Paint doesn’t dry when it’s this cold!

9:10am Frank looks a bit stressed, due to the man just out of view, shouting into his mobile phone for a very, very long time.

10:00am Terrifying!

Neon Camo Snowdog of hope, Brighton & Hove High School

11:35am A tranquil spot.

12:30pm SNOWDOG! SNOWDOG!

13:40pm Surely there can’t be any more?

3:30pm A popular meeting place, so lots of ducking and diving to see this one.

5:00pm Half a shandy and a packet of crisps with Disco Dog at dusk.

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs. Please donate now! More to follow…

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Snowdogs by the sea – Day two: Bonfire night

By Claire Moore

Day two: 9 hours of sketching and stalking Snowdogs.

For all my sketches, I’ve followed the urban sketcher manifesto, so there was no sneaking off to a warm café to touch up from photos. I’ve also put them straight down on the page in pen and wash, no pencil outlines or practice runs.

Feeling like the world needs a little love right now? A donation to a good cause, like Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust , might help ease the pain.

8:50am They’ll never let you in to French connection dressed like that Horatio.

9:30am Ryuichi Sakamoto’s, ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ plays on an endless loop in my mind. It could be the cold, but for the first time I think this might be madness. I can’t feel my hands.

10:20am Donatello staff eye me suspiciously, as they set out tables. I can’t feel my legs.

10:55am Lurking silently in the corner in the cosy Dome porch, I learn that this is the dog most people want to steal. It really is fluffy.

12:23pm Finally, a bench to sit on.

13:30 A heavy night on the town for Max

2:45pm Right here, right now.

3:40pm The wind blows rust in my face.

4:20pm Thanks to the nice woman who encouraged me to post these sketches online

5:00pm Pedestrians step on me in the twilight.

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs.

More to follow…

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Snowdogs by the Sea – Day one: Halloween

By Claire Moore

8:15am It’s a doggy!

Thanks to Martlets Hospice and Wild in Art, you can’t walk down the street in Brighton and Hove at the moment, without the hearing excited shouts of SNOWDOG! SNOWDOG!’

After weeks of procrastination, the enthusiasm of the small people in my life, inspired me to commit to a long distance, urban sketchathon, to capture all 40-odd Snowdogs by the Sea before they go to their kennels on the 27th November.

If you enjoy these sketches, please make a donation to Martlets Hospice or the Brighton Housing Trust – it’s cold out there.

8:50am Just before the café door obscured the view…

Seagulls of the south, Seafront/Bristol Court West

10:00am A quiet moment

11:00am Didn’t know what time it was my face was odd odd odd…

Snowman and the Snowdog sand sculpture, Marina Square, Brighton Marina

11:45am Pit stop

Brighton Rock (Rocco,) Brighton Marina New Boardwalk

12:30pm Too darn hot!

Bone China, Brighton Marina, New Boardwalk

1:00pm GET DOWN FROM THERE NOW!

Patch - the unfinished quilt, Seafront/opposite New Steine

2:00pm The sight of this filled me with dread

3:00pm Small people dressed as witches, staring silently at you are unnerving

4:00pm Crimes against music on the pier

5:00pm No… get down … NOW!

9:00pm Using my palette from memory in the dark

Many thanks to all the artists who gave their time to create these fabulous dogs. Donate now! More to follow…

© Claire Moore and cmoorelife, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Claire Moore and cmoorelife with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Colour swatch

By Claire Moore

How much is that doggie in the window? Adelaide Crescent. (Sorry pooch lovers, there isn’t really a dog in this picture, no matter how hard you look)

It’s February and it feels like it’s been dark forever! To combat all those winter blues, I decided to add a bit of Naples yellow and Permanent Rose to my palette.

These chaps must have been feeling the same, as they completely removed their windows to let in more light.

Seems a bit drastic, particularly with snow predicted. Still, those Regency enthusiasts know what they are doing.

If you are feeling a bit ‘grayscale’, I recommend taking a walk through Hanover. It has more colour than a Dulux swatch.

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Urban chill

By Claire Moore

After a frosty morning urban sketching in Hove, what you need is a comfy chair and a hot coffee.

Then you can feel your fingers and toes and do it all over again.

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I love Paris in the fall

By Claire Moore

View from the Dome of the Sacre-Coeur

I’ve only ever seen Paris in the depths of winter before, so this autumn adventure with my mum was the trip of a lifetime.

I wasn’t planning to sketch, but after the 300 steep steps up to the top of the Sacré-Coeur, mum’s coeur was ready for a decent sit down. Luckily, I am always prepared for a bit of plein air painting!

A memento I painted for mum, don’t tell her though as it’s a surprise…

It was surprisingly peaceful in the Dome, away from the swarming crowds below. I was able to peer over the edge, working quickly whilst ‘le petit train de Montmartre’ waited below.

My three top tips for Paris are:

If you have the luxury, save it for Autumn, after the schools go back.This has to be the most beautiful time of year to see the city.
Get the free Paris Metro app
Keep this essential blog post from Riana Lagarde available at ALL times. Although I found that there were more free pee’s than expected and Madame Pipi at the Sacre-Coeur has been replaced with an alarmingly chirpy attendant.

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I want to be a part of it

By Claire Moore

New York New York, I imagined it to be just like it’s pictured in Tony Sarg’s ‘Up and down New York’ but there were far fewer hats and there was no hurricane at the Flatiron Building.

The flatiron building

You’ll never get me on a clipper ship.

The Guggenheim. Shut on a Thursday.

Liberty’s behind

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No cars and no bras!

By Claire Moore

Today was a perfect day for Brighton’s ninth World Naked Bike ride. It’s a peaceful protest against car culture and oil dependency.

Those brave enough to, bare as much as they dare, to demonstrate the power and vulnerability of cyclists.

If you are feeling shy… wear a mask!

The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time, particularly those in the fountain at the Old Steine!

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Sketching, Swiss style

By Claire Moore

A gentle start in Chur…

The Glacier Express in Switzerland is one of the slowest express trains in the world, but still makes for high speed sketching.

On to Gornergrat.

The final train journey home, via Geneva. Even the Brighton train was on time!

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London not by the sea

By Claire Moore

I finally got to see the Turner by the sea exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich this weekend. It’s great to see such an amazing body of work in one place. I recommend getting the audio tour for some added context.