What a day! Thank you
, , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video! It was so fun to wrap up a gorgeous day spent sketching at the RHS Wentworth with you all. If I’m talking too fast, or you don’t understand my accent or you’re interested in some of the materials’ names, please do check out the transcript. Also, if you are a grandmother, please know that I love grandmothers and I shouldn’t have used the term “granny” in a pejorative way, I feel really bad about having done that and please forgive me. I mean it.As mentioned in the video, I did most of the drawings throughout the day and finished the spread with some journaling and doodles after the LIVE call (replay above). Below are some photos of the day, my highlights and some top tips for sketching at a garden show.
MY HIGHLIGHTS of the DAY
this Hazelwood Barn, designed by Lee Bestall is a sustainable garden with what’s available rather than what’s new - I would LOVE to take a bath in that tub (in the middle of a field, not at the show, obvs!)
this beautiful garden, by Biggins Hill Studio, had some of my favourites in orange and purple. “Key plants include: Aralia cordata (Japanese spikenard), Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower), Allium ‘Lavender bubbles’, Dahlia merckii, Sesleria ‘Summer skies’ (moor grass).” quote from RHS website
this Urban Pollinators garden by Richard Browning is ideal for small plots in urban areas.
the Moonlight Garden (Long Border) designed by Lauren Whalley and Louise Leyland - the images on the website don’t do it justice. This video is a snippet of its glory.
Top Tips for Sketching at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse
A day at an RHS show is such a brilliant way to explore sketching plein air with so much colour and shapes on hand! It is lovely and VERY busy. Here are my main tips if you’d like to take in the day by recording the highlights in a sketchbook spread.
pack your materials the night before leaving (and pick an outfit while you’re at it), think minimal and essentials only. Travel light!
this is obvious BUT check weather before leaving home and bring a cardigan, a hat, sunglasses and comfy shoes whatever is needed. Beautiful dress optional but appreciated by others (seeing all the different patterns was one of my highlights), as long as you’re comfortable…
put suncream on before leaving home (unlike me, I did apply to my face and arms but forgot that my back was a little exposed and I had to ask someone for suncream while sketching, she was sweet, all was well)
aim to go as early as you can (ideally aim to be there at least 30mins before opening) the queues are very long to park but also to walk in!
the bandstand is a great place to sit and sketch - there was a fun jazz band and then a harpist playing around 11am. Very lovely indeed!!
if you find a flowery spot at the show gardens you REALLY love and want to sketch it but are concerned about the crowd around you,… stand back a little (about 1m is enough to let people see the flowers) and only use 3 materials at a time while standing.
be prepared for people to comment on your artwork throughout the day… engage with that as much as you feel comfortable doing… if you don’t fancy people talking, maybe consider ear phones to show you’re not interested. But on the whole, people are very encouraging and for them seeing someone draw adds to the overall excitement of the day.
be prepared to queue for barista coffee, lunch and ice cream/strawberries/Pimms or maybe aim to do all of those a bit earlier than everyone else (coffee at 10:30, lunch at 11:30, ice cream at 1pm) just an idea. OR sketch while waiting in the queues with minimal materials, a great exercise to try in everyday life.
take photos and videos as you walk around, this is great if you’re with someone who doesn’t want to stop too often and so that you can continue sketching at home.
if you find flowers that are new to you and want to remember their name, send yourself a text message to not forget, you can letter it back at home with a special font you’ve researched or scribble it down in your sketchbook and draw it there and then!
there is a quiet tent for anyone who wants to escape the crowds for a bit.
carve out time at home to finish any drawings or journal a little in the gaps.
Do you have any experience of drawing at a similar show or gala or RHS event? I’d love to know if you have any tips. Please share them in the comments below!
FREE SUMMER GIFTS
The monthly gazette has a bingo sheet to download as well as a summer cordial recipe. Don’t miss that!
a chat celebrating summer colours with my friend Raj
a chat celebrating gardens with my friend Emma
previous visual journals in which I share a painting of Cezanne and an obsession with cherries or this one which was very orangey!!
QUICK CLUB NOTES
This is a free post for all subscribers. I have paused all paying subscriptions until Monday 11th August - I will be out of office/studio for a summer break. If you are already a paying subscriber, you get full access to all the archives free of charge for that whole month - it’s a great time to catch up on any sessions/challenges/series you’ve missed. If you aren’t a paid subscriber but would like to become one, I’ll be back Monday 11th August at which point you can do that. Until then, please enjoy all the club gazettes (monthly and free) as well as my personal visual journals since January 2024 (weekly and free) and the LIVE chats I’ve posted with Raj and Emma (see above).
Have a great summer!! xxx
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