Watercolour Sketchcrawl with Simone Ridyard

Join artist & architect, Simone Ridyard for an energetic and lively workshop focusing on the basic principles of one-point perspective through demonstrations, tips, techniques and exercises on the iconic Liverpool Waterfront. You'll take away numerous hints and tips whilst creating some striking architectural drawings and watercolour pieces along the sketch route.

The sites we will be exploring are some of the most fascinating around Liverpool and perfect for urban explorers, sketchers, photographers and history lovers. This 3 hour session is aimed primarily at beginners but structured in such a way to be a good refresher workshop for more experienced sketchers, whilst developing your watercolour practice.

Not only will you be guided by Simone, you'll also to start you on your creative journey! This session is perfect for those interested in urban sketching or architectural illustration, so comfy shoes and an explorers spirit are essential as we sketch come rain or shine, so make sure you bring suitable clothing for potentially wet and windy weather!

This workshop will be in 2 parts, and the first part aims to simplify urban views by focusing on the basic principles of one-point perspective through demonstrations, tips, and techniques that were covered in Simone's book, Archisketcher.

The second part of the workshop will focus on Simone's approach to watercolour using , a curated and compact collection perfect for on the go art and Simone will also demo how to apply loose watercolour as a final layer which brilliantly contributes to an atmospheric ‘sense of place’ in your sketches. Simone will also be using which maximises colour vibrancy and withstands multiple layers of Derwent Inktense. If you'd like to use to same products as Simone, why not take advantage of our available to all participants. Use code DERBIGDRAW20 at the checkout to claim your products. You can visit their range of products!

We ask that you arrive at least 10 minutes early in order to be signed in and we will send further details of meeting times and locations to all our sketchers closer to the event. You will be provided with fineline pens for this event, so all you'll need is a sketchbook or paper for the session and watercolours.

, and Team look forward to meeting you and seeing the work created in this fun and creative session.

Simone is a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is also an architect and architectural illustrator. Illustration clients include Manchester City Council, University of Manchester, Selfridges and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Her work has been featured in the Sunday Observer News Review and The Guardian website. Whilst on a teaching exchange in Singapore in 2011, Simone discovered the global urban sketching community and has been actively engaged with Urban Sketchers ever since. She set up the Manchester Urban Sketching Group in 2012 and Archisketcher was published in 2015. Simone teaches drawing workshops specialising in understanding of perspective. In recent months she has collaborated with Winsor & Newton and Derwent on publicised art campaigns.

This event is sponsored and supported by Derwent who are the Official Art Material Partner to The Big Draw Festival 2022, Come Back to Colour. You can find out more about Derwent and their brilliant range of drawing materials at

Founded in 2000 by the Guild of St George, The Big Draw is a pioneering visual literacy charity dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for wellbeing, thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement. The charity leads a diverse programme of advocacy, empowerment and engagement, and is the founder and driving force behind The Big Draw Festival – the world’s biggest celebration of drawing.

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