Sketching the City

We were delighted when Sketchnthecity allowed the Central Library to exhibit a large-scale sketch of Edinburgh. The sketch is the 3rd in the '69 cities' project to sketch and exhibit all 69 cities across the UK. Now, the project partnership of Carl 'Sketch' Lavia and photographer Lorna Le Bredonchel have kindly allowed us to share images of the amazing Edinburgh sketch on Capital Collections.

The Edinburgh cityscape was completed in September 2017. The immense ink sketch measures 2m x 1m and has been completed using a mix of technical and BIC pens on archival paper - mounted onto Dibond. The sketch depicts an area of Edinburgh covering a radius of around 6 miles - as far north as Stockbridge, as far south as The Meadows, as far east as Holyrood Palace and as far west as the Murrayfield stadium. All the familiar landmarks are depicted plus the yet to be completed St James shopping centre.

Self-taught and obsessed with cityscapes, Carl has been sketching since he was a kid. He says,
"It was a way to sculpt reality, I'd literally sketch my own little world".
Sketch's preferred materials are always a mix of technical pens and the ubiquitous BIC pen on archival paper. He chooses to depict an aerial view of the city allowing for a powerful, all-encompassing, immersive perspective. He captures all the familiar landmarks and magnifies the character of each place in an intricate, fluid style.

Carl says: "Each artwork is a celebration for the people who live, work and simply love the city".

We thought we'd take the opportunity to delve into our collections and uncover how artists have captured views of the city through the years. So this exhibition showcases views of the awesome Sketchnthecity drawing alongside historical sketches. Carl's pen and BIC drawing is juxtaposed with drawings from the 17th to 21st centuries in a variety of media including pencil, watercolour, pen and wash.

You can visit the phenomenal Sketchnthecity drawing of Edinburgh's city centre at Central Library until the end of September 2018.