Post-Manchester: Wales, London, Bath

[By Tina Koyama in the UK] Last month I had the honor of being one of four
correspondents at the Manchester symposium. Becoming a symposium correspondent
was a long-time dream for me, and the experience was unforgettable. I grew and
learned so much during those intense four days, and I’m very grateful to Urban
Sketchers for giving me that opportunity.

Since my four posts made during the symposium included the
many sketches I made in Manchester, I won’t repeat them here. But if you missed
my live coverage, you can find those posts on this blog:

Manchester Symposium, Day 1: Castlefield Sketchcrawl and
Reception

Symposium Day 2: Rain is Not a Deterrent

Symposium Day 3: More Rain; Prison Inspiration 

Symposium Day 4: Dry at Last, Fond Farewells

Since it was our first trip to the UK, my husband Greg and I
followed our days in Manchester with two more weeks exploring areas we have
been interested in seeing for a long time: northern Wales, London and Bath. You
can see all of my sketches from that trip
on my personal blog, but I wanted to share just a few sketches from our
travels here.

Before visiting northern Wales, my image of castles tended
toward pink and sparkly structures where Disney princesses live. About as far
from Disney as I could imagine, the results of King Edwards’ pursuit of
dominance were made of formidable, impenetrable stone. Rounded walls (corners
in a structure are the most vulnerable areas, so they were avoided) proved to
be as challenging to sketch as they were to scale or penetrate! 

Castle Conwy, Wales

Visiting London during the peak of tourist season is not for
the faint of heart. Instead of battling crowds everywhere, we stayed outside
popular tourist attractions while still experiencing London’s energy. Buskers
are always a favorite sketching subject, and I was lucky to spot one playing
bagpipes outside Westminster Abbey. (That’s a type of busker I don’t see often in Seattle!)

Busker near Westminster Abbey, London

London horse guard

Our last stop before heading home was the town of Bath. Every
way I turned in Bath was a visual delight – stunning architecture, narrow,
curved streets, strange faces carved into stone walls – that was challenging to
sketch but not daunting. A bonus was being able to fill a waterbrush with
ancient and apparently healthful Roman spring water (after taking a sample sip,
of course – yuck!) and then sketch with it afterwards! (Bath Abbey shown at top of post.)

River Avon from Pulteney Bridge, Bath

After traveling 19 days and looking forward to sleeping in
our own bed, we said fond farewells to both Bath and all of the UK, certain
that we would return someday. The United Kingdom is full of sketchable
pleasures, and I’ve only barely skimmed the surface.