Sketch Days...

This week, we have been having a heatwave here in the UK...and for that matter so has the rest of Europe...you may know about it! Seeking shade where you can, opening the window for the welcome breeze, that only brings in more heat! So this week as I've been trying to keep cool, I've been doing a little urban sketching...

Not outdoors...oh no I'm not tough enough for that! Using photographs as reference. Photographs that I took on a recent visit to Newcastle, when the weather was what I would call a little more unsettled! If you haven't visited Newcastle I can recommend it, there is lots of great Architecture, I'll share more in another post.
This illustration is of Portofino...not Portofino the place, but a lovely family owned Italian Restaurant on the corner of Mosley Street in Newcastle, set in a beautiful Grade II Listed building, built in 1891.
The Architect was Alfred Waterhouse who designed amongst other things the National History Museum in London. 
As the rain started to fall, we found ourselves looking for a place to shelter and have lunch, and so we found ourselves in this wonderful building with an interior of high ceilings - decorative arches and walls lined with ceramic tiles ( Fainece tiles) produced from the Leeds pottery firm Burmatoffs, it makes for a great setting to eat...and the food is simply delicious too - I can really recommend it!

On the playlist for this post, I thought it was only right that we had one of Newcastle's own... so here is Dire Straits and their track ... Telegraph Road - Enjoy!