St Benedict Street - Norwich Urban Sketchers

Urban Sketchers Norwich met at St Benedict Street for our monthly sketchcrawl  on Sunday 17th May. We met at the Bicycle shop cafe.

 

    

Here are some sketches I made on the day. 

St Benedict's Street is one of my favourite streets in Norwich and is part of Norwich Lanes just off the main City Centre.

 It's a creative and cultural part of the city offering great music art and theatre. It houses some of the best independent shops,cafes and restaurants. 

The architecture is from the Medieval period adding to its distinctive character . 

                           

I have sketched many of the cafes, bars and restaurants in the area over the last few years.

Silvertown Regeneration Project East London

I had a great opportunity to join some of the London urban sketchers last Saturday  documenting the regeneration of Silvertown, Millennium Mills in East London Docklands. The plan is to transform it into London's New Creative capital . This coincides with a project I am doing as part of my masters in Norwich documenting a deprived area which is supposedly going to be regenerated in the near future.

Sue Pownall, Evelyn Rowland, Lis Watkins, James Hobbs, Julie Bolus,
Isabelle Laliberte, Olha Pryymak and Nathan Brenville

It was a really enjoyable day sketching as a group and seeing everyones unique  responses to the place . We had to wear High Visibility jackets.  The whole place was really dramatic especially with the gusty wind, the dark skies and cumulus clouds setting the scene. I was overcome and daunted  by the fantastic and colossal Millennium Mills built in 1905 lying  abandoned in a post industrial Urban landscape. The roar of the planes overhead  taking off from the nearby London City airport added to the atmosphere. I started off sketching the Grade two listed Grain Silo which was not so intimidating in volume and less windows to deal with!! Here are some of my sketches and photographs from the day.

Millennium Mills - Iconic Wasteland Silvertown

       

   

Grain 'D' Silo - Silvertown

    

     

Notes documenting my thoughts and ideas

Here are some notes on a range of ideas like  where I see my work placed and how I might incorporate a method of social exchange into the city and why. 

Latest Version - Norwich Over the Water

In this Latest version I have incorporated all my animations with the background and set in the type to form a narrative. I still need to work on timing as its too fast and doesn't flow smoothly. I need to practise my skills in key framing and masking using after effects. 

 

Anglia Square lies in the "Shadow of the City".

 Sketching in Anglia Square has given me the opportunity to talk to a range of people mainly exchanging stories and thoughts about looming regeneration project. Many people don't experience life in the centre of the city. I have also had conversations with people who have never  been to Anglia Square. There seems to be a divide within the city. This side of the city used to be known as Norwich Over the Water. Anglia Square is an overlooked part of the city abandoned and disreputable, when in fact it is part of a rich cultural centre of the city. It would be interesting to expose my film to an audience in the main city to promote Anglia Square. I have thought about shop fonts or projecting it in empty spaces. Perhaps projecting it in the square. It would be interesting to document parts of the main city and bring it to the square. Anglia Square lies in the "Shadow of the City". 

Here are snippets of conversations with people from the square that I would like to include in My short film. I have traced them to give a hand drawn effect keeping in style with the drawings.

                       

Stop motion Animated Figures- Anglia square

A selection of key frames and an animated sequence depicting the three wheeler walker guys.

The drawings above are inspired by a short animated film  by Marie-Margaux Tsakiri-Scanatovits - My Mother's Coat I like the way her delicate contour line drawings that are not always complete. Her subtle use of colour and type. Such a beautiful and moving story.

Drawings coming to Life!!!

I have had a huge learning curve with After effects and am really pleased with my progress so far. Achieving the correct timing is a constant challenge!! To elevate the problem with format I have tried to combine two moving films in the background with the animated man walking across the foreground. There is quite a lot going on at one time and I feel  its too busy. I would like to combine some of the stories and conversations with people I have encountered whilst sketching.