Coventry sketchbook.
In 2017 Coventry was announced to be the City of Culture for 2021 and in 2019 I participated in the Coventry Sketchbook project with Coventry University.
The work I have created for this sketchbook is based on my experiences of Coventry- the city I grew up and live in. Specifically, each page is based on an area of Coventry city centre from a route I have mapped out in the sketchbook. This narrative is from walks with family members through the city from when I was younger; I have re-walked this route and created studies based on the landscape.
This has been a great experience- making something that will directly be part of the city of culture 2021 celebrations; I hope this offers opportunities for me in the future.
#covsketchbook
- Coventry Cathedral Ruins
- Outside the Cathedral
Page 30: Coventry Collage and Group Collaboration Page 31: Self Portrait Piece
- Coventry Cathedral Ruins
Title Page
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1. Printed Photograph
about. Photograph taken by myself on 120 film of Coventry (specifically a Spire) edited digitally on Photoshop. The right side has been blurred. The whole photo printed and stuck into the sketchbook.
2. Tracing Paper and wording
about. Strip of tracing paper running the length of the sketchbook over the blurred markings. The paper has a word sequence written on top with black biro pen- that being locations around Coventry such as: Styvechale, Earlsdon, Whyken etc. Stuck to the sketchbook with tape.
3. Sign
about. Part of the tracing paper piece (2) that has been coloured with black acrylic with a signed piece of white paper. Sketchbook is signed: W.Hughes- Styvechale Grange.
Pages 2 and 3
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Pages based on the Coventry Cathedral Ruins
1. Handwriting
about. Whilst creating study 5- I asked a member of the public to write out Coventry in there own handwriting after they came up to me and started talking to me about the sketch. Underneath I wrote 'city of culture 2021' in biro pen.
2. Photograph
about. Close up photograph of the cathedrals architecture taken on a digital camera. Printed and stuck directly into the sketchbook
3. Photo collage
about. Collage of the cathedral ruins made using glossy printed photographs of the cathedral ruins. Piece is intimate due to its size. Created by cutting photographs up and sticking them over each other with scratch and white pen mark over the top.
4. Acetate Print
about. Using the same image as the printed piece used for study 3- an acetate print was created directly onto the length of the sketchbook. It has added watercolour and pencil.
5. Live Sketch
about. In September 2019- I sketched out the Cathedral ruins over a period of half an hour using pencil, black biro pen and charcoal. When I was back in studio I added watercolours to the sketch.
Pages 4 and 5
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Pages based on the Outside of Coventry Cathedral (Both New and Old structures).
Pages consist of three mono-prints.
1. Mono-print (1)
about. Prints subject is a photograph taken by my Grandfather a few years ago of the Outside of the Cathedral- both New and Old structures. The photograph was scanned and printed onto thinner paper and used as to create a mono-print. This is a more far away print.
2. Mono-print (2)
about. Photo used in this print was taken by myself. There was a thicker amount of black ink on the plastic plate which has been picked up in the mono-print; it feels more negative- in tone and atmosphere etc. This is a more close up print.
3. Mono-print (3)
about. Photo taken on the same trip up the spire as the photo used in the title page. Main focus is the cathedral spire with the background more suggestive in mark. This is a mix of both close up and far away print.
Pages 6 and 7
Pages based on Key Words
Photograph obscured with marks on the seventh (right) page.
Page has key words printed onto the pages and photo using a hot iron press typography technique. Such words here include: REMEMBER, FORGET and COVENTRY using black and yellow water based inks.
The word Structure was printed on using scratch off typography.
Other key words are written around these typed words and photograph with coloured pens such as: areas around Coventry.
Structural lines from the photograph have been extended with thin yellow tape. These extend the eye onto both page 6 and 7.
Pages 8 and 9
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Pages based Views from up the Spire
Page consists of Photo collage studies.
1. Photo Collage (1)
about. Photo of the northern part of Coventry City centre. Strips of the photograph have been cut and arranged slightly off centre so not everything in each part lines up. Creates a blurred effect- almost glitched- inspired by the New Aesthetic. This has been stuck on a piece of white paper and stuck onto page 8.
2. Newspaper Wording
about. Cut newspaper headlines and text creating key words around the first photo collage. This sits on a page painted with blue watercolour paint. The type used also comes from 'ghost letters' around the city centre. Words include: City, View, Home.
3. Photo Collage (2)
about. Photos taken from Eastern and Western Coventry city centre, showing: Coventry cathedral ruins, Broadgate, Herbert art gallery etc. The page has three photo collages with 2 black biro pen boarders.
Pages 10 and 11
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Pages based on the Herbert Art Gallery and Coventry Biennial 2019 (4th October - 24th November 2019)
Pages 10 and 11 have been painted with a blue and grey mix acrylic paint.
1. Sketch
about. Quick structural sketch made directly into the sketchbook on a live sketch session. Made in pencil directly onto the painted sketchbook page.
2. Larger Sketch Piece
about. Larger sketch of the Herbert Art Gallery, the Cathedral ruins and Priory Street in a secondary sketchbook. The piece took a few hours and created only in layers of pencil. Pencil smudged marks depict the sky.
3. Photographs
about. 2 photographs showing areas of the Herbert Art gallery. Made to juxtapose each other: the first is a close up of the galleries roofing and the second is an outside shot.
4. Pieces in response to the Coventry Biennial 2019
about. 2 photo with colour mapping- influenced by artist Anna Columbine whom was exhibited in the Coventry Biennial: the Twin exhibition in the Herbert Art Gallery. The page is framed in slogans from the Biennial 2019 (such as: work with us, learn with us). Coventry Biennial 2019 sign and dates cut from a leaflet given out to the public.
5. Fold out venue map
about. Extension to the sketchbook. Map cut out from the leaflet given to the public which shows venues of the biennial. These have been annotated by myself given my own insight on the exhibitions in the exhibition.
Pages 12 and 13
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Pages based Views from my studio from Coventry University
1. Sketch
about. Sketch of the view from my artist studio at university. Sketch initially made with thin pencils in a 5 minute period. Areas were built up following the sketch with biro, thicker pencils and watercolours.
2. Hot type print
about. Hot typography print made on top of the sketch piece. Made with varied size and font type presses with black water based ink spelling: Cox St. This is significant: the road my university and studio is on in the city centre.
3. Acetate Print
about. Print made with acetate and water printed into the middle of the 13th sketchbook page. This is again the view from university building on Cox Street. This has a boarder made with significant wording in relation to the piece. The page is framed with blue and navy oil pastels.
Pages 14 and 15
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Page 14 is based on The Coventry Swimming and Leisure centre
Page 15 is based on Ring Road Coventry
1. Acetate Print
about. Print made with acetate and water printed onto a piece of paper and stuck into the middle of the 14th sketchbook page. This is of the swimming baths- the 'elephant' building. Similar to the 13th page: this is framed in significant wording, biro and oil pastel.
2. Photograph
about. Professionally printed photograph of an area of the ring road taken from University building: Graham Sutherland Building.
3. Acetate Print
about. Print made directly into the sketchbook. When applied the ink is rubbed against the paper giving a sense of blur- abstracting the print.
4. Hot type print
about. Hot typography print made on top of the acetate print piece. Made with the same font presses with black water based ink spelling: RING ROAD. This is repeated and shapes the page below it in biro pen.
Pages 16 and 17
Page based on my personal narritive for the sketchbook.
Pages 16 and 17 have been fitted with a fold out map of the city centre.
Printed fold out map of the city centre is stuck and folded in the sketchbook which represents my sketchbooks personal narrative.
The map is annotated with a route around the city which I remember from walks with my grandfather when I was much younger. As I have grew up the city has changed and I have noted down in the sketchbook key aspects of the city I remember. Each page in the book shows this and in the map each pages subject has been annotated down.
Essentially we can read through the sketchbook and look at the map to gain a bit more information.
Pages 18 and 19
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Pages based on the Coventry Transport Museum and Whittle Arch
1. Printed Photographs
about. Photographs taken by myself of varied angles of the Whittle Arch and The transport museum. They contrast against the marks and shapes in the other pieces here but is similar in subject material.
2. Abstract mark
about. Marks based on textures in the city. Feels like tarmac or a tire track which relates to the transport museum. Marks made with black acrylic marks left on the printmaking roller directly onto the page.
3. Acetate Print
about. Print made onto secondary sketchbook paper and stuck into the sketchbook. Illustrates the transport museum itself in a dreamlike manner- I have many memories of walking round the space with my grandfather when I was little.
4. Sketch
about. Sketch made depicting the whittle arch and other areas of Coventry with the Transport museum behind me. Made over a period of an hour- I have depicted the space with varied thicknesses of pencil
Pages 20 and 21
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Pages based on Broadgate
The pieces on this page have been built up on photograph collages. I have taken spare photographs used throughout the sketchbook, cut them up and stuck them to the book with glue and masking tape.
1. Digital Sketch
about. Sketch made of the Lady Godiva statue in Broadgate using the iPad software Procreate. This is printed onto printer paper and stuck onto the page.
2. Photographs
about. Two printed photos (one of the lady Godiva statue and a map of Coventry) stuck onto a piece of newsprint paper.
3. Sketch and Photo piece
about. Sketch of Broadgate depicting the Lady Godiva statue and clock amongst the streets on a piece of sketchbook paper. This was drawn live over a period of 30 minutes. This is stuck on a piece of newsprint paper with a photo of the Lady Godiva clock with Peeping Tom above the piece.
4. Newspaper Wording
about. Key wording related to the space is presented around the pages. Such as: Broadgate, Peeping Tom, Lady Godiva Statue and City Centre.
Pages 22 and 23
These two pages were made in collaboration with locals which allowed me to bring other peoples perspectives of Coventry (their Coventry) into my sketchbook.
1. (Page 22) Bean and Leaf Coffee House Coventry
about. The page is made in collaboration with local business- Bean and Leaf Coffee shop located on Hertford Street in the city centre. I worked with them taking photographs and asking them to help design the pages details etc.
The page consists of three boarders; a wording boarder (words picked by staff there), a yellow oil pastel boarder and black biro boarder. Inside this are 8 photographs taken from their Instagram account finished with an ink stamp in the middle.
1. (Page 23) Thomas Ellys Lawlor
about. The page is made in collaboration with local creative- Thomas Lawlor. The page is dedicated to his creative writing and poetry based on Coventry and the people of Coventry. It was really interesting to included this style of work in the sketchbook- a break from the visual.
The sketchbook page itself was painted loosely with a pink acrylic and his printed work stuck on top.
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Pages made in collaboration with local businesses and creatives
Page 22 (@beanandleafcoffeehouse)
Page 23 (@ellysdoespoems)
Pages 24 and 25
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Page 24 is based on the Coventry Train Station
Page 25 is based on Bull Yard
The pieces on Page 24 sit on marks made with red and yellow acrylic marks. These abstract marks break up the page.
1. Photographs
about. Series of photographs of the Train station taken from a variety of times and settings. For example: A photo at night, a close up of the welcome to Coventry Sign, and a photo overlooking the station. Adds a visual aid to a quite conceptual yet wordy page.
2. Hot type print
about. Hot typography print made on top of the acrylic marks on the page. Made with the same size and font types spelling out: 'COVENTRY TRAIN STATION'.
3. Train Line map
about. Map drawn on a piece of tracing paper and stuck to the page with wording of the locations you can get to in the UK from Coventry. This highlights the reach Coventry has and how many people can visit the city at any time but specifically in the 2021 City of Culture celebrations.
4. Photographs
about. The Photographs here are used to show other structures and areas of importance around the Bull Yard area of Coventry. I have highlighted the newly built 'Wave' swimming pool centre, close ups of the architecture in the space and a photo showing Bull Yard when its very quiet.
5. Newspaper Wording
about. Wording spelling out the name of the space in Coventry where this page takes inspiration: Bull Yard. The lettering comes from a newspaper that I found in the space when taking photographs and making initial sketches for page 25.
6. Sketch
about. Sketch made initially in the space of Bull Yard and then further looked into when in my studio space. This was stuck into the sketchbook, using a photograph as a visual aid.
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Pages are based on perspectives and views around Coventry
Page 26 is based on the Market and A view overlooking it
1. Background
about. The page is painted with a thin hard to see layer of beige acrylic paint. On top sits a tracing paper sheet with blue abstract markings made in response to shapes of the architecture from the view.
2. Sketch
about. Sketch made from a car park opposite and over looking the market area of Coventry. Initial shapes were marked down quickly and then built upon in my studio with thicker pencils, biros etc adding a variety of tones, shadow etc. This is important as a sketch because in the 20201 celebrations for the City of Culture, the view will be different. The main tower block just left of the middle of the sketch is planned to be removed to make way for a new piece of architecture. The sketch acts as a remembrance tool for a Coventry I remember.
3. Page 27- Frame
about. This page has been painted with a blue / grey colour, the same as that on Pages 10 and 11. The page acts as a frame as the middle has been cut out revealing images from the next page. Adds a level of mystery, a sense of exploration, like exploring Coventry.
Pages 26 and 27
Pages 28 and 29
1. Photographs
about. The 28th page is purposely affected by the 27th. The frame has allowed for an aspect of the previous sketch to be shown here surrounded by other aspects of Coventry. The sketch from page 26 shows a far away sketch and the photographs on this page show an up close perspective: opposites.
The photographs show areas of the Upper precinct area in the city centre. Such as: the market, the fountain, Broadgate, etc all on a slightly painted background. The green colour here mirrors that of the colour in the escalator in the upper precinct.
2. Newspaper Wording
about. Wording spelling out the Lower precinct taken from newspapers but also natural lettering found in the space. For example, I have taken a photo of shop signs and then used them to make the title. This is stuck onto masking tape and then onto newspaper strips.
3. Monoprints
about. Two monoprints of views of the lower precinct area of Coventry city centre. The monoprint printing method really feels effective here as it makes the space feel ghostly- a ghost-town. The page is lined with a newspaper background and the prints arranged on top.
Pages are based on the Upper and Lower Precinct
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Pages 30 and 31
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1. Group Collaborative Piece
about. This piece is a collaborative project made with other Coventry Sketchbook artists in the same class as myself. The piece of tracing paper was placed over peoples sketchbook pages of their choosing- the shapes, words etc created were traced and layered. In this case, the created shapes resemble that of a car tire which is significant in Coventry's transport history. The piece is folded into the sketchbook and folded out so we can observe the collage behind.
2. Photograph Collage
about. Other significant areas of the city centre are explored here; this is personal to me. Some of the photographed areas here include: Spon Street, Canal Basin, War Memorial Park and Pool Meadow Bus Station to name a few. The collage was made digitally and stuck into the sketchbook. The tracing paper collaborative piece is folded over onto this- the images are still visible even if slightly blurred.
3. Newspaper Wording
about. Each photo is labelled with newspaper cutting wording. Adds another level to the collage.
4. About Me
about. The last but one page of my sketchbook is about me: the artist. It consists of a digital continuous line portrait drawing made using the iPad software: Procreate. The sketch is printed onto sketchbook paper and stuck into the book with a small written paragraph stuck on top: A biography.
Page 30 is based on other key areas of the City centre with an attached collaborative project
Page 31 is a page About Me
Page 32
1. Drawing
about. For the page I decided to draw the map of the city centre (the same map as that on Pages 16 and 17) onto the final page. This is because the map has been quite important in this body of work visually but also in a narrative perspective. I used colour pencils to show the ring road and other aspects of the city.
2. Tracing Paper and wording
about. I stuck on top of the map a sheet of tracing paper with a circle of key words relating to my ideas of Coventry. Some of these include: remembering, historical, journey, movement. These words relate to the narrative throughout the sketchbook that I have created. In the middle, the word: Home.
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Page 32 is based on the city as a whole and what I think when I think of Coventry