Last Friday I started out at London Bridge and made my way up the Thames along the Queen's walk through Bankside and the South Bank. I made a delicious detour to the Borough Market where I nibbled my way through the market and bought a picnic lunch. I escaped a sudden downpour and browsed for an hour or so at the Tate Modern before continuing up the river.
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| full sketchbook spread, 5x16" opened (click to enlarge) |
Eventually by late afternoon I ended up at Westminster Bridge surrounded by tourists and pigeons. I decided to draw the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It proved to be a daunting task...but a pleasant one. It seemed endless.
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| a detail of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben (which is actually the nick-name of the bell) |
EARTH has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
William Wordsworth, Upon Westminster Bridge, 1802
1 comment:
Great drawings of Big Ben, Kate - it's a pretty complex building, ain't it!
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