From the Tower of London on the North bank of the Thames, you can see the Shard on the South Bank.
Pre-lockdown, I sketched this sitting on a stone bench on the slope to the West of the Tower of London. There were seagulls in the air. Children hurtled down the slope on bicycles, with parents jogging awkwardly behind. Young people threw their arms around each other and photographed themselves.
I worked on my drawing.
The view 
Preliminary sketch 
Pen and ink
It started to rain. Then it really poured with rain. The children scuttled under the overhanging roof of the visitor centre. The young people laughed and rushed off. I had to pack up very quickly. The seagulls remained.
I had finished the pen and ink. I added the colour at home. I tried out some experimental techniques.
For the cobbles I used the wrapping of a pack of mandarin oranges.
Paint over the netting 
When dry, lift off the netting to get an interesting effect
To get the sharp edges of the Shard, I used masking tape.
Lift the tape off 
A clean edge
I made this picture on a sheet of Jackson’s 300gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper, 12″ x 10″, using Daniel Smith and Winsor and Newton watercolours. The colours are Phthalo Turquoise (W&N), Fired Gold Ochre (DS), Perylene Maroon (DS) and Mars Yellow (DS). The cobblestones also have some Iridescent Moonstone (DS), which makes them sparkle. I made the tree with a marvellous new Tree Brush, also from Jackson’s.
Jane Sketching 