Skyline and Sketching

A winning combination

Thursday 23 May started overcast and grey, but fortunately the clouds broke up during the day, and by the time a group of us were 109-m up in the air at the Battersea Power Station sketching the London skyline, there was plenty of sunshine and marvellous views of the city.

The event was fully subscribed with 14 participants looking forward to combining sketching with great panoramas of the city. Most attendees had travelled from within, or just outside of, London.

Many of the participants had some artistic background. Some either utilise drawing and sketching in their work, with both an architect and a graphic designer in the group, and others love drawing as a hobby. Few were such a complete novice as your author.

What united everyone in the group was the anticipation of getting to spend some extended time observing London from above.

Some participants had taken the Lift 109 journey before. For others, it was the first time. As one participant said: “I have been up before and loved it and was looking for an opportunity to go up again.”

We had a welcome drink while looking at the displays of the history of the building at the entry level. After a brief video and light show about the building’s history and its architect, we started our ascent up the north-western tower of the Battersea Power Station. The first lift takes you up to 55 m, and after walking up some further steps, you get a glimpse of the tower through a skylight. Then, we all got in the glass lift (custom-built by Otis), ascending the inside of the chimney before reaching the 109-m point, suddenly bursting into the daylight and being awarded with a magnificent 360° view over London.

At the top, we were met by drawing instructor Maddy Gyselynck, who teaches drawing and painting at London Fine Art Studios. Maddy stated that this was one of the coolest places she had ever worked.

Drawing supplies were laid out in the centre of the lift, and attendees wasted no time in selecting different quality and coloured papers, pencils and charcoals. We were encouraged by our instructor to think in terms of simplicity and pick one detail on which to focus. Most of all, though, we were encouraged to enjoy the views and have a nice time.

As the instructor also said, it was a chance to look at scenes in a different way and observe details and objects you would not normally register. Ultimately, the end result did not matter, but there were some high-quality sketches made!

The skilled participants managed to sketch two or three drawings during the 40 min we were at the top. During this time, we were continuously given tips to help improve our drawing skills, such as the most important aspect being how light or dark something is. 

The event was more relaxed than a normal drawing class, and most participants got on with their drawings without needing too much encouragement. 

Our instructor also revealed that drawing the views from Lift 109 is among the most challenging sketches you can attempt, simply because they are so complex and there is so much to view.

Although we got to spend 40 min at the top, for many participants it seemed like it was not long enough. One person said that it “went so quickly, I didn’t even take any photos as I was too busy drawing”.

Skyline and sketching seemed to be a winning combination. The event was part of the “Lift 109 Lates,” a series of special, after-hours events with “Sketching Skylines” being offered on four separate occasions during late spring and early summer. 

Earlier this year, in recognition of World Book Day on 7 March, the lift was transformed into a “Sky-High Reading Nook,” with visitors guided through a curated series of books selected by the neighbouring Battersea Bookshop. More information on the Lift 109 experience and special events can be found at Lift 109 website.