Tag: Edinburgh Sketcher

New Edinburgh Sketcher artworks revealed

Celebrating the Third Year of the Festival City Stories project

  • Edinburgh Festivals and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland celebrate third year of the Festival City Stories project  
  • Showcasing the partnerships of Edinburgh’s Festivals and local community groups with new collaborative artwork from the Edinburgh Sketcher and a Dundee Street hoardings takeover

Edinburgh’s Festivals, BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland and local community groups have come together to celebrate the third year of the Festival City Stories project. 

As part of the celebration, new artwork has been unveiled from renowned Edinburgh artist, Mark Kirkham, also known as the Edinburgh Sketcher. Attending events and workshops from across the Festivals’ work with local communities, organisations, charities and schools, he captured their projects through a series of sketches, which were transformed into postcards for the participants to share their own stories and experiences.

These sketches and postcard responses are now presented as a part of an artwork takeover across BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland’s hoardings on Edinburgh’s Dundee Street and Wishaw Terrace from 23 February – 8 March this year. 

The artwork takeover was unveiled at the event at Edinburgh Printmakers which also featured stories and performances from people involved in year-round partnerships between some of the festivals and local community groups, schools and organisations. 

Project participant Sally and Dance leader Albi Mendoza from Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival – Inclusive Latin Dance project at the Dundee Street hoardings takeover | Credit Iain MacKay

Projects featured include:

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival – Latin Dance Inclusive is a community-based project that introduces young people with disabilities, alongside their parents, carers and families, to the joy of dance in a fun, friendly and inclusive environment.

Edinburgh International Book Festival – Paper Trails is Edinburgh International Book Festival’s multi-year communities project working to tackle literacy inequality and social isolation, in partnership with Edinburgh Libraries and Streetreads.

Noëlle Cobden, Edinburgh International Book Festival – Paper Trails project looks over Edinburgh Sketcher postcards for Festival City Stories at Edinburgh Printmakers | Credit Iain MacKay

EIBF activity so far has included poetry residencies in care homes with the Mobile Library, author talks at Muirhouse Library, an intergenerational storytelling project at Ratho Library and zine-making sessions at Liberton High School Library.

Edinburgh Art Festival – World AIDS Day marked World AIDS Day on 1 December 2025 with a celebration of the ongoing work of Ally Van Tillo: Leith resident, and pioneering activist in the Scottish fight against the AIDS crisis.

People gathered to watch a documentary, participate in a table discussion, and experience a musical performance before congregating outside for a torchlight procession. 

Edinburgh International Festival – Welcome to the International Festival was a course tailored for international residents in Edinburgh, inviting group members to explore how experiencing different cultures connect us through workshops. These culminated in an international community meal featuring performances by International Festival performers. 

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival – Creative Encounters – Election performance. Part of Imaginate’s landmark project, Creative Encounters, Election by Bishop May Down, commissioned by North Edinburgh Youth Arts Collective, imagined children as bigwig decisionmakers with the power to make real change. Three eleven-year-olds in oversized suits and fake moustaches delivered a political manifesto, offering a child’s perspective on what is valuable in the world.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Generation Fringe, formerly Fringe Young Ambassadors, works with young people from high schools around Edinburgh to explore careers pathways to the arts. The project aims to engage and inspire young people, introducing them to parts of the industry they might not have known existed, and provides opportunities to visit Fringe venues and arts spaces around Edinburgh. 

Scottish International Storytelling Festival – BSL Apprenticeship Programme. Hosted by Deaf storyteller Tania Allan, the Festival set up the BSL storytelling workshops at the Blackwood Bar, to provide a welcoming space where the Deaf community can come together to share stories, humour, memories or anything they feel inspired to perform in BSL. 

Edinburgh International Film Festival – In Conversation. Edinburgh International Film Festival’sdynamic programme offers audiences the opportunity to engage directly with filmmakers and creative talent, through In Conversation events and post-screening Q&As. 

To find out more about all projects, visit: 

www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about/stories  

Belinda McElhinney, Chair, Festivals Edinburgh said: “Residents are the lifeblood of our festivals and so it’s great to have this opportunity to highlight the year-round partnerships between the festivals and their local communities, with thanks especially to BuildHollywood Scotland for their support and to the Edinburgh Sketcher who beautifully presents the many festival community projects in his unique creative style.”

Charlotte Black, General Manager, BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland has said: “It’s been a real pleasure to once again champion the many incredible stories behind our city’s leading festivals and their collaborations with our vibrant, creative communities, organisations and schools.

“Through the magic of the Edinburgh Sketcher and handwritten postcards from participants, these stories have been brought to life beautifully. Together, they form a series of rich visuals we’re proud to platform across our posters and billboard sites throughout the city.” 

Mark Kirkham, The Edinburgh Sketcher has said: “I am so pleased to work with Festivals Edinburgh and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland to create these sketches that showcase the great community work that many of Edinburgh’s festivals are doing as part of the Festival City Stories project.

“Seeing the work going on behind the scenes in my community and meeting the many people who are coming together to help others and to make lives easier for locals and visitors to the city has been a very positive and hopeful experience.

“I hope these sketches capture some of the energy of these happy occasions and lead to more people taking an interest and finding out more about the events the Edinburgh festivals are running within the city throughout the year.”

Mark Kirkham at the Dundee Street hoardings | Credit Iain MacKay

Capture Lauriston Castle with the Edinburgh Sketcher

Lauriston Castle

Families will be invited to get sketching this summer with lessons from the Capital’s finest when the Edinburgh Sketcher takes residence at Lauriston Castle.

Mark Kirkham, who regularly entertains readers of his blog with his  drawings of the city, will offer two sketching masterclasses in the beautiful grounds of the 16th century castle situated on the banks of Cramond.

As part of Lauriston Castle’s packed Spring/Summer programme of arts and crafts, lectures, theatre and events, budding artists of all ages and levels will get the chance to learn Mark’s trademark ‘speed sketching’ skills. This quick method of doodling allows artists to capture images almost as quickly as a photograph. Visitors will sketch in and around the Castle grounds, including the tranquil Japanese Gardens and inside the old castle kitchen, using pens and watercolour before working on a final sketch to take home.sketch1Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture and Sport Convener, said: “From popular Edinburgh cityscapes to modes of transport, it is difficult to think of an iconic place or object in the city that hasn’t been captured by Mark’s keen eye for detail.

“These classes will be an opportunity to get sketching in one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful settings and get working with a local artist. What a fantastic family day out this summer.”

Originally from Lancashire and the son of a painter father and photographer mother, Mark has called Edinburgh home for the last 15 years. He gives his top three pieces of advice to budding sketchers: “First is get sketching! You can plan and plan but in the end you just need to get out there and do it. Hopefully these workshops at Lauriston Castle will tempt you to do just that.

sketch2

“Tip two is don’t be shy. You can feel very self aware pulling out a pen and pad in a busy street but don’t let that put you off. Once I begin I get into the zone and usually forget people are passing by.

“My third piece of advice is to be prepared. I always carry the bare essentials, but sometimes I have resorted to sketching on napkins and receipts. I promise these classes at Lauriston Castle will be well stocked, all visitors need to do is book their ticket and turn up on the day.”

A week on Ward 72: new exhibition at Western General

Edinburgh SketcherLOCAL arts and disability organisation, Artlink, is pleased to present an exhibition of drawings by Mark Kirkham – ‘The Edinburgh Sketcher’- documenting his observations as an artist-in-residence at the Royal Victoria Building at the Western General on Ward 72. The exhibition also shows Mark’s perspective – as a parent – of time spent in Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Mark is an Edinburgh-based illustrator who produces an almost daily sketch blog of life in and around Scotland’s beautiful capital; an online sketchbook of scribbles and observations of daily life.

Impressed with his work,  Artlink invited Mark in to become an artist in residence in the care of the elderly wards, documenting situations and stories from patients and staff on the ward. These observational drawings begin to explore how we communicate different healthcare experiences and contribute to a growing body of work which explores the positive relationship between the arts and healthcare in supporting recovery.

Mark said: “I would like to thank all the staff and patients for making me feel so welcome during my week on Ward 72. I drifted in and out, sketched from the corners of the room and tried to stay out of the way of the busy staff’. In the patients rooms it was a different experience, I was in their personal space and was welcomed in and given time and an insight into their lives. Through our chats and my drawing we connected and shared our individual stories and discussed what brings people into hospital.”

Over many years Artlink has worked with patients and staff to encourage their involvement in cultural and arts activity throughout NHS Lothian. We realise that this work not only creates positive involvement, we also know that it supports better communication and contributes positively to recovery. We are delighted with the response to Mark’s drawings so far.

Kirsten Smith, senior charge nurse, said: “It was great having Mark on the wards it was a positive experience for staff and patients. The patients were happy to talk about something else other than their illness and other routine matters for a while. Mark through his sketches has captured the person not the patient, you really see a person that is valued and respected and their story.”

A patient from North Berwick added: “I really enjoyed meeting Mark he came across as a very intelligent and interesting young man who obviously loves to draw. I liked his drawings and the amount of detail he has put, he’s captured North Berwick beautifully although he’s aged me by one year as i’m 90 not 91 but I am in my 91st year so I will let him off. I’ve showed it to some friends and they really like it too. I ended up being in hospital for three months and it was lovely to chat to Mark about other things and for someone from outside to come in to the ward.”

“I’m pretty sure we both benefited, I know how long days can be when in hospital and to have a friendly visit, which some of these patients aren’t lucky enough to have daily, it can be a great lift emotionally – which hopefully leads to a lift physically too,” said Mark.

SickKids

The other part of the exhibition features Mark’s observations at the Sick Kids Hospital.

In 2011, Mark’s wife gave birth to twins, James and Zoe. James has Haemophilia A and consequently the family have had several visits to Edinburgh’s Sick Children’s Hospital. Whilst there, Mark continued to draw and most of the sketches shown here were made during the time James was in hospital. For Mark, drawing was a welcome distraction from all the things he was powerless to help with, and they have become a visual diary of a most terrifying, depressing and uplifting and amazing time in their lives, something that is being replayed many times over in a hospital ward right now.

We all have different ways in which we document our experiences. Some of us – like Mark – will draw, others write, and many of us will take pictures and now more often than not we will share these on Facebook or Twitter. In essence the arts are a tool of communication, both in terms of what we can make sense of and what we can’t. The arts can give us a new perspective on our experiences and provide new opportunities for understanding. Over many years Artlink have worked with patients and staff to encourage their involvement in cultural and arts activity throughout NHS Lothian. We realise that this work not only creates positive involvement, we also know that it supports better communication and contributes positively to recovery.

‘The twins were born on 9th March 2011 at just past 10pm at the Simpsons Memorial ward at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary. James arrived first weighing 4lb 15.5oz with his sister Zoe (5lb 5oz) following close behind”, said Mark. “We discovered James had Haemophilia A early, thankfully, when a routine heel prick on the maternity ward failed to stop bleeding. A genetic disorder which impairs the body’s ability to control blood clotting, Haemophilia A can cause even minor injuries to result in a severe bleed, either externally or internally. Such a bleed can last much longer and frequently require medication to stop.”

The Edinburgh Sketcher exhibition can be viewed from 1 August –November 2014 at

The Western General Gallery

Link Corridor between Alexander Donald building and Anne Ferguson Building

Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South.

You can see more examples of Mark’s work at www.edinburghsketcher.com

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Arts and disability organisation Artlink celebrate their thirtieth anniversary this year. For more information about Artlink visit www.artlinkedinburgh.co.uk