Each Monday morning I sketch part of the city and you tell me where I am.

24 hours later I pick one correct answer to receive a set of Edinburgh gift cards.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below to be in with a chance of winning. Good luck! - Mark ES

Email your answer

Edinburgh Sketching with Arienas Collective

A final chance to join me sketching the New Town before I take a break for the summer.

My workshops are changing this autumn with some new mediums, an increase in time but also price so if you want to catch my final day of workshops until after the break then this Friday the 19th is your chance.

Book via the link below for either the Journalling indoor sketching with multiple materials in the morning or the outdoors walking and sketching new town tour in the afternoon. Mark ES

Book here

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Each Monday morning I sketch part of the city and you tell me where I am.

24 hours later I pick one correct answer to receive a set of Edinburgh gift cards.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below to be in with a chance of winning. Good luck! - Mark ES

Email your answer

A wedding gift commission

(I know I posted this last week but I forgot the sketch above so thought I would try again)

Many of you will know I sketch live at weddings creating unique artworks that capture the energy and fleeting moments of a wonderful day. But I also create detailed landscapes of venues which can be framed and taken on the day as gifts.

Having sketched at weddings for many years I have been to some wonderful locations around Scotland and the north of England. From palaces and castles to farms and hillside bothies. It is a real privilege to get to know the country better through painting.

Buy a voucher

If you are looking for a unique and personal wedding gift then do let me know, and we can discuss details, and I have set up a voucher via Etsy too if you would rather the recipient pick their own photo for me to draw. Mark ES

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I sketch part of the city and you tell me where I am.

24 hours later I pick one correct answer to receive a set of Edinburgh gift cards.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below for a chance to win.

Email your answer

A wedding gift commission

Many of you will know I sketch live at weddings creating unique artworks that capture the energy and fleeting moments of a wonderful day. But I also create detailed landscapes of venues which can be framed and taken on the day as gifts.

Having sketched at weddings for many years I have been to some wonderful locations around Scotland and the north of England. From palaces and castles to farms and hillside bothies. It is a real privilege to get to know the country better through painting.

So if you are looking for a unique and personal wedding gift then do let me know, and we can discuss details, and I have set up a voucher via Etsy too if you would rather the recipient pick their own photo for me to draw. Mark ES

Buy a voucher

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I sketch part of the city and you tell me where I am.

24 hours later I pick one correct answer to receive a set of Edinburgh gift cards.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below for a chance to win.

Email your answer

‘Inverleith Commuter’ is complete

Drawn on a 30 x 20 inch canvas with many fine liner pens, this detailed drawing took a quite a while.

It started a couple of years ago after a walk to school with the kids. After wishing them all the best for the day ahead I wondered back through Inverleith Park as the morning sun was shining through branches of the tall trees by the allotments.

It is a wonderful view with Edinburgh castle and the city skyline peeking through every now and again as I walked towards the Botanics. I took many photos and decided to go big. A large canvas can be quite intimidating when used to working on in A5 sketch pads with fine liner pens.

I had the canvas on an easel in my studio and every now and again I would ink in a few trees or blades of grass. The drawing also came along to the Arienas exhibition last spring where you may of seen me working on it. Now complete I had the original photographed and made into a print which is available from my online shop.

Buy a print

And the original ink on canvas piece is currently for sale, email me at contact@edinburghsketcher.com if you would like more information.

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

National Trust for Scotland workshops

Sketch with me at Falkland Place on Friday 22nd May.

I am back for 2026 at the impressive Falkland Palace in the heart of Fife. Sketch in the footsteps of Mary Queen of Scots as we journey around the formal gardens of this fine Renaissance palace, picking out turrets, stonework details and vibrant florals. A perfect palace for a workshop where I will give you confidence drawing with ink and watercolours.

Book a place here

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Sketch Journalling in Edinburgh.

Create a habit of journalling with sketches, blending notes and drawings to appreciate the moment and provide a colourful visual diary to look back on.

On this 3.5 hour workshop I will show you how to capture what you see quickly and lift your sketches off the page using a little watercolour, and share why sketchbook journalling has become such an vital part of my day-to-day life.

Book a place

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Blossom close up

More floral sketching, this time from a photo taken in the Meadows.

A close up created in oil pastels, I am trying to keep the marks lose and leave in the big smudges of colour giving an impression of light and shadow on the beautiful petals that are currently all around us in the capital.

This oil pastel drawing measures 6 x 4 inches and is available framed for £165.

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Blossom prints

On a walk though the Meadows with my daughter this weekend we were surrounded by beautiful cherry blossom. I was reminded of times sat beneath the falling petals sketching this annual celebration of colour.

I have a number of blossom prints available in my Etsy shop as signed prints. It is nice to look back through them and remember the years gone by and also remind myself that this colour wash across the city is a sign that summer, and warmer weather is coming once again.

Blossom search in my shop

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Experimenting with oil pastels.

Last week I enjoyed a family break on the Isle of Arran. ‘Scotland in miniature’ the island which is off the west coast of Scotland has lovely beaches and stunning mountains to the north.

Catching up with loved ones, taking long walks and delicious meals we had a great time, and of course I mixed in some drawing. This one is of Lochranza Castle which sits by the beach on the north shore.

Letting go of the details I used thick oil pastels to capture the bright colour of the gorse but also the gloomy clouds above. I used masking tap before starting to create the sharp lines around the picture.

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Sketch Journalling in Edinburgh.

Create a habit of journalling with sketches, blending notes and drawings to appreciate the moment and provide a colourful visual diary to look back on.

On this 3.5 hour workshop I will show you how to capture what you see quickly and lift your sketches off the page using a little watercolour, and share why sketchbook journalling has become such an vital part of my day-to-day life.

Book a place here

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

National Trust for Scotland workshops in Fife.

Sketch with me at the Hill of Tarvit Mansion and Garden in April.

This is my first workshop at this beautiful location which has stunning gardens and is full of architectural details inside and out. With formal lawns, flowering borders and a sunken rose garden this Arts and Crafts style mansion is perfect for workshop where I will give you confidence drawing with ink and watercolours.

Book a place here

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Signed prints from my city sketches.

I keep prices affordable so that we can share these instinctive views of the city.

Prices for a small high quality signed print start at £25 +postage and each one comes in a card mount and protective sleeve ready to be framed or displayed on a shelf as is. Visit the Etsy shop below or if there is a sketch you have seen that hasn’t made it into the shop yet the let me know and I will make a bespoke print.

Edinburgh Sketcher online shop

To receive new posts including the weekly WhereArtI quiz and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Join me for some creative play.

I want my Journal Workshops to inspire a new habit of keeping creative, personal visuals diaries that are filled with experimentation and everyday occurrences.

I am passionate about more people having this creative space which they can dip in and out of through the day to re-centre, destress and also collect the happy every day happenings.

With this in mind we all start a sketch book to take away and continue and from now on I will also bring lots of materials, and encourage you to bring your own too if you wish so that we can share ideas and styles and not have the barrier of waiting until we have our favourite pens or watercolours with us to make some art. Find out more and book a place for my April date via the Arienas Collective link below.

Creative Sketchbook Workshop

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Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Messing around with acrylics and oils

The other day the weather was so bad I couldn’t see out of the window for the wind, rain and hail. I needed a break from my commissions (procrastination I know) so I had a go capturing the view and changing weather from my studio.

I find a break from the norm is a great way to reset and even though I mostly draw for a living I still use drawing and creativity as a thing to relax me.

If you want to join me on a journal sketchbook starting creative session in Edinburgh then take a look at the link below.

Sketching Workshops

To receive new posts and support my work become a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Bookbinding and Sketching Workshop on 29th March

Create a range of simple hand-bound sketchbooks while learning mark-making, creative journalling and bookbinding techniques within this exclusive, one-day beginner-friendly workshop.

Join bookbinder Cass Barron of Bookbinding with Cass, and I for a special collaborative workshop that combines mark-making and creative journalling with bookbinding.

Find out more about this one off workshop here.

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Last week…

Last week saw the launch of my collaboration with Buildhollywood Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh where I sketched many of the wonderful community projects the Edinburgh Festivals are involved with.

You can see my sketches on billboards on Viewforth, Dundee Street near the canal and also Wishart Terrace by Meadowbank until the 8th March.

Find out more about the Festival City Stories project with here.

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Last week…

On Friday I ran a Sketch Journalling workshop with Arienas Collective in the New Town. It was fun to share my process and meet some lovely sketchers while sharing stories and filling pages in our new sketchbooks.

My next one is on Friday 20th March, you can book one of the ten places here.

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

Last week…

I was sketching on Montrose Street in Abbeyhill and realised when I came to scan and save my piece on the computer that I had sketched there in the past, but looking up the hill in the previous direction.

I can image my car in the distance on the sketch on the right where I am sketching drawing on the left.

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

One from last week…

My daughter Zoe is currently learning the piano. Here I was listening to her learning tunes from the ipad while I doodled with the inky pilot pen. I love this time, the both of us spending time together but doing our own thing.

Each Monday morning I post a part of the city and you have to tell me where I have been sketching. After 24 hours I will pick one correct answer to receive a set of my Edinburgh location gift cards featuring my inky scribbles from the city.

Email me your answer to contact@edinburghsketcher.com (subject: WhereArtI) or use the button below and I will pick one correct answer tomorrow to receive some city gift cards.

Email your answer

My city gift cards are also available here.

This WhereArtI Quiz is printed each Monday in the Edinburgh Evening News.

One from last week…

Scribbling away with my pilot pen while watching tv. I’ve been busy with commissions recently so nice to doodle away into the evening. Drawing relaxes me, calms and refocuses my thoughts. I’m lucky to have it in my life.

This one was inspired from a walk along the Water of Leith. This stretch near Canonmills has branches usually full of leaves, during the summer months you wouldn’t be able to see through to the houses over the water.

Signed prints of my drawings are available through my Etsy shop along with gift vouchers and other Edinburgh merchandise.