A Panorama of London
Self initiated project | March-September 2013 | Fine line pen on Bristol Board with digital additions
This panoramic drawing of London was inspired by historic panoramas of the city by 17th century artists including Hollar, Visscher, Wyngaerde and others. It is based on the view looking west, north and east from the public viewing platform on the 69th floor of the Shard tower, 800ft above ground level. The composition is based on photographs taken in February 2013 and took around 6 months to complete using a fine line pen on smooth board.
Click here to view the whole drawing in fine detail. Prints are available to purchase in various sizes via my online store.
The full original pen artwork on Bristol Board, measuring 105 cm wide by 29.7 cm high.
Detail of the view westwards towards the South Bank, Victoria Embankment and west London. Wembley Stadium can be seen in the distance at top right.
Detail of Bankside, the Millennium Bridge, Blackfriars and west central London beyond. Regent's Park is at the top centre.
Detail of the view north towards St. Paul's Cathedral (at centre left) and the Barbican (centre right), with Islington in the distance.
Detail of the view north across to the City of London and its shiny new skyscrapers. The 'Walkie Talkie' (20 Fenchurch Street) is shown under construction, with the 'Cheesegrater' (122 Leadenhall Street) also under construction behind it. Hackney is in the distance at top right.
Detail of the Tower of London and HMS Belfast on opposite sides of the river.
Detail of the view looking towards east London, with Tower Bridge in the foreground and the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf in the distance.
A mockup of the drawing reproduced as a print and framed.
Here I have incorporated the drawing into a decorative print, with annotations, legend, decorative border and title cartouche, inspired by 17th century panoramic prints. Click here to view this image at high resolution. Prints are available to purchase via my online store.
This detail shows the type of annotations used: numbers pinpoint the locations of all major landmarks (listed in numerical order along the bottom of the design), while text labels pinpoint neighbourhoods and parks in the middle and far distance.
A detail of the title cartouche of the decorative print version.
A mockup of the decorative version printed and framed.