Tea Stains and Daisy Chains: London

Found on Instagram: Absolutely Bear

12:22

Found on Instagram: SCRT clothing

14:32

Everyone loves a bit of 2am Instagram stalking. Especially when it leads to finding awesome new clothing brands, and subsequently awesome new clothes.

From its small beginnings in London in 2010, SCRT has grown into a creative and forward-thinking streetwear brand, with an ever-evolving online presence. To find out more about the brand (and order some pretty things), visit their website.

After having seen a few posts on Instagram and having a quick browse of their site, I fell in love with one item in particular; the Mountain Long Sleeve T-Shirt in white.

I liked it because it's simple, yet bold and makes a statement without shouting about it. I was especially a fan of the mountain design on the back, as up a mountain is one of my favourite places to be.

Despite having told myself not to spend any more money before uni, I ordered it (with only the slightest hint of guilt).

Caps off to the guys at SCRT, who had my tee delivered two days after I placed my order, as well as continually keeping me up to date with the stages of the transaction. Thankfully, it fitted me perfectly as the website provides a helpful size guide, but if I'd needed to return it, details came in the package along with the receipt.

I'm also really happy with the product itself, which seems to be made to a high standard and the prints aren't made of that annoying stuff that peels off after a few washes. It's really versatile in terms of style and looks great with ripped black skinny jeans and a beanie, as well as paired with denim shorts and tights, or a pinafore. Basically, it looks pretty cool with anything denim, thanks to the fresh white background and the perfectly understated blue print.

Hopefully I'll be making some more purchases from them soon (as long as I can make my student loan stretch), as well as from some of the other UK-based streetwear brands I've recently come across on Instagram. Follow them @scrtco.

Harriet x

Also, as a footnote, I wasn't asked to write this post, or given any discount, so my views are totally my own. I wrote this because I genuinely wanted to share something cool I found.

art

Review: Sketchout Art Classes

19:40

No one at work believed me when I told them I couldn't cover on Saturday because I was doing an art class. Apart from one guy who said 'it sounds like the kind of thing you'd do'. So if you're reading this now, know that I wasn't lying! Or if I was, respect my commitment.

Sketchout is a small London-based company dedicated to providing high quality art workshops to people of all ages and abilities. Set up and run by Rosa Roberts, they pride themselves in offering a selection of one-day art courses held in some of London's cultural hot-spots, such as the V&A, The National Portrait Gallery and The Tate. Rosa is one of several tutors, all of whom are practising artists themselves, and you can visit her website to see her work. The workshop I attended was 'The Fundamentals of Drawing' at the V&A Museum and was suitable for complete beginners, as well as for those with some drawing experience; from GSCE or A Level Art for example. As it happens, the majority of people on my course were total novices, although you wouldn't have known by the end of it.

Before I went, I wasn't really sure what to expect in terms of the workshop, and also of what the other people would be like. I was quite worried that everyone else would be really old, or airy-fairy, or as one lady put it, 'bohemian'. Thankfully, when I turned up at the designated meeting spot in the V&A (all the details were helpfully provided by Sketchout upon booking), everyone seemed pretty normal. I was greeted by Rosa, who was friendly and approachable. Whenever someone entered the gallery clutching a large sketchbook and looking a little lost, she would usher them over and immediately put them at their ease. For some reason, it always surprises me how many people actually like to spend their Saturdays doing something as 'weird' and 'uncool' as an art class, but I think that's just because I still have a 14 year-old's view of what is perceived as cool or not. Or maybe because no one else actually cares about seeming 'cool'.

Once all fourteen of us were assembled, Rosa handed out the drawing stools and took us through the gallery to begin the workshop. After going round the circle getting to know everyone (a bit awkward but actually a very good idea), she gave us a half an hour introduction, in which she essentially taught us the 'Fundamentals of Drawing'. Using her prepared sketchbook of examples and headings, she did it in such a way that was very articulate, easy to follow and useful for both beginners and those with some drawing experience. Even though I did GCSE art at school, I still felt as though I was learning a lot and Rosa's intro definitely enhanced my experience of the workshop as all the skills and techniques were fresh in my mind.

The first exercise after the introduction was a 2 hour drawing session. To start with, this seemed a little overwhelming, but Rosa gave us a selection of four statues to choose from and helped us settle into the right spot in which to have enough room and the best angle. She was then on hand to assist and offer advice whenever we needed it. We'd all just learnt how to measure up a subject using a pencil, so there was a lot of holding up pencils and squinting going on.

Because we were in the V&A, we were only allowed to use dry materials, which was actually great as it meant we could just focus on the drawing rather than faffing around with paints and colours. As we got into our drawing, the time flew by and I found myself really immersed in what I was doing. It was a bit odd being perched on a little stool in the middle of a busy museum trying to draw, but when all the tourists gathered behind and started beckoning for their kids to come and look, it was all rather flattering.

After this session, we went for lunch at a little restaurant down the road from the museum, which was included in the price. It was all organised very well and there was a choice between a chicken dish and a vegetarian quiche. I had the veggie option, which was really tasty and the whole set up gave us a chance to chat to some of the other 'students'. I got talking to a couple of girls, who were both lovely and it was nice to discover that they had been equally worried about what everyone else would be like!

To start off the session after lunch, we did a few 5 minute exercises to loosen up our style a bit and help us to draw more freely. These involved quick one-line sketches, where we couldn't take our pencils off the paper and drawing with our left hands (if we were right-handed). For a perfectionist like myself (and seemingly most of the others), this was really hard as the results were usually terrible, but Rosa was really encouraging and found something positive to say about everyone's efforts!

Lastly, it was time for the final long drawing session. Rosa chose a different selection of sculptures for us to tackle and we set to it again, this time with a little more confidence. As before, Rosa spent the 2 hours going between us and helping us out if we were struggling, which I certainly was as I'd chosen a really hard sculpture! Thankfully, she showed me a technique that helped me represent the face even though it was in complete shadow and made out of a really dark material.

At the end of the day, Rosa asked everyone to show each other their work, which was a really encouraging way to end the session, as people made nice comments and generally made everyone feel good about themselves!

If you think this sound like something you'd like to do, visit Sketchout's website to find out more or follow them on Twitter @sketchoutiscool. My ticket for the class was purchased through the voucher site LivingSocial, which offered a great discount and seemed to be how most other people had done it too, as the courses are quite pricey. It was definitely worth it though, as I had a great day at the V&A, learning new skills and meeting new people.

Harriet x

art

Day out in London- Lucy Sparrow's Cornershop

13:53

1984

"A trip to the theatre with Dad"

12:58

If you'd like to read my brief review of the production of 1984 without hearing my life's story in the process, please feel free to skip down to the three posters!

When it comes to giving birthday presents, my dad is one of a kind: the best kind. Simply wrapping up a box of chocolates and handing it over with a card doesn't quite cut it with him (although I'd be more than happy with a box of chocolates, wrapped or unwrapped!). Instead, he likes to come up with something a little more imaginative. This year, as well as sending me out into the garden shed to find two vintage-style wooden crates for my room, he also presented me with a rather tatty-looking brown envelope. Inside I found one of his customary dad-style vouchers:

Being the theatre/1984/dystopian literature fan that I am, this was a near-perfect gift for me. He did, however, have one slight "confession" to make, in that he hadn't actually bought the tickets yet; he just planned to get them last-minute on the day... But, still armed with the belief that my dad can do pretty much anything, I wouldn't put it past him to get us into a sold-out show, so this was hardly a cause for concern!

On the day of the performance, my map reading skills were put to the test as I had to make my way from King's Cross St Pancras to Russel Square, where I was to meet my dad from work. Despite the fairly simple route, I felt like a proper tourist as I stood frowning at my map in the middle of the busy pavement, obliviously holding up the stream of weary commuters. After a bit of map-twisting and turning round on the spot to get things in the right direction, I managed to locate Russel Square and (more importantly) its café. I must admit, I felt rather pleased with myself as I sat outside the busy café reading Moby-Dick and waiting for my dad to enter the Square to see the embodiment of culture and sophistication that was his daughter.

As promised, we went to a little Italian (although not "dad's special Italian restaurant", as this was closed) for dinner. My dad had tried to sell it to me by telling me that we would be served by a "Big Momma" and cooked for by a man who was "probably a cousin". This is the kind of family-run place that he adores, where the food is authentically Italian and the Peroni is served in a plastic beaker. Granted, his spaghetti bolognaise was delicious and my (slightly less traditional) chicken cheese burger really hit the spot.

During the meal, I discovered (to my outrage) that my dad had never actually read 1984. In a hasty attempt to make up for his failings, I made him read this article I wrote, which includes a brief summary/review of the text. I also promised to find him my A-Level English coursework about it when we got home, which I'm sure thrilled him immensely...

After having cleansed our palettes with some real Italian ice-cream, we set off in search of the Playhouse Theatre. Despite a few "where are we?" moments (we were about 100 metres from Trafalgar Square...), we knew we'd found it when we saw a building plastered in posters (the third one being my personal favourite):

Miraculously (yet somewhat unsurprisingly) my dad had managed to get us tickets in the centre of the second row. While at the cinema, being so close can be disorientating, at the theatre it seemed to make me feel all the more involved and I loved seeing the actors only a few metres away. Upon entry, we'd been told that there was no interval and no re-admittance once the performance had started, which put me slightly on edge before the lights had even gone down.

Being quite a complex book, I was interested to see how Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan were going to portray the story in a way that would put across Orwell's finer details, yet would be possible to follow. Although a powerful and thought-provoking play on its own, I would personally have struggled to appreciate all of it if I hadn't read the book. Despite having studied it extensively only a year ago, there were still moments in which I found myself a little lost. For example, the story itself is framed by a modern day book group meeting, in which they are discussing Winston Smith's diary. Although this historical stance is hinted at in Orwell's Appendix, this is a different, yet effective, way of presenting the dystopian tale.

Somewhat confusingly, the play is full of repeated scenes and phrases, which managed to unnerve the audience, as well as create the chilling atmosphere required. The casting was extremely true to the novel, with the characters of Parsons and O'Brien being almost exact replicas of the images I'd formed when reading the book. In the same way, the set design was ingenious, especially the way in which the audience watched Winston and Julia's 'secret' meetings in the antique shop on a big screen while they acted off-stage. This technique succeeded to embody the infamous phrase, "Big Brother is watching you" and saw that the tension and drama exploded into the audience at the dreaded words "You are the dead". I think my mouth actually dropped open in astonishment, even though I had known it was coming. This climatic moment really captured the essence of the novel and is something that I could watch over and over again.

In "the place where there is no darkness", the set was equally as effective, with the luminescent whiteness contrasting horrifically with the blood, causing one engrossed audience member to cry out in shock. Through the excellent use of lighting, sound effects and costume, everyone in the room felt part of Winston's mental and physical experience, to an extent that cannot quite be achieved in a novel.

As well as blood and horror, the play also contained scenes of almost violent sexual passion between Winston and Julia. Although done well, perhaps without the background knowledge of the book, their relationship and consequential commitment to the 'Brotherhood' may have seemed a little rushed. However, to portray such complex ideas about love, trust, freedom and manipulation in only 101 minutes, is no mean feat.

Almost before I knew it, the actors were receiving their well-deserved applause and the lights were coming on again. As I was ushered out of the theatre, I was still reeling from everything I'd seen and felt in great need of a lengthy discussion about the play! Cleverly, the final appearance of the book-group planted in our minds some terrifying questions about our own society, meaning that it was hard not to leave feeling just a little stunned.

Have you seen the play? Read the book? I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below!

Harriet x

Found on Instagram: Absolutely Bear

Found on Instagram: SCRT clothing

Review: Sketchout Art Classes

Day out in London- Lucy Sparrow's Cornershop

"A trip to the theatre with Dad"

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