Sketches
-
Giraffe
These are curious creatures – elegant yet ungainly, innocent yet inscrutable, tall yet … well just really tall. Initially I did a sketch of the whole beast, but I only had a small sketch pad so was frustrated that I couldn’t draw the animal’s gaze in any detail because the height was dominating everything. So…
-
Tall & Slender
I saw this handsome plant sitting in a corner of the greenhouse in the RHS Garden at Wisley. At the time I didn’t note the name of the plant – however the self-proclaimed AI on my phone seems sure that it is an Agave plant, which would be more at home in the arid regions…
-
Wooded Path
Some places seem to me quite special, magical even, and this is one of them. This path leads up to Reigate Hill, and I sometimes follow it when I walk up that hill from my house. I don’t always take this path however, partly so as not to lose the sense of wonder that this…
-
Toque Macaque
These monkeys are quite common in Sri Lanka, particularly near Sigiriya where the original photo of this character was taken. These creatures look very sweet and endearing when you first see them, particularly with their quirky hairstyles, but there is a good reason why monkeys have a reputation for mischief. Just a few minutes before…
-
Cat Temple
In the suburbs of Tokyo there is a curious temple, properly called Daikeizan Gotokuji but popularly known as the Cat Temple. The story goes that a local ruler was invited by a cat into the temple and thereby found shelter from a sudden and violent thunderstorm. In gratitude, the ruler dedicated the temple to the…
-
Gatton Wood
I drew this picture a few years ago, and was reminded about it by the snow I saw lying around whilst walking in these same woods today. So this seems like as good a time as any to post a lock-down wintertime scene …
-
Tram
I know we now have trams in England again, but to me the sight of a tram on the streets of a continental European city still feels rather satisfyingly foreign. I was pleased therefore to discover there are many trams in Budapest. This particular unit is running along the “Pest” bank of the Danube, where…
-
Seashell Weekly
Having discovered that I can use my drawing app to “enhance” existing drawings (see Reigate Priory or Brushes for example) I am now tempted to repeat this trick on a great pile of scribbles and sketches that I have accumulated. However, I am just about wise enough to realise that unless my reworking of these…
-
Reigate Priory – History
Reigate Priory was originally an Augustinian priory, founded in the 13th century. Following Henry VIII’s dissolution of religious foundations in the 16th century the building became a private residence. The Priory remained a private home until just after the end of the Second World War, when the buildings became a school. Although the extant structure was (re-)constructed after…
-
Kanazawa Castle
Castles in Japan are both quite different and very similar to those I am used to back home (in England). So for example, they have moats, big thick stone walls and slits through which to fire at anyone who is attacking the castle, just as I imagine castles must have almost anywhere in the world.…
-
Brushes
This started as a simple pen drawing of a paint brush – the brush on the top left is the original. This sketch is one of many drawn quickly during a lock-down art group Zoom call. Given how quickly the sketch was done I was quite pleased with it, but even so it was rather…
-
Candle
Not sure there is much to say about this one really. It’s a candle. It’s alight. I have put a lot of graphite on the paper, but crucially I have managed to avoid putting it where it is not needed. End of story I guess …
Doodling ... 