Back To Basics

I went back to sketchbook work a few days ago, have done very little for ages, but young nephew was having a sleepover and the following day he was doing competitive ju jitsu and kick boxing so Husb and I went along to watch. It was a great opportunity to sketch figures in motion, something I don’t get much chance to do normally. This is the absolute basis of my art practice, quick sketches capturing tiny slices of everyday life, so quick that I am forced to concentrate only on the most essential details, the essence of the subject.

It was great seeing the kids so disciplined and focussed. My Dad was an amateur boxer, my brother-in-law and nephew and nieces trained in karate and now the little ones, great nieces and nephews are doing ju jitsu. I think it’s good for them, it builds confidence and self-discipline and it’s no bad thing to be able to defend yourself.

I drew with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen, size F into my A5 leatherbound sketchbook. I’m currently working on a series of expressive drawings of ancestral sites and if you want to see some of my other artworks, please click here.