Benedictine Monks singing at dawn at Santo Domingo de Silos, Spain.
Brass ashtray, Jaipur, India.
Pisa's famous Leaning Tower in Tuscony, Italy.
Collioure on the Cote Vermeille, France.
NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT
Question: What happens when a sportsperson stops competing for a while - and then starts again?
Answer: The golfer looses his (or her) swing, the tennis player serves more double faults, and the sumo wrestler gets chucked out of the ring more often.
The same detereroration of skills applies to a pianist who stops practicing. Or a ballet dancer who stops dancing. Or and artist who stops... Well, you get the message, don't you?
Warning to artists: Stop sketching at your peril and prepare to lose your edge.
Sketching as often as you can will enhance your visual ability by helping you to identify art in everyday things. It will sharpen your dexterity. And it will improve your visual memory.
More importantly, it will provide you with a wealth of sketches, drawings and ideas you can use to build into your more studied work. And it's a great visual diary.
Finally, looking back at your sketch book is always great fun. This is what Oscar Wilde said about keeping a diary:
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
Now don't just sit there staring at this blog - start sketching!
The drawings from my sketch book show how imposing subjects live side by side with everyday stuff. And they're all great fun to look back on.
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