This is the old packhorse bridge in Hebden Bridge.  I sat sketching it in the sunshine this afternoon while Rick ate his sandwich.  We were surrounded by screaming children who were chasing pigeons and being constantly told not to go in the water.  Some mothers attempted to get a photo of a group of toddlers, and I tried to sketch them before they moved – impossible!  You can just make them out at the front of the picture.  The children were very interested in my drawing, snatching sneaky looks as they went past. 

We’re starting a new project at college – fractured landscape.  I’ll be posting progress here.  The first part of the project involves collecting images, including sketches of landscape.  This is my very first attempt.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself sitting high up on the moors, listening to the strange mix of curlews, skylarks and new lambs calling.  However, I realised that I just don’t have the mark-making repetoire needed to tackle landscape in pencil.  This is also a difficult sketch to scan, as it spans two pages of my A5 sketchbook.  However, it is a beginning which is the main thing!

I’ve been meaning to draw this for a while.  I found him/her during our first walk up onto the moors.  As I’m always on the lookout for useful objects to draw, I wrapped it in a bag and brought it home for a good wash.   I think it’s a fox, but it could be a dog. 

Ever since I’ve been following Ryan’s beautiful drawings, I’ve been struck by the strange beauty of bones and skulls – the underlying structures of all creatures.  I have to say though, they are terrifically fiddly to draw.  It’s very good practice for getting tonal values though, as you really have to look for them to get the shape. 

Inspired by E-J’s beautiful cup and saucer, I decided to have a go with oil pastels.  I’ve got a very old pack that I used to have as a child.  I’ve never really got the hang of them though.  For a start, white will not go over another colour, so you have to put the white in first and then leave it alone (I guess).  And it is hard work pressing with the pastels.  I’m probably doing something wrong, but anyway it’s good fun to try different media.  I think this has just convinced me that I need to start doing more painting!

Continuing the pig theme, this is our ‘post pig’.  He sits on top of the piano and holds all those tickets, confirmations and vouchers that we don’t want to lose.