Have been impressed with BBC’s The Big Painting Challenge.  Not usually into these public exultations/humiliations but congratulations to the director/producer/editor for getting a good balance of frank analysis without destruction.  It showed how we painters work, plan, feel about the process of our work and that not everything works out.

Got a few useful tips too on capturing movement.

I had intended to do an entry or two for The Little Painting Challenge but managed to run out of time so spent an hour or so this afternoon with my sketchbooks as references and did 3.  Their printed postcards were a dreadful surface to work on.  Should have used my watercolour paper cards and pasted them to theirs.  Hey ho done now.  Three entries for the cost of 3 first class stamps.  Cheaper than the RA and The Mall Galleries.

Here’s my 3……

Went to Sketchmob at The Royal Festival Hall at dusk which quickly became dark.  An interesting experience working in the cold and dark, including not being able to see my colours.  I wanted to draw an upward view of its iconic bowed front and downlights - but tricky proportions, perspective and angles are a task for daylight.  I need to go back some other time - summer?  So went for the lights over and reflections on The River.  A rather impressionistic result which was not planned carefully enough - learnt a deal from the attempts so not a total loss.  

It’s as much a social event as work. There’s a wide range of abilities, mostly from design professions - engineering, film, graphics, architects.  There’s always useful comments and ideas. 

London Pride at the bar was a bonus.

Not my finest hour but they were appreciated at ‘Show and Tell.’

Some really good work was laid out on the floor - standard Sketchmob practice - of the public space until we were asked to move it all onto a table as ‘…there are people here who have paid £200 for a ticket and this looks messy.’