CASS sculpture park near Chichester.  What a place.  

If you have not been there GO!  At the moment I can’t walk far so they lent me their buggy.  Brilliant.

Back to Richmond Park to take my son to run with The Stragglers.  As I might have to wait I take my sketching bag and I did.  People walking with or without dogs and lots of cyclists.  I wanted to do the tree cloaked hill but was caught by the cyclists and chance to practice people.


An hour and a half - good time to be able to take time - really the correct way to sketch.  Fast is sometimes better but thoughtful observation scores more often than not.


Lessons learnt:

• Because they are on a bike body proportions don’t change - if anything the legs appear longer
• Drawing the ones crossing in front of me was an unwise choice - they go past so fast
• Better to draw those approaching at an angle to me from a distance as relative speed gives more time - not much
• Better to draw parts from different riders and compile.
• But mainly if you have a repetitive moving subject take a long hard look and gauge key relationships before starting.

Useful exercise.


Trees on a hill - very sculptural.  With the careful observation required you do see so much more.


These two pages done with my trusty pens and water reservoir brushes.  Handy sketching tools but not my preferred brushes.  

Artful Dodgers met at Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park.  The Lodge is situated at the highest point in Richmond Park with spectacular views over the Thames Valley.  Once the home of Bertrand Russell.  It fell into uncertain prospects until Daniel Hearsum took it into his care and has transformed it into a fabulous restrained visitor place with excellent facilities.  


We’ve been there many times and so it is not a prime spot for me.  But with the weather not promising our head honcho decided that we meet at a table in the café.  That worked for me as I need to practice people and not those posing.  Museums, stations restaurants are good for this as I can work pretty much unnoticed and the subjects tend to stay for more than 10 minutes.  They move so it is tricky – but thus good practice.  It is hand eye co-ordination with careful observation and memorising.


The besuited manager Kevin – who has got to know us – is dapper with his waistcoat, fob chain and top pocket handkerchief and an ideal subject.  He cats to patrons but I think sensed I would ‘do’ him so concentrated in other rooms.  I’ll get him another time…..meantime one of a group of Park Runners, an Artful Dodger, a young family, a couple taking granny for coffee and as I was packing up a ‘Derby and Joan’ in fine spirits planning their day – rushed but fun to do…..