TESCO CAFE, March,Cambridgeshire. UK

A couple of 60 second portraits while sipping latte in Tesco Cafe this morning.

TESCO, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

This is a page from my journal today, which includes another morning sketch session at Tesco.

TESCO CAFE, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

Another trip to Tesco today and a few quick figure studies while I sipped on a sweet latte, Mmmmm!

TESCO CAFE, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

Ink in Seawhite sketchbook

Popped along to Tesco with my sketchbook yesterday morning and, after a hearty breakfast and froth laden latte, I captured the man a few tables up from me in my Seawhite 6x6" sketchbook.

TESCO CAFE, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

A quick trip to Tesco this week presented the chance of a latte and a cafe sketch or two in my moleskin sketchbook!



Images created using Noodler's red/black ink and coloured pencils

BYGONES CAFE, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. UK

What a day!

I had to go into Wisbech today so I thought I'd make a day of it and take my sketchbooks along, it has some fantastic architecture. No sooner I had stepped out of the truck it tipped down with rain and I mean literally tipped down! I spent my whole day skipping from one shelter to another in hope it would soon stop but it didn't.

Soaked, I ventured into a favourite little cafe of mine in Wisbech called 'Bygones' and this is where my day began to brighten up, not because of the very few sketches I finally managed to make but because of the company.

I met Elva, a wonderfully warm, mature woman who asked if I minded her taking a seat beside me. We talked and talked as if we had been friends for ever and her appreciation of life was a welcome inspiration on such a day. Elva noticed I was sketching and, after taking a look through my moleskin, she confessed she 'made things'. Intrigued, I listened while she explained she made houses and buildings from her empty cigarette packets then she took me towards the back of the cafe to show me the replica of 'Bygones' she had crafted. It was fantastic!

Elva was sunshine on a gloomy day.

One of the things I have enjoyed most about my location sketching is the fact that it allows me time to just stop, sit, think, SEE, appreciate and share special moments with such interesting people I may never have found the time to meet otherwise.

DJ GARDEN CENTRE, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire.

Thursday...My moleskin, sunshine, latte and a fantastic English breakfast shared the morning at DJ's Nurseries...What a way to start the day!

RAMSEY, Cambridgeshire, UK.

On Friday the sun shone and I managed to get out for a while with my sketchbooks. I visited Ramsey where I took a stroll through the shops on Great Whyte before heading towards Rendezvous cafe in The Mews for a bite to eat. The long and very wide street known as Great Whyte was originally an open waterway connecting with Bury Brook. In 1852 a tunnel was constructed, this was inadequate to cope with floodwaters and so in 1854 two additional culverts were added. Today, the street is divided down its centre by a raised pathway.

I decided to sit at one of the tables outside the cafe and managed to capture a few small sketches between mouthfuls of food and coffee.

Saint Thomas Becket is a beautiful church dating from about 1180 and, unlike many churches, it is always open to the public. I was fortunate enough to have the whole church to myself on Friday afternoon.

I finished with a quick sketch of the former spinning school before making my way back home.

13th WW Sketchcrawl - Chatteris Museum

Saturday the 17th marked the date for the 13th Worldwide Sketchcrawl when Artists from all over the world meet up and sketch for the day.

I met up with some members of the Fenland Visual Arts Collective in Chatteris where, thanks to Jenny Furlong, we spent the day sketching in Chatteris Museum. We were also joined by Emma-Jane Rosenberg (E-J from Wet Canvas) Emma-Jane is a warm, friendly woman who fitted right in from the start, we all had a wonderful day together.

Rob Morris kindly supplied hot drinks at his home and a place to lunch (Thankyou Rob!). We stopped by The Old Bakery Cafe on the way there to purchase some delicious cakes.

I decided to use a Hahnemuhle Travel Booklet 9x14cm Portrait. I purchased this from the SAA where, as a member, I paid a mere £1.75 and to my surprise discovered it was a duo pack...That's under 90p each! Each booklet contains 20 pages of unlined 140gsm sketch paper and there is a pocket at the rear of the booklet. The cover is soft and natural in appearance allowing you to write/sketch on it. I thought it would be fun to title the cover and then try to fill half the booklet for this sketchcrawl then turn the booklet over and do the same for the 14th Worldwide sketchcrawl. This meant I had 20, 3.5x 5.5" pages to fill...Quite the challenge but one I am happy to say I achieved!

The booklet performed well with the various media I used throughout the day: Derwent watercolour pencils, Derwent drawing pencils, Lyra portrait coloured pencils, W&N watercolour, Verithin coloured pencils, sepia pitt pen and staedtler pigment liner....although I must stress minimal amounts of water were used, modestly applied with a brush pen.

Here are the results, my day from beginning to end, in sketch:

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Some of the worldwide results can be viewed HERE

RIVER NENE, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

On the 14th, I met up with my friend Joan in March. We have been meeting on a Wednesday for some time now, alternating studios and homes to catch up and generally chatter the day away. When I told Joan I would be sketching regularly on location throughout the summer, she was keen to join me and we intend to spend our Wednesdays on location together until the weather drives us back into our studios.

We met at Panini's, a cafe situated in the Town Hall building, we both have work on exhibition in the cafe as part of the Fenland Visual Arts Collective. We indulged in a long latte before heading towards the Bridge on the High Street and beginning our leisurely stroll along the side of the river Nene. The weather was glorious, we've been so lucky with the sunshine here this week.

It wasn't long before a subject caught my eye, a fisherman sat on the bank with all of his equipment around him - Perfect! I sketched him in my large moleskin sketchbook using staedtler pigment liner. I had just finished when he received a phone call on his mobile phone and began to pack his things away. "The Boss has called me home" he smiled, referring to his good lady wife.

We moved along the bank and promptly found "Little Belle" a pretty little boat sitting beside a well loved garden along West End. It's a strange feeling sketching a boat, at times I forget if I am moving or the boat is and have to flick my eyes onto solid ground to remind myself it's not me!

I sketched "Little Belle" in my large moleskin sketchbook using Staedtler pigment liner and coloured it back at home using Derwent watercolour pencils and a wash of water.

A beautiful March day along the riverbank.

RAMSEY GATEHOUSE, Cambridgeshire. UK

It was such a beautiful day here in the Fens today, the sun broke through early and brought with it a welcome warmth. I had planned on a day of laundry, trying to get ahead in preparation for my weekend away, but the temptation was just too great so I loaded the machine and headed out towards Ramsey with my large moleskin sketchbook.

Ramsey is quite close to where I live so I was able to pick on a single subject to sketch, grab lunch and still get back home to re-load the machine...twice!

Ramsey has some fantastic architecture as well as a fully loaded duck pond. With so many beautiful things to sketch and so little time it was important I made my decision on the way there and stuck to it so I could get straight down to work.
I chose Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse.

Ramsey was once an island in the Fens. The abbey was one of the oldest English monasteries, founded as early as the 7th century. The gatehouse is all that remains of the Great Gate of the monastery, built around 1475. Much of the building was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII.
The main gateway is said to have been moved in the 18th century when the monks built a causeway to the main land and is now situated in Huntingdon.
The Lady Chapel survived to form part of Abbey Grammar School.

I lunched at 'The Rendezvous' cafe where a very welcoming Emma made me feel right at home.

Returning to the truck, I popped into a favourite shop of mine to purchase a jar of Mrs Bridges Caramelised cashew nuts...They are simply delicious!

All of todays sketches were created in my large moleskin sketchbook using pigment liner, sepia pitt pen and watercolour pencil.