WISBECH, Cambridgeshire. UK

Another sketch created inside the truck, this time while I waited for a better parking position.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, Manea, Cambridgeshire.

Quick sketch, my first location sketch of the year, from the car park while waiting for my Yoga class to begin.

MARCH POLICE STATION, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

Sketched from the truck this morning while waiting for the bank to open.

HINCHINGBROOKE HOSPITAL

These are the sketches I made in my journal today at Hinchingbrooke hospital where my Son, Harry, had to have dental surgery.
You can see the entire journal page and read all about our day HERE.

SPIKE & VIOLET, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

Arrived a little early for my hair appointment today, leaving me time to sketch another customer before taking the 'Hot Seat'.

DODDINGTON HOSPITAL, Doddington, Cambridgeshire. UK

The waiting room corridor of the Doddington hospital physio department. I arrived 5 minutes early and he was 5 minutes late...resulting in 10 minutes to sketch!

TESCO, March, Cambridgeshire. UK

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

HINCHINGBROOKE HEALTH CENTRE, Huntingdon.

A trip to the health centre at Hinchingbrooke hospital yesterday resulted in this sketch of the dental desk while Harry and I waited for his appointment. The desks are scattered all over the huge building, each catering for different areas and each swarming the people that sit behind them.
The desk should probably have been a little deeper in my sketch, I think a person would have trouble fitting their whole body in the area I provided even while seated but I wanted to emphasise their design as I find them more than a little amusing!

CHURCH STREET CLINIC, Somersham. UK

Took Harry, my youngest, to his dental appointment today and managed to make a couple of sketches while I waited. The first sketch was created in the waiting room and the second was created while the dentist tended to Harry.
Both sketches kind of rolled into one another, which I quite like.
No time for messing around, we only had a few moments wait in the waiting room and then, once in with the dentist, it wasn't long before I had to leave so Harry could be x-rayed.
Therefore, I made notes and added the colour on my return home.

WHITTLESEY, Cambridgeshire. UK

Noodler's ink in Seawhite sketchbook


Sketched this beautiful gateway, that sits on the corner of a square wall outside St Andrews Hall in Whittlesey, today while waiting for my life class to begin.

I have sketched in this car park twice before:

ST ANDREWS HALL

WHITTLESEY CHURCH

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.

WHITTLESEY, Cambridgeshire. UK

A quick ink sketch of Whittlesey Church from the car park waiting for yesterday's life session to commence.

MY DOORSTEP

The sun shone today and the rain held off, so I braved the Autumn chill and sat upon my doorstep for a while with a sketchbook and my Lamy fountain pen filled with red/black Noodler's ink.
The apple tree has struggled for light with the climbing rose bush and the laurel this year, both need a good trim. However, against all the odds, it has produced a little fruit.
I picked one of these rough, miss-shaped beauties today and plopped it next to some bright, plump berries to create the sketch above.

My attention then turned to my parents house. Just across the yard with nothing and nobody between us but grass and hedge, my children have enjoyed the freedom of being able to safely pass between the two homes throughout their childhood.

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

DODDINGTON BUS STOP

Doddington Bus Stop
Large moleskin sketchbook, coloured pencil and Noodler's red/black ink

Another sketch from the truck after the school run.
I parked in the lay-by and captured this man in ink and coloured pencil before he hopped onto the bus, I then filled the background in around him after he'd gone.

DODDINGTON CRICKET CLUB

The final Sunday game for the Doddington Cricket Club this season took place on Sunday 9th and I offered to make the 'teas' giving me the perfect excuse to watch my Son play, try to understand the game a little more and capture a sketch.

Oh....They won!

THE FIVE ALLS, Benwick, Cambridgeshire. UK

The Five Alls Are:
I govern all. -I pray for all. - I plead for all. - I fight for all. - I pay for all

The Five alls is the only remaining pub in Benwick and was the focus of my trip yesterday morning. I parked my truck at the top of Skeifs Row, facing the pub, and sketched it in my large watercolour moleskin sketchbook.

Location Journal Kit

I was recently asked what I take with me on location when I sketch so I thought I'd dedicate this entry to the kit I have been using with my Summer 2007 Journal.


My fountain pen is from the Lamy Safari range with an extra fine (EF) nib and a Z24 converter which allows me to fill it with Noodler's Ink, I'm using 'Lexington Gray' at the moment.

I have 2 water brushes in my handbag tin that are filled with diluted inks, one has 'black ink' and one has 'nut brown', both are W&N. These two inks accompanied by the Lamy Safari are the perfect handbag kit, allowing me to add quick values to a mostly monochrome sketch and I keep them in a slim line tin which fits easily in any of my handbags.

My third water brush is filled with plain water for use with my watercolours.

My watercolour kit is a Cotman case that was filled with Cotman half pans which I have removed and replaced with small squirts of W&N Artists tube watercolours. Some of my latest additions to this palette are 'Smalt' and 'Terre Verte' both of which I love and Cerulean blue, which I have never owned until now....amazing huh? Some of the 'hubs' have more than one hue in them. e.g. I have 'Smalt' and 'Indanthrene Blue' sharing a well. This allows me more colours, this small box currently holds approx. 20 hues. The reason for this is that I am using my journal as a way of finding my palette, already some hues need topping up and those that do not require topping up will be fazed out...the theory being that if I haven't used them...I don't need them!

Lastly, an HB pencil and a sheet of 'Bounty' kitchen towel are tossed in for the ride, I love 'Bounty', it is extremely thirsty and does not fall apart when wet which means I only need take one sheet along with me.

All of this then fits into a small pencil case/cosmetic bag.

Towards the end of the Summer Journal I found myself taking just the plain water brush, watercolours and my Lamy fountain pen; a tiny kit that works perfectly well on location.

The sketchbook I used for my summer holiday journal was a 6x9 inch Venezia, a beautiful book with an attractive cover, filled with 48 sheets of 200gsm smooth Fabriano Accademia paper.

THE BUTTERFLY PARK, Long Sutton, Lincolnshire. UK

The Butterfly and Wildlife Park at Long Sutton has always been a favourite of ours and, while Jake concentrated on his college assignment at home, Harry and I paid it another visit.

The pond inside the enclosure looked fabulous with all it's water lettuce so I purchased 10 from their shop so we could put them in our own pond back at home.
The enclosure has thousands of butterflies as walking through it feels much like a fairytale. There is a crocodile, turtles, lizards etc... and many birds. One of the doves took a liking to Harry and climbed onto his hand, it then allowed him to walk through the entire closure - 3 times! - while still sitting on his hand and at one point climbing onto his shoulder like a pirate pose, which made Harry very happy. Both of my boys have been naturals with animals, they live in the country and have always been surrounded by nature and it's natural cycle. It was wonderful to watch Harry walk the same path as his Brother before him, so relaxed and with such an obvious bond between him and the creature.

A day at the Butterfly Park would not be complete without a visit to the children's adventure playground, the farm and the cafe. The cafe sell an array of home-made cakes, eight to ten inches deep, laden with creams, jams and icing sugar dusting, a delicious way to take a break from the heat of the enclosure and refresh!