I say “loosely” locked down, because we can travel 5km from our home now, and by next Monday certain shops will be open. I might be able to buy a vital piece of plumbing paraphernalia, which would mean I would be able to commission my en-suite bathroom (all the white ceramic bits – the sink,…
DetailsEvery week, the Urban Sketching organisation hosts an hour of talks with some favourite sketchers from around the world. This Sunday gone was the turn of Mário Linhares and Hugo Costa, bot from Portugal. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for Hugo’s talk, but I will catch up with it on You Tube. Mário spoke to Rob…
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Saturday 9th May So…I started my new Zoom class with a group of students from all over the world. There are occasional tech issues, but somehow we get over the speedwobbles and manage to have two hours of concentrated learning. The above sketch was of a horse chestnut tree in my garden, and it was…
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I am Lounging In Lockdown, because I handed in my latest book for publication the other day. Yes, I know I have mentioned this before now but I am going to milk it for a while longer! My dear husband Marcel came home with a bottle of Blanc de Blancs. “My mother loved this,” he…
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Wednesday 6th May I give my zoom class to a group of engaged and dedicated students. It is a taster class and I have nearly 30 participants. The only drawback is that there are too many people to get to know properly. The subject that we draw is a sketch of a pot plant in…
DetailsI am exceedingly excited to tell you that my new book is available for pre-order from Amazon. It’s one of the next books in the Urban Sketchers Handbook series, and it’s called Drawing Expressive People. I have always loved drawing people, ever since I was tiny and was a slave to Asterix and Obelix and…
DetailsSunday 3rd May A hundred and fifteen years ago, the last person to live in Tyrone House packed up and left. Actually, that’s not quite true: the caretaker stayed there for another few years, and was carried out in his bed when Republicans set the house on fire. I’ve heard many stories about the unpopularity…
DetailsSunday 3rd May Lockdown trends I have done: sourdough (can’t open the jar anymore because the lid is now glued on with starter); baking (my daughter does it all now); yoga (every day I do ten or twenty minutes and I hope this is one craze I won’t drop); zoom classes (fun!); made masks (they…
DetailsSaturday 2nd May Plants Sketching your houseplants of not as hard as it might seem. I am going to show you how I did mine. You start by looking for a plant you think would make a suitable contender. You want one with some broad leaves, or you’ll get frustrated when things get fiddly. Then…
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Saturday 25th April Paddy cooks dinner. Tonight he is doing oven fried chicken. We are experiencing a tumultuous time at home, and it is lovely to be looked after by Paddy. He looks at us all tucking into the meal he has made. “It’s such a lovely feeling to know people are relying on you,”…
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