Liz and I were out strolling the other day in the woods near to Shamley Greenl, just south of Guildford. We found these amazing ancient woods and not at all far away another wood which was simply full to the top with bluebells; talk of wall to wall colour.

At the moment I am attempting to do an A3 ink rendering of the above photo, a challenging subject. By using negative pressure with the pen, it is possible to draw very soft ink lines, By doing this process repeatedly over the same area it is possible to produce a very complex drawing which isn't to dark.

By negative pressure I mean, slightly lifting the pen during use, so that the nib only touches the paper in a glancing and light manner. It takes a great deal of concentration whilst at the same time producing very soft broken lines. By using these lines and marks repeatedly in an abstract way, wonderfully representative images can be produced.  

Lets see what transpires.

Today has been one of those rather busy sort of days. In spite of that I still managed to finish two pieces which have been worked on for a while and that was bothering me somewhat. However I still managed to look around and see super things all over the place. On the way home this evening Liz and myself stopped in a car park in the middle of nowhere to relax a little and enjoy a Magnum ice cream; lovely!

The woods around the car park were so vibrant, all the leaves are freshly green and new. Then my mind wondered to Brookwood a historical cemetery near Woking. Cemeteries are often beautiful places of rest and peace;  Brookwood fits that mould. I did this sketch last year  on a brief visit there one sunny afternoon in the late summer; it was a super chill out hour or so.

Last week I was working in London around Waterloo Station and came across these streets just to the east of the station; they were straight out of the Victorian age, just beautiful and the people so friendly. Met a very pleasant young family with two kids, about 8 and the other about 10. They were off sketching to Green park as a family day out. I like that idea. After this sketch my wanderings took me to Sandel Street, just behind the above pub, where amazingly there was  music studio in the arches below the railway; I wonder how they soundproofed the place. A chap came out of the studio to chat, not famous, at least I hadn't heard of him.

Worked hard over the last few days, finished a commission and well on with another, tie that in with a super Easter week end and a day off tomorrow; not bad.

Those of you who know me personally, will be aware of my Christianity; with this week being Holy Week it seemed an appropriate idea to place an image of Jerusalem on my blog.

Remembering the Passion events and how the Middle Eastern countries are still in conflict, it seemed right to show you this image of the Zion Gate, an entry into the old city of Jerusalem. . Today this is a beautifully quiet corner where I spent a very pleasant half hour sketching; yet during past troubles it was a scene of much trouble and many deaths. Let us hope that from all faiths and ideologies peoples can learn to talk together and live at peace again.

Well and truly back in Woking again and as usual lots is happening. Yesterday I posted my application to exhibit at New Wine again this year, so lets see what transpires. This year I am going for colour in two ways, one looking at music; how we appreciate the sounds through the materials of the instruments and how they are made, the above image is trying to capture the wildness, freedom and  jazziness of the saxophone. Then secondly a few nature still life's; maybe one of those next week.

The weather is gorgeous and the plan so far is to work in London, that would be nice. I have a few ideas, one is to photograph the concourse of Waterloo station with a 220 degree image and minimal distortion, that will be fun and maybe impossible. Lets see what happens.

Sometimes a quick sketch under trying conditions such as rain works; you met people also sheltering from the rain and talk; the above lightening sketch of buildings in the cathedral close at Exeter falls into that category.

  It was windy and spitting rain, the type of rain which just does not work with ink. So there I was stood under an awning, sheltering and sketching away. There was a "Big Issue" seller under the awning as well, trying to keep dry. We chatted, he was a really ok guy, late forties, just divorced, lost is job, down on his luck. He wasn't feeling sorry for himself, he will recover, but at the moment life is tough.

Most of my friends, including myself are very fortunate; we live such privileged lives.