A Scavenge Through 2006

Inspiration has struck me like a truck going 120mph on the motorway and I've been very busy the last couple of days creating, sketching and planning characters for a book...It is very exciting!

So, with nothing new I can show you, I thought it would be a good idea to show you some of my sketches from my first sketch books which I started in 2006, yes, just a year ago! It all started when I ventured over to the 'Art from life' forum on the Wet Canvas website. I clicked on the thread entitled 'Scavenger Hunt' with curiosity and found a list of 26 items and a deadline of seven days until the next hunt began. All items on the list had to be sketched from life and, although the prospect scared me a little, I felt I owed it to myself to break away from the static images I'd been used to and improve my sketching abilities by capturing the things around me in my sketchbook...that is, after I had actually purchased one!

The Scavenger Hunts set me free and have not only improved my drawing ability but my vision, confidence and imagination have blossomed because of them.

Here are a few of those sketches, my first taste of sketchbooks and the start of my present passion:

Hunt #1 - Still life in pen and wash

Hunt #2 - Fish ornament in pen and wash

Hunt #3 - Water pistol in Pitt brush pens

Hunt #4 - Human Eye in pen and wash