I promised myself that this week, during my 3 precious child-free mornings, I would start some work on a drawing I've been meaning to do. Back in early May I made the supreme effort to find the time to go out and do some sketching at Alderley Edge, a local beauty spot. Those drawings and photographs have been sitting unused ever since, but having had my work accepted to take part in the local Arts Festival in late September, I really needed to start producing something. Apart from having a single drawing for sale in a gallery north of Manchester, I have not exhibited my personal work since my degree show.
However, all was not plain sailing. Day 1, I set about finding the equipment I needed, and hit my first problem - I couldn't find my drawing materials. Not that I had many, it occured to me that somewhat shockingly I haven't bought any since I graduated (a very long time ago), so in fact had very few left. I decided I just about had time to go and buy some, so that was what I did.
The next day, I set everything up on my drawing board - but I'd been using it as a cutting board too, and discovered it now has ridges in it as a result, so I covered it with lining paper first, and set it up on my light sketching easel (the only one I have) in the office/studio/gym to draw. It was not ideal - the paper (and lining paper) wouldn't lie flat because it had been cut from a roll, and the easel was too light to work on, given that my drawing was so large. My reference material, sketches and photographs were incoveniently placed on a table by me, where I couldn't easily see them. Still, I ploughed on, until 10 or 15 minutes later, I realised with dawning horror that there was rather a lot of charcoal dust being created, and I had failed to protect the carpet. I looked down with apprehension to see a nice black line on the recently cleaned carpet beneath the easel. Not to worry I thought optimistically, it will hoover up if I don't walk on it, and duly went and fetched the vacuum cleaner. It didn't. Or rather the dust disappeared, leaving a big black stain behind it. I spent the rest of my 'creative' time, unsuccessfully trying to clean the carpet. The next time we have a house viewing (we're currently trying to sell up) the office chair will have to be strategically placed - at least until the carpet can be professionally cleaned - again.
With just one child free morning left for me to work on my drawing, I decided the next day to work in the kitchen (no carpet to damage) and attach the drawing to the wall, again on top of a sheet of lining paper to protect the paintwork, with my reference material placed conveniently alongside. This turned out to be equally unsuccessful. The paper kept on detaching itself from the wall and slipping, it still wouldn't lie flat, and my attempts to keep it on the wall left horrible dirty fingerprints on the recently re-decorated surface. Not to worry I thought, they'll wipe off. It's quite astonishing how difficult it is, I discovered, to wipe away charcoal and dirty blu-tack marks from a paintwork - it did come off if I scrubbed, but so did the paint.
So now I'm left with a carpet that needs cleaning, and a wall that needs re-touching. My drawing is still only two-thirds finished, but I have decided to invest in a large piece of MDF as a new drawing board, which means I won't need to line it, and a proper easel - something which I've never had, and which will create yet more clutter in the office/studio/gym, but I think is desperately needed. Just need to work out how I can afford it!
I shall try and finish the drawing next week on my new drawing board, but hopefully I will have learned enough this time not to trash the house in the process, and at least I have actually made a start.
