I’m still experimenting with materials and mark-making on paper, though mostly line wins out. Line drawings are faster, and for me, more immediately responsive. I draw with all kinds of pens – fine and thick. Currently I’m favouring ink, and use a fountain and my favourite a dip pen. They are highly impractical and messy but the line can be stunning. And again, it’s that not thinking too much. And the scratch across the paper is glorious. One of the most marvellous things about drawing is there are no rules (at least not any longer). I love that sense of urgency that drives the hand forward – anxious to capture, to describe, to just get it down. And I’m beginning to see better.
I like it best when the café is busy. The buzz creates an energy that I really respond to – and before I know it I’m on a roll. And there are the same people coming in again and again. I love that too. There’s the old man with his old dog, both a little whiskery and doddery. And the man who usually sits on his own reading his phone. Today he has company. They speak in Welsh. He looks more animated. Two girls sit across for me, laughing. And the skinny lad who used to work there has just come in for a take-away drink. I’ve drawn him so many times. He has three jobs, I’ve heard him tell a customer, to pay for his tattoos. How I love this. What a privilege to watch people like this.
