Back of some bloke's head.

Literally. 

Nothing much to say about him. From the other wednesday, on the train into town.

Liked his ears. Ears like that are always temptingly flickable aren't they ?

Blimey oh Riley !

This is one of those sketches that everything is out of relation with itself, yet pleases me when I look at it. Since when were the centre of your ears level with your eyebrows ?

It makes him look either stern, or focused. Am always interested in how far you can push a face and still have it read properly and not as caricature.

Had a brilliant conversation with one of the painters yesterday about J. C. Leyendecker. It was a rare pleasure to encounter another enthusiast, unexpected. Now there is an artist whose handling of paint astounds me. The energy in the creases in his clothing is just the mutt's... how it manages to be both realistic and totally abstract at the same time. Inspirational.

Work has swallowed me whole this week. ( oh er Missus !!! ) Am in the office waiting for them to wrap so I can go home and fall asleep.

Oh, and found a web site for a place called MDF WORLD. And it amuses me to imagine it the dullest theme park in Britain.

Thick coat for the snow.

Another person wrapped up in a thick coat, to mark the snow that is still falling outside. Done just before christmas. Like the line that makes his neck.

So far no-one has seen any of this, ( that I know of ). They are still mine, still hidden away as effectively as they are in the books. And I kind of like it like that. This is still just a challenge to me, by me. And no one else need ever be involved. Still part of the vaulted invisibility. Because even here, no one can see me. Ha !

So this makes me question another element of this. Why am I posting them here ? Beyond the fun of doing it. I sketch, then shut the book away and move on to the next one, and no one ever sees them. If this just becomes another version of the closed book then surely there is no point. The point is to let others see them, but in as anonymous a way as possible. But I am stumped as to why, other than as ego massage. But if I want it to be anonymous...??? Which comes back to why sketch ? And I still don't really know. Is it a validation, and if so, of what ? My purpose ? Pretty thin purpose then. Maybe I am looking too deep (as always). Maybe it's just about loving people, loving the shape of people, wanting to draw them, and wanting to share that with everyone.

So am going to try and get others to have a look here. See what the reaction is, see how that changes what I think of doing this.

So, if you've found your way here, your feedback is essential.

sketch 14

This one I have had on my computer for ages. I have even posted it elsewhere. I love how I revised the back of the head halfway through. And still not certain which one is better.

I always get excited ( steady on ) when someone chews their nails, or puts their hand over their mouth, or leans on their hand. Anything that puts the fingers near the face, then you get double the pleasure of sketching.

Hands are brilliant to draw, get them right ( not often ) and they look great - get them wrong ( here ? ) and they haunt you forever. I try to use the knuckles to describe them, but always get the heel of the hand, and how it connects to the wrist, way off.

And ears as well. I usually just let a quick squiggle tell the story, but you could really get into the folds and shading of peoples ears.

This was also drawn on a train ride home. It was in the summer, and there was a very argumental couple dominating the carriage, and this bloke was doing his level best to ignore them, staring fixedly out the window.