People who sketch People

After creatures at the zoo, I've been back looking at and sketching people, wherever I've been, sometimes making the effort going out specially to find some  - brush people, pen people, pen and wash people, water-soluble people.

I often seriously doubt my ability to render them while I'm at it, but usually at some stage after the sketch is done, I'll recognise something of what I was trying to capture, and forgive myself my shortcomings.

I often wonder while I'm sketching, if I am in fact enjoying myself - that only seems to happen after the session is over and I look at the sketches, and think... that was fun... wasn't it? It can be a bit of a panic, thinking its just not happening at all. And then it has, I (sometimes) realise later.

But not always, then I fiddle and faddle and add more colour or thicker lines until its thoroughly overworked and I'm fed up with it like this one...


Occasionally I'll see someone who really appeals to me, because of their clothes, or posture or attitude and rush down a few mad strokes and something good just happens - that woman in the red dress and white hat (top right) for instance - and I think finally I'm getting somewhere, that's how I want to sketch.

Then the next time I try, and am disappointed again but leave it just as it is and much later perhaps, oh well, maybe not as bad as I thought...

...it's a roller-coaster isn't it?!