Old Sketchbooks

I have been known to sketch on old scraps of paper or on the back of watercolour paintings designated for the bin, I'm sure we all have those.  But I do love my sketchbooks which tend to go with me everywhere.  Infact if I have forgotten to take one with me I will head for the nearest shop to get a replacement, even a notebook will do.  Having said that I have recently come across some old sketchbooks.

In a previous post I mentioned that William used to have a thing about chasing bees.  I guess it was the buzzing that got his attention.  Well, in my collection of sketchbooks I found this picture I had done of him looking at one such bee.

I had hurriedly got my pencil outlining in and then went over with my pen.  

Cruise -
This in turn led me to looking through some of my other old sketchbooks and I found one from 1998 (is it really 13 years ago).  We had been on a cruise - at the time a much needed and restorative break for our family - and as usual I had taken my sketchbooks.  The opportunity to just sit and rest on a cruise gave me the excuse, as if I needed one, of sketching.  I thought I would post some of them.

This chap was on a set of stairs and I can remember sketching him as if it were yesterday. I find photographs don't have that effect in the same way, it seems to be the actual putting pen to paper that cements the scene in the brain, or at least it does mine.  He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, very nautical considering we were on a cruise, perhaps he had bought it especially. 

 It would seem I didn't waste ink with these sketches

One of the ports of call was Portimao in the Algarve.  We stopped for a coffee break and I sketched two people at a nearby table.

........and this chap was absorbed in filming something.  I couldn't resist sketching him, I think it was his shape - yes he really was portly in stature - but how come men always have such slim legs?

I am really glad I had kept these sketchbooks, they have brought back some good memories.