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One of the guards in the National Gallery.

He took over from the previous guard and spent a while walking around, patrolling the space, making himself aware of who was around, scoping us all out.

Although I saw him eye the previous incumbent's buttock dent in the leather seat of the guard's chair with a certain disdain and I think he was really just waiting for the seat to cool off a bit before he sat.

I also have a feeling I have sketched him before.

Oh Frabjous Day

Callooh Callay.

I have a shiny new scanner my son.

Now I have some catching up to do.

Found a great spot to catch people in the National Gallery last friday. It was cold and raining and I was in Soho with an hour in hand before a meeting. In such moments, and in such a place, you could do a lot worse than the National Gallery. A LOT worse. But I am way too boring for that. so....

This guy was part of a very animated group discussing their cameras.

I liked how the cube stool he was sitting on got all squooooshed under his weight.

Guards Guards

One of the Guards as the National Gallery.

A subject matter previously visited by much greater Gods than me.

After a long day's art appreciation

It's nice to get off your feet for a bit.

5 !

The countdown to the first 100 sketches.

The ghost on this one was so insistent I've had to drop her into Photoshop to 'exorcize' it. Demon of the other page - be gone.

This girl was in the National Gallery, listening to her audio tour. We were sitting in one of the long galleries, the one with the Zubarans and the brilliant Velazquez. And the Van Dyck room just off it.

Van Dyck. My absolute Hero.

Just drop in there and look at the hand holding the glove on the double portrait of the Stuart brothers. How the paint is both paint, and a hand holding a glove. Two separate states at the same time. Liquid. Was just looking at it with a mate the other day. He was more amused by how camp the whole picture was.

Good review of last year's exhibition with image of the two ( okay, okay undeniably camp ) brothers and the aforementioned hand here.

This portrait was also on the telly the other night ( synchronicity ) pointing out that within a few year both brothers had been slaughtered on the battle fields of the English Civil War.

Camp only goes so far.