The end and the beginning

I'm nearly at the end of my sketchbook - so it seemed like a good time to do a little housekeeping. I removed the block of pages from the old book and put those to the side while I worked out how best to repair the vintage cover; as you can see, it had become even more worn and tatty over the course of the past year. In the end I decided upon a simple strip of leather to reinforce the spine. This should make it more durable and give it a new lease of life for the coming year. A block of new pages was bound in, and it's now ready to go!

The old block of pages presented me with a puzzle: how best to bind them? I opted for a very simple look, with tan leather covers. I thought that the sketches should speak for themselves and not be overshadowed by a flamboyant cover.

People and lunch

My local garden centre sent me a voucher which entitled me to a free meal (buy one lunch, get the second free) - so it would have been foolish not to use it! Matt and I went and had a pleasant time (the food was delicious), and I got the chance to do a couple of very quick sketches before we ate.

My desk...

I fancied a break on Friday, so I decided to draw my desk at the studio. As you can see, I was midway through binding a book, and if you note the pile of books to the left you can also see that I'd done quite a number of other ones already!

I bloody hate Stoke

FA Cup Fourth Round. Stoke-v-Arsenal. My first away game in this country. Not a great day, the highlight was the Bovril.

It comes but once a year...

... and thank goodness for that. MOT time is stressful, especially when you drive a beaten up old van, the parts for which are astronomical in price. Thankfully little Vik (the van, in case you were wondering) passed this time. The garage I use is a colourful building, so I thought I'd capture it on paper while I was waiting.

T'was the night before Christmas...

...when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The house hippo was on the prowl though, and it looks like he fancied a bath in the dog's water bowl this time.

Coffee and a mince pie

A little bit of me-time. My local garden centre sent me a voucher for a cup of coffee and a mince pie. So I popped in and enjoyed my free snack while sketching.

Sadly I was having a ditzy morning, as I'd remembered to pack my sketchbook and watercolours... but sadly not my pencil case (which has my pen, waterpen and good pencils in). All I had in my handbag were a couple of biros and a very blunt HB pencil. I like this sketch, but really wish I'd had a proper pen with me! I'd have loved to add some colour to it too, as the restaurant in the garden centre was quite colourful. Never mind, there's always next time!