Sketching

In an effort to improve my people drawing I did some sketching when attending an Art Fund lecture on country houses. I can’t remember the name of the lecturer, but he was very good. 

It was about how country houses and castles are functionally different, but they did overlap. In exploring this it highlighted how they weren’t lived in or used the way we were taught at school or popular tourist attractions. A lot of castles were about having a visible security system, before burglar alarms, to try and dissuade would be marauders. Some were used as a bank, which leads to how castles weren’t used as jails until after the Second World War, when the lifestyle and servants needed of maintain standards. They were also used as status symbols and means of giving the owner a more powerful posturing position by using levels within the building – making guest wait in the basement and ascend up – along with lighting and structure size.

Such a great talk meant everyone was absorbed and i could stare at them as much as i liked. I didn’t dare start measuring though. Some of the sketches came out better than others. You can almost tell who moved the least from how they turned out. I shall have to remember to sit at the back next time so I can draw more people without being obvious about it. 

They were a lot that shifted about a lot. And the lecturer moved so much i didn’t get a decent sketch of him.

The lady in the sketch below had such beautiful white hair and matching turtle neck and deep skin. I wanted to bust the watercolours out so bad.