Charcoal and gull's feathers and little baby Enzo

Off this morning to another masterclass this morning. Melissa was trying to shake up how we approached drawing. The best exercise for me was covering a piece of paper with charcoal and then using an eraser to rub out and reveal form. While not fabulous, I quite like the picture down below where I did that. There was a straightforward paint the life figure it with a watercolour and brush - mine was pretty poor, then another go with pastels -- we were given three each of bright colours. Another poor effort for me. Then it was drawing with ink. I was expecting to be quite good at this, but the ink pen was the old dipping sort, which dried up after making a line of two centimetres. Then I found myself having a go with a gull feather that had been turned into a pen, which produced great splotches of ink. These Melissa had collected, much to her husband's disgust, from the streets of Seaford. This gave me a new found interest in the herring gulls on our roof. If I collected their feathers could I make a book of crude splotchy gull drawings and scribbled poems. The wee book's title would be the Great Seagull Beef, and would deal with the feelings of conflict and rage in the battle between poet and gull. Maybe not.

Lorraine went to see Beth, then took Beth and Enzo to see Pat and Maureen, and then Beth and Enzo came here and enjoyed sitting in the back garden. Beth seeming well, and little Enzo very cute and feeding heartily. James came around after work, and we hung out chatting. I held a dozing Enzo for quite a while at the table, as I had finished food before anyone, and found I rather liked holding him. Passed him on to James, who he slept happily on then too. James is excellent with his little lad.