I had a bike like this when I was around 11 years old. Complete with Sturmey Archer three speed gears, all three gears being just a tad ‘off’. I had to stand on the pedals for most of the time to get the bike to move.The fine metal levered brakes took some effort to work when this heavy machine headed downhill at speeds never achieved on the flat. Brilliant light on the front, hardly used as I was not allowed to ride it in the dark, and if I did the dynamo that ran it from the back wheel made … Continue reading Abandoned Bike.Scotland.

Taken several years ago on a trip to British Camp, which is an area with great walking near Malvern, nothing to do with Kenneth Williams. There are a couple of tin churches in this area to my knowledge, one is still in very good order and looks like it is in still in regular use, this one has been sort of derelict for some time. I wonder if this church is used by a particular religion, my father always used to say when asked of his religion that he was a galvanised Christian. So that would suit. It’s a joke … Continue reading Tin Church Malvern

Thought I might post this again, done some years ago now. I’ve not done that many cartoons of late, but hopefully it’s like riding on a bike and I’ll still be able to pedal. This one is from 2018 More in my series of “Heritage Drawing Methods for the Uninitiated”, here’s how I put down a bit of half tone. Half tone? Is that a shortening of the name Anthony. Perhaps. I digress… I always put the tone on the drawing once it is mounted on to board. I generally use 350gsm white uncoated board to glue the layout paper drawing … Continue reading Soft pastels and a rubber, the application thereof…

Another blog re-blogged. I’m delving not some older blogs to see what they are like. If I like them I’ll blog them again, bit like retelling an old joke I suppose. Naturally I hope you like them. This phrase was first heard by myself when at school many years ago, and it was used by a boy called Thomas, that was his surname, can’t remember his first name. He would deploy this phrase after any long argument to illustrate that he had ‘won’ the argument. To say it was maddening was something of an understatement. He probably became a politician. … Continue reading Well, there you are then?

Another found drawing from a very old 60s sketchbook of mine. This is the then home ground of Accrington Stanley. The only really good thing about this football club at the time was that the pies at half time were delicious. At the time we lived in Accrington, my father being the local Police Inspector or Chief Inspector, I forget which, but he was in charge of this sub division. My brother and I did visit the club on a couple of occasions but at the time the club was doomed. They were broke and eventually at the end of … Continue reading Accrington Stanley

I found this today when rifling through old paperwork and drawings. It’s from an old sketchbook of mine and this is from around 1966 ,I think. A drawing of myself in the digs I shared with other Manchester students on what was then called pre-diploma year, but is now called Foundation. The ‘digs’ were with a lady who taught at a nearby school and had a huge old rambling house in Higher Openshaw in Manchester, just up the road from the college department which was situated in the old municipal baths building in Openshaw. There was nothing higher about higher … Continue reading Self portrait with brown ale

Continue reading Balanced Diet

I dabble. I do websites, which is the sort of thing anyone can do within reason these days. In days past one had to be able to write code and the like, but modern technology has got on top of all that and by putting templates in place, one does not have to do all that clever stuff any more. I used to use a company called Moonfruit for quite a lot of the sites I did. What happened to them? They sold to Yell. Result: massive drop in quality of service. Then they got into so much trouble with … Continue reading Light, water, flowers, landscapes and a talent for putting it all on paper.

That’s a quote from a book I was given at Christmas and it’s a good one. I do write from time to time about ‘art bollocks’: that way of talking about art where you do not have a single clue what half of the words used mean. The word juxtaposition usually joins these words together in some way. It’s a way of explaining art that leaves me clueless. Well, the custard phrase, as we shall call it, was used in the book: Unquiet Landscape by Christopher Neve whilst talking about an artists called Mary Potter. It’s a simple way to … Continue reading ” There is no dazzle on custard”

Couple of pictures of Orkney, cos I like them. Taken a while ago, but I bet it looks the same today. Continue reading Orkney Green Beach

Here are a couple of images of one of the Cathedral Masons working on a gargoyle that is now installed. This photo taken some years ago now. If I remember right this is Ollie working on the final stone carving. It gives some idea of the size of these pieces. Behind him and in the image below this is the clay model of what he is doing. It’s got a bit of collateral damage where the clay has dried out, but you can see just how close it is to the final piece. If you are in the Gloucester area … Continue reading Cathedral Mason at work…