Wynard Newsreader (pen & ink)

Peak hour. Chaos everywhere. Not a bother. Pity about what I did to his right hand though…

Vacant Stare in Pen and Ink

Vacant, yet oddly attentive, this man never spotted me drawing him. I was sitting directly opposite, less than an arm’s length away and was the only other person in the carriage, barring his wife. She was another matter. Didn’t take her eyes off me. She wasn’t exactly hostile but definitely wasn’t trusting me too much either. They seemed like a nice couple. Struck me as out-of-towners on a trip.

Leisure Suit in Pen and Ink

This drawing is almost bordering on caricature. The man steadied himself with a cane and so wasn’t terribly mobile. I thought he would present the perfect subject; interesting and not terribly active, so plenty of time to study and capture the detail of the facial features and so on. Almost as soon as I started sketching, my pen leaked all over my hands. Sometimes these things are meant to happen. Rather than stop, I just used the ink on my fingers to smear in the background and to denote a little texture on the suit.

Walcha’s Got Everything (pen and ink wash)

I drew this at the Gunnedah markets, in the same session as the Apple Eater lady. In this instance, the subject was a stall owner who was chatting to a companion. They were lamenting the sorry state of affairs in the locality, whereby the neighbouring town of Walcha allegedly receives every benefit imaginable to mankind while their locality does it hard. I can’t comment other than to say that either is a nice place to visit. Had a flying saucer landed in the middle of the markets, her response would have been, “a bigger one landed in Walcha last week.” Behind it all, she was having the time of her life, though.

In this sketch, I did my best to capture her weathered, somewhat resigned and slightly laconic disposition.

What’s this in the paper then?

Nothing! That’s what. Humph. Should have expected as much. Honestly, don’t know why I bother. News? This isn’t news, it’s just rubbish. Michael Jackson? What’s he got to do with anything? Why can’t they write about important things. I have half a mind to write to the editor. Probably can’t read. Humph.