Flo doing maths homework

Flo busy with her favourite subject – which by the way is now what she wants to do at university – veterinary medicine and medicine having fallen by the wayside. It was such lovely warm weather today that she was able to work outside after supper.

260mm x 260mm pencil in sketchbook

Robin reluctantly giving me a ten minute pose

This afternoon I went canoeing with Robin and Xavier. Robin did all the work carrying the canoe when we came to the locks in the canal, but then as I’d never choose canoeing as my ideal date, and as he has one of those sporty/masochist streaks in him, it was fine. He was also very sweet offering rides to children walking along the side. It did make me giggle, the nervous urban orthodox Jewish dad out for a day in the country, constantly chiding his four children to keep away from the edge of the canal. However as soon as a perfect stranger offers a ride in a canoe to his children, he is delighted to let them climb into the wobbly boat and set off leaving him happily waving on the bank. After supper Robin reluctantly sort of sat still for me. I must remember not to do what I did with the Hugo drawing (blithely spraying spray mount all over the surface, rather than fixative). 190mm x 205mm pencil in large sketchbook

Hugo watching TV

After a whole day on my own with Xavier, I could only muster up the energy to draw a portrait at the end of the day, Hugo was allowed to watch something I’d never choose to watch and so kept very still (for him). This one is quite a good likeness.

210mm x 205mm, pencil in large sketchbook