I PROBABLY OUGHT TO EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS — AND WHAT IT DEFINITELY ISN’T.
This isn’t going to be one of those blogs where everything’s polished, purposeful, and magically finished. If that’s what you’re after, you’re very much in the wrong place. Things here may wobble a bit. Words might go missing. Sketches might not behave themselves. That’s all part of it.
I draw. Mostly buildings, bits of streets, doorways, windows — the sort of things you walk past every day without really noticing. I sketch because it helps me slow down, make sense of things, and occasionally feel like my brain and my hand are on speaking terms.
I had a stroke a few years back, which means my thinking and my words don’t always line up neatly anymore. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to say and the word just refuses to turn up. Other times I start a sentence and only find out where it’s going halfway through. Rather than fight that, I’ve decided to work with it.
So this space is about sketching, yes — but also about keeping things light, keeping going, and not beating yourself up when things don’t come out “right”. There’ll be small drawing ideas, bits I’ve noticed, things that have helped me, and the odd rant when my brain decides to go off-piste. Nothing heavy. Nothing preachy.
Going forward, I’ll be sharing a mix of things here. Blogs like this one. Sketches. Thoughts about drawing. Little lessons and instructions. Maybe longer bits down the line — proper walk-throughs, ideas you can actually use, not just airy fairy stuff.
And while we’re being honest, there are a couple of things I want to be straight about.
I do use AI. I know that’s a bit frowned upon in some corners, but I’m not pretending otherwise. I use it as a tool — the same way I’d use a ruler, a spellchecker, or a second pair of eyes when my words go walkabout. It doesn’t do the thinking for me, and it doesn’t do the drawing. It just helps me say what I mean more clearly when my brain decides to play silly beggars.
I should also say this upfront: I do intend to earn a bit of pin money from some of this. Not fortunes. Not yachts and matching jumpers. Just enough to help cover time, materials, and the odd cup of tea. Some things will be free, some may be paid, and I’ll always make that clear. No sudden hard sell. No funny business.
The thing that matters most to me is transparency. You’ll know what’s what. You’ll know what’s mine, what’s helped along, and what’s offered freely versus paid. No pretending, no hype, and no promises that drawing will magically fix everything in seven easy steps.
If this sounds like your sort of thing, you’re very welcome to stick around.
If not, no hard feelings — we all like different cups of tea.
Right. That’s enough explaining.
Back to drawing — before my brain gets any clever ideas about procrastinating again.