Sketch Therapist

This week I share my thoughts on the wisdom of driving on an unfamiliar side of the road, beside someone with strong ideas on how best to do that. Later, I give you a solution to a ruined sketchbook page. And the poem at the end? Twentieth century, not nineteenth. Forgive my ignorance!

This week I’m coming to you from a little garden in a resort on the fabulous island of Menorca (or Minorca, as you prefer) where I’m sharing tips for sketching your family when you’re all together somewhere beautiful, and where no one is watching the clock.

In this week’s episode I out myself as a petty, jealous woman, and vain with it. But you can’t take yourself too seriously in this game or you wouldn’t last the distance: it helps to see the funny side of your vanity. Later, I get into the nitty-gritty of making food look delicious in a sketch.

Thirty episodes is quite the milestone and I’m thrilled to celebrate it with this extra-long story of me and my mum Cinnie spending a few days sketching together in the beautiful Burren. It was magical! I finish off with an account of a trip to a shooting range in County Kerry, where five total novices try their hand at target practice. One of us turns out to be a hustler!

In today’s episode I share more of my favourite sketch tips. My mother Cynthia (Cinnie) is coming to stay with me this week and we’re going sketching together, so I figured I’d share our common artistic heritage with you all…Episode illustration is my older brother (the one who knows all the family history) cooking a clam curry with my youngest, Liv.

This week’s episode is jam-packed with tips, harvested from my new Twitter account where I’ve been sharing them over the last two or three months. Now I broadcast them to you, the People!

I was very privileged to be initiated into the secret world of barn owls, after meeting an owl man called John. I’ve snuck in a bit about French people too - and a few tips on sketching glasses of beer!

Dans cet épisode je vous raconte des histoires d’un festival superbe- Clermont Dessine, un rendezvous d’ateliers ou on pouvait apprendre des clés pour mieux croquer!

I was hugely honoured to be invited to teach at Clermont Dessine this June. Here’s a little bit of deepest France for you. Francophiles please form an orderly queue 😆

In this episode I take you with me on a little boat trip off the coast of Mauritius at the height of the tropical summer, and introduce you to some of the lovely people I meet along the way. I think I read too fast, for which I apologise.