The gauntlet is thrown...requests for sketches

To kick-start the year, I told folks that I was accepting requests and they did not disappoint!

Suma: "Space and farming"

Riffing off Suma's request, Max upped the ante:

Max "Goats and flying squirrels, in space on a farm"

Justin was inspired to request something he is keen on - I like to think he can use the sketch in the business plan

Justin - "Pods, the future of everything"

Lily then asked for "a gold dolphin swimming in lemonade on the edge of Mars - I opted for pink lemonade

Lily : "a gold dolphin swimming in lemonade on the edge of Mars...

And then Louis asked for: "a lion, trapped in a duvet, on the edge of a toilet, trapped in jail, sticking his tongue out at a tiger. The jail is on the edge of Mount Everest and should have a curtain over it too."

So, here goes a series of pictures to convey the request:-

The complete picture:

12 favourite sketches from 2015

Looking back at sketches from 2015 - asked myself to pick one from each month.

Jan 2015 One of my first few tweeted sketches and of a building I had noticed when I had first moved to Reading.

Feb 2015 - My favourite sketch from the evening Life Drawing Wednesdays  at Jelly run by the amazing Mark Andrew Webber

Mar 2015 - This started out as a request from  for 'Aliens taking tea with a rabbit' but became the picture for a group I ended up creating on Facebook to encourage friends and others to draw.

Apr 2015 -  Drawing a florist at work live (Sonning flowers)  was really enjoyable as I have been a part-time florist myself. This was the one of the first sketches I had to cut out and scan and give away - a very liberating act that I didn't think I could manage.

May 2015 - I love this sketch for many reasons including that it was the first one I've done using a drawing app and my finger that I really liked. Even so, I did the date wrong/American style - it was done in May

June 2015 - Feeding ducks in the rain.

July 2015 Sydney Padua speaking live at RYND for Reading Skeptics in the Pub

Aug 2015 - Watching the magnificent Bikini Beach Band at a private party was fun. Drawing them was hard.

Sept 2015 - Having a cuppa tea at the new Cup Reading was lovely esp the teapot

Oct 2016 Some commuters catch your eye because of their poses or their faces and it's nice to try different ways of the same poses (they are always sleeping, on a device or reading - staring out of the window is rare.). I am sure I have drawn this person before so have a fondness for him.

Nov 2016
A request for 'A friendly robot carrying a teddy - oh, and Columbo' - I love doing these collaborative drawings as it feels like a joint creation.

Dec 2016 - Watching Slow TV for Xmas was inspring. Done on new coloured cards.
The first time I saw slow tv was in May when it covered the Kennet and Avon canal.