Growing up I learnt everything I know about art from my mum, both how to draw and art history. Long gone and my back at the drawing booked/easel since 2016 I hear my mum’s voice behind me whenever I am stuck, or when I am about to do something I’ll regret, or when I don’t know if I’ve finished yet.

Here’s where I’m at. I’m onto the third iteration of the beech hedge in the foreground. Mum would tell me to get back out there, have my sister keep her horse in shot and produce another sketch constantly observing what I see. A dear departed friend Tim would take this a step further and suggest not looking at the page at all – I like that: from minds eye to page with the minimum of misfiring filtration.

I’m happy to fiddle on with this, not digitally which would have been an option in the past when I had the software, stylus and Wacom board. This is tracing paper and masking tape. I did line up the tree and Tilly in Adobe Express – with a smaller or larger head, including Otto, or not.

There’s more to it than getting the leaves of the beech hedge the right size – larger! But I now realise the hedge is in verdant early summer growth while the beech tree is naked in winter 😦 I’m 300 miles from the spot so I’ll make a ‘winter hedge’ photo request, or use our own beech hedge which I can see through the winds in front of me – maybe that’s the answer.

The paddock between hedge and beech tree is currently drawn like a near lawn – I want it more paddock, with hummocks.

The sky in the left needs something: I’m tempted to put a vapour trail and an international flight coming into Newcastle airport 25 miles away.