Image | May 30, 2015May 22, 2018 | Paul Greer

Testing - May 30 2015 at 05:54pm — Testing – May 30 2015 at 05:54pm

September 29, 2014December 20, 2018 | Paul Greer

A week or so ago I travelled across England to pick up a car. So the away journey was by train and the return by car.

There’s a lot of enforced down time during a trip like that so I took a few photos made a few drawings, read a bit of Vonnegut, thought about stuff. Very enriching in all.

I liked the idea I could sample the sea on opposite coasts in one day. This was not possible on the way there as I was effectively on food and couldn’t get to Clevedon.

So my morning photo of the West that day was this one:

"..platform 14 does not exist." http://t.co/Sn0dSzXwgb

— Paul Greer ✍️📓🎥🌎 (@burningfp) September 17, 2014

Caught the 11:05 to Paddington, with the express idea of drawing, a possibly trying to catch up on the 365 drawing thing I’ve been going. Not sure if you have tried drawing on a train, most people are too close for you to study without causing a uncomfortable situation and generally stuff is going passed so quickly outside you need a super fast photographic memory to get it in your brain before you can decide how to represent it on the page.

So I decided to go for the horizon, because that goes pass slower and if you miss a bit it doesn’t look too weird if you just join on to the contiuation.

I added the times and locations at points, also a few announcements from the guard to add some

ambience

IMG_20140917_123418 — 70/365 Various horizon lines drawn from the window of the 11:30 to London Paddington. Going through Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon, Didcot Parkway. V-ball. Notebook: Ethel.

I got as far as Didcot Parkway on that then got the I’ll-miss-my-stop-fear, even theough the train was terminating. The connections were really tight as I got a super cheap ticket I had to make everyone.

Managed to take a picture of Yea Olde Saint Pancras as I got to Kings Cross.

20140917_133703_1 — Passing through the London at speed. Not even touching the sides. St. Pancras from the entrance to Kings Cross. #dontforgettolookup

20140917_154224_1 — View across Shaw’s Dike.

Then there I was in the East. It’s quite flat there. We picked up the car somewhere in the middle of the Fens, this is what it is like there.

Mostly sky.

I stayed over night at my folks place. There’s a lot of amazing old photos there. They should write a book.

Here is a picture of my Grandad at a Grasstrack meeting at Bourne in June 1949, less that 4 years after the end of the Second World War. Two Soldiers looking on. (Grandad’s on the left):

IMG_20140918_103127 — Picture of Grandad (on the left) with fellow rider at a grass track meet. Taken at Bourne, June 1949. Check out the two military looking fellas in the back there.

So the next day I set off as early as I could (which wasn’t that early), this time because I had wheels I could take a picture of the sea, here known as the Wash. It’s quite shallow there so the sea is often very flat compared to the ocean that crashes in on the West coast.

20140918_110849_1 — The Wash from near the Light House, Old Hunstanton.

Wanted to draw on the way back too. But you can’t draw when driving. That is bad. So I took breaks (7 hour drive altogether), and when I took a break I drew the backend of whatever I could see.

IMG_20140918_182629 — 71/365 Back-ends of various vehicles drawn during mildly epic road trip (when stationary and when it was safe to do so, obv) from Hunstanton through Peterborough, A47, M6, M5 etc. 7 hours journey time in total. See images of both #east and #west seas (taken on same day) earlier in this feed. V-ball. Notebook: Ethel.

I got caught in a nasty jam on the M62 so didn’t get back home until late. But just in time to catch the end of the light in this picture of the opposite Sea.

20140918_174913_1 — West coast. Clevedon front.

I have returned to the bear cave.

— Paul Greer ✍️📓🎥🌎 (@burningfp) September 18, 2014

365 Day Sketch Project Update: 55-68

September 16, 2014May 21, 2018 | Paul Greer

I suppose I’ve lost the “everyday” part of this project, but, you know life’s too short to get stressed about these things. The point is I am having a lovely time drawing stuff from (mostly) life, my sense of perception and observation has developed and sharpened, my skill with the various implements I am using has improved.

So I am going to keep going with it, even though I am breaking the rules somewhat (there are no rules).

Something that seems to be happening also is sometimes I will finish a drawing and think it’s not great but it gets just as much feedback across the networks as the others.

At the moment I have them automatically cross posting to Twitter and Tumblr. Still haven’t quite got the guts to fire them off to Facebook as well. Not sure why that is, I have always struggled with Facebook, and hate the idea of oversharing on there. But for Tumblr and Twitter I’ll overshare with no worries, which is odd because people who I am connected to on Facebook are more likely to be people I know “Away From Keyboard” as it were.

Anyway, as ever these are embeds from Instagram, you can follow me there if you want them straight off the page, if you catch my drift. I have posted the accompanying comment I posted it with, but you’ll have to click through if you want to read what other people have said. (Don’t bother if there’s only one though that’s usually me adding hashtags after the fact).

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BBC Preview – War of Words: Soldier-Poets of the Somme – Bristol Festival of Ideas

Aside | September 9, 2014May 21, 2018 | Paul Greer

The “big animation project” we were working on earlier in the year is being previewed at the Watershed on the 5th November.
The programme explores the stories of the writer soldiers who were present at the Battle of the Somme and at BDH we produced 10 animations illustrating, with respect, the poetry the soldiers produced, which are embedded in the documentary.
The event is free, but you do have to register here.
Maybe see you there.

Just another enchanted tree, nbd.

Image | August 11, 2014September 4, 2018 | Paul Greer

(at Leigh Woods National Nature Reserve)

365 Sketch Project: 1-10

June 17, 2014May 21, 2018 | Paul Greer

I’m not sure what happened. I was waiting to go out and so sat and drew a chair, then watch myself in slow motion as I added “1/365” and then posted it on the internet.

Drawing everyday is obviously an aspiration that gets pushed aside with everyday business, work and (here’s the rub) mechanical distractions. I never draw as much as I want to. So launching the spectre of mild internet shame upon failure may well encourage me to do more.

I have always felt the activity was 90% looking, and judging by what what below one could say that is all that I was doing.

I am not one of those that drawing has some magic potential over photography, both encourage a paying attention to the everyday, and then a potential to pull something extraordinary out of it.

Hopefully I can keep this rolling. Once again it is largely for my benefit, but perhaps there might be some enjoyment to be gained as I stumble, question myself, draw badly with no signs of improvement, hate everything, hurredly scribble something at the end of the day etc etc, so follow me on Instagram for immediate and possible calamitous updates, if you so wish.

Anyone else on a 365 project?

(Below I have added the comment I posted on Instagram and the link to the original post. All but two are drawn from life. Day 3 is a copy of a Chris Ware sketch and Day 9 a study of feet found on the tumblr hashtag. I will probably just draw things from life from now on as I seem to get most from that. Also avoids infringing on someone’s copyright which is extremely uncool.)