For centuries there has been a tradition of making drawings in preparation for a finished artwork in most media, from a few scratches on some substrate to more detailed and refined imagery. I think about some well-known architects who scribbled an original concept for a grand project on a paper napkin over lunch!

A few years ago, I came to the conclusion that I needed to refresh my drawing skills, which have improved greatly since I began attending a live figure drawing group. We have four twenty-minute poses in a two-hour session – so one needs to keep the drawing very simple or draw very quickly much like plein air painting.

In my drawings I’m not so much interested in an anatomically correct representation of the figure (and not necessarily the whole figure), that has the boldness and energy of the physical aspect of drawing, much like brushstrokes in a painting.