As detailed on my Instagram social media “Wooden Post with Purple Thistles“ was sketched in just under 48 minutes including signing.

To give you a little more information on this the first draft was done in 46m55_97s which included signing. Afterwards as I readied to publish online I noticed the wooden post needed one last finishing touch! 

I wanted to ignore this addition yet decided it was necessary.

I started the digital stopwatch timer again. In 45.96 seconds of possibly the quickest draft I have ever done the sketch was complete. The use of timers for my speed works is two-fold. 

Firstly I am an immensely competitive person.. to myself. Most people could not understand the number of personal challenges [physical and intellectual] I create in my ‘everyday life’. 

For me personally this is definitely not something new. 

Whether it be holding my breath as a boy in the bath (one minute at that time, 2m20_48s currently without training), seeing how long I could do a wheelie on my bike (quite some yards), testing my physical capabilities or having spent leisurely time solving chess puzzles – these are things I ridiculously enjoy. 

Of course, my 1911 manmade heatwave discovery is much more important for humanitarian reasons [link to the artwork of same here: Fossil Fuels Mechanotide].

Secondly, I wished to ensure exact times for my speed drawings. The pseudo-conversation between Warhol and Basquiat regarding the professional speed of their work impressed me. Afterall, painters want to sell more works. Therefore the quicker a person can achieve the same quality they need, the more profitable it is to them as a business generally speaking.

Returning to chat about my artwork above, I set myself a challenge to make a pretty sketch from a photograph that would need feeling. “Wooden Post with Purple Thistles“ is unique enough in composition to hold the attention, I do hope. 

If nothing else it will be remembered by fans of my work as an artwork that took less than 48 minutes lol. For anyone asking “Leafy Hollow” remains my own all-time favourite in speed drawings.. to-date anyway. Here is the link to that one, sketched in just 35 minutes: Leafy Hollow – 35 minutes to complete. The fine details in Leafy Hollow along with the super speed of my sketching made this very satisfying to me as an artist. I literally sketched like one of those time lapse videos haha.

“Wooden Post with Purple Thistles“ does have an immense amount of impressionistic detail. Certainly in terms of individual pencil marks across different pencil grades; incorporating two colours, green/purple. The undersketching as I shall call this probably took me the most time. 

After the grass and purple thistle details were added I then went into a kind of finishing ‘arty mode‘ with an oversketching technique. This gave the sketch a breezy, lifelike quality. Whilst and after I performed this I was like ‘goodness, this is it!’. All professional artists reading this are probably smiling like Cheshire cats knowing precisely this very moment in your own artworking.

A brushstroke here, a technique there.. and et voilà. 

Now for the photograph providing the inspiration:

“Wooden Post with Purple Thistles – photograph“ is a beauty of a composition isn’t it? 

Thank you to the nature reserve landscapers. Of which I know about (at least) four different organisations providing this function. (1) The local borough council of my hometown, (2) a voluntary group of mature citizens (usually tidying the edges near the King James VI & I Oak of 1612, merrily picnicing at lunch!), (3) the seasonal willow harvesters on Ridge Willow and (4) the agricultural hay harvesters in their tractors!

My local nature reserve receives much landscaping love that is for certain. By the way, I know of these landscaping organisations having observed them working during my walks. 

Finally, for anyone who missed my Instagram post I mentioned that when on relaxing nature walks I take photographs if I see anything arty looking. I keep the best compositions in readiness for when the photograph is calling to be sketched.

This and one other photograph I selected for my next sketch got the calling.

To be continued..

Hope you enjoy :]