Snails, it transpires, aren’t as slow as their PR would have us believe. The final day of May was greeted by intense sunshine, and this little guy (if that’s an acceptable term for a hermaphrodite) was lurking inside its shell in the leafy shade, but I coaxed it out by watering the earth, and it proceeded to make a rapid and twisty escape as I rushed to paint its portrait. Pen & Inktense in Japanese-fold Pocket Moleskine.
Every Day in May has taught me a lot about what my Inktense watersoluble pencils can do, both on their own and in combination with waterproof pen, coloured pencil, white gel pen and watercolour. I’ve grown used to the feel of my Pablo CPs on smooth Moleskine paper. I’ve had a fine excuse to spend a total of many hours out of doors enjoying the garden, learning loads about the flora and fauna that inhabit it. I’ve become quicker on the draw, as it were – less hesitant – when it comes to attempting a sketch in limited time, developing shortcuts to enable me to finish a drawing later if my sketching session has to be abandoned. Finally, I can now open up my accordion-style Moly to display 31 images, all in a row: a sequence that conjures up every single day of my own personal month of May.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to view my May entries and leave me an encouraging comment. All of my Every Day in May posts can be viewed here.