Sketching on the train

Brutal day today looking for somewhere new for us to live in Westgate-on-Sea. Saw two flats, neither suitable. Felt really tough as we had set our hearts on one of them In Roxburgh Road but there were too many negatives.

Anyway, coming home on the train I felt awful. Heart rate through the roof. I can do so little physical standing up stuff before I start paying the penalty. And I can't just turn it off. I will have 12 - 48 hours of consequences at best.

Anyway, back to the train. Made myself get my little Muji A6 sketch pad out and draw anything. Was just starting the sketch the seat in front of me across the table when a young guy sat down in the seats behind the ones I was drawing. I could see bits of him as he chatted through his earbuds to someone on the other end of a virtual phone line. I could see enough of him to sketch and he was too engrossed to notice me watching him and drawing.

It may not be 100% apparent but I am noticing my proportions more and the relationship of shapes. Not that I am nailing it but as I go, I notice what I've done wrong. I am not favouring rubbing out my mistakes right now. Prefer to just plough through and finish rather than aim for some sort of perfection.

Drawing on the second page is my view, kinda, looking down at the table in front of me with my leg crossed acting up to that point as a support for my sketch pad. Happy with it.

And last but not least is that actual drawing I started with. Thought it was the other one but it wasn't. I took a photo of the 'kebab hut' to send to Sal and her mum as its where we often have lunch when we come to Westgate. They had to go today so I was on my one with just a couple of surprisingly well behaved seagulls for company whilst I had my staple naughty food of plain jumbo sausage and a small chips.

One thing that occured to me during this quick sketch would be how to represent the background of the houses to differentiate them from the sky if I were to take this further and draw it up and bit and add colour. Though of some darker shapes for roofs but other than that didn't really have a good answer.

35 minutes sketching is more than I probably expected to get done considering how I felt so happy with that outcome.