Collared Dove

A #CollaredDove seen yesterday, on a chimney keeping watch on the world.

Also... I have a new book! A giant book of birds, an eBay find that I'm enjoying greatly. I realised only after embarking on this challenge that I didn't actually have a bird book at home! 

It is not one for out and about but for a coffee table or lap and reading up on the species at home.

A couple of books on woodlands have helped me out as you may have seen (Green Woodpecker) and I've used other people's bird books when I've stayed with them (Swallow). Google has also helped but I really don't enjoy finding images that way.

New Book

I have got a lovely new book. I first saw it in the Tate Modern shop on the Saturday that I was in London. I resisted the investment as I couldn't carry much more home. However, following the Sketchcrawl I decided to invest and have been eagerly awaiting the delivery.

Yesterday, it arrived. I hadn't done my drawing for the day so thought this would be perfect! ... however, it took me sooooo long to draw I didn't even open the book yesterday after all!

I found it a really interesting exercise though, to try and copy the front cover (Piccadilly Circus by James Hobbs)- to draw in the style of someone else and to try and think how they had viewed the scene when they drew it. How they chose to record the different elements of what was before them. I loved stumbling on more and more detail as I went on. I wondered what my drawing would have looked like if I had been in the same spot sketching the same surroundings (- this is another joy of a Sketchcrawl, many different interpretations of the scene in front of you).

So, the important bit... the book is called 'Sketch Your World', it is by James Hobbs, and published by Apple and it is brand new for 2014.

So, tonight I'm going to read (and gaze at the pictures) of my new book!