or, working to a deadline. Not something I experience too often these days, other than when I have a commission, but having said I would produce a pen & ink drawing of the Kirk that is what I am now doing!
The Exhibition at St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington takes place from Friday 12th May through until Sunday 14th. I was delighted to be invited to exhibit at this show along with some very well known names. It will feature glass, ceramics, jewellery and prints as well as paintings and is a good chance to see the beautiful church itself. it was looking particularly fine yesterday when I went to take a few photos with lots of blossom on show. Proceeds from the sale of works will go to the St Mary's lighting project.

Today I am having fun doing a pen and ink caricature of Quality Street again, this time featuring the lighthouse that celebrates Robert Louis Stevenson's connection to the town. A 20p coin in the slot lights up the lamp and the furnished interior, which can be viewed through small windows. Just a small drawing as it need to be less than ten inches framed size for the Art Group show coming up soon.

And here it is finished. Just a small one, to bear the imaginative title "Quality Street 3".

 ...(slightly) with the geography of North Berwick! But only in order to fit in all the most recognisable bits in this view of the New Clubhouse in Beach Road and the starter's hut (although I notice that it has a swanky new sign proclaiming itself a 'Starters Lodge')
Two things I have realised whilst working on this series of pen & ink drawings 1. There really is an astonishing number of flags in North Berwick. 2. I am probably going to get a repetitive strain injury from rendering the grass.

Working away at this view of St Andrew Blackadder Church, a fine looking building on North Berwick High Street, I decided that I needed some more photos to be able to draw the masonry work - having forgotten that the frontage is currently scaffolded. Hey ho. I'll have to rummage through all my old photos, I'm sure that I have some from a while ago. Otherwise Google streetview may be my friend!

Just about finished this view of Anchor Green. I may add some lettering to the finger signpost. Or I may not. And I really feel there ought to be at least one seagull (maybe having a peck at the dropped cone?)

I have been wanting to get my teeth into a bigger drawing for a while so this morning I have started laying out this quirky view of North Berwick, looking towards the harbour and featuring the Lifeboat Station and the town's historic Anchor Green and Auld St Andrew's Kirk. There will be a lot of work in this!

A few days later - making quite slow progress as I have had several meetings and a day of CPD this week. Although breaks can help with a drawing like this - it is fairly intense and requires quite a lot of thinking. I have also discovered that it is more or less impossible to 'wonkify' the Seabird Centre, as it then no longer looks like the Seabird Centre. Must be wonky enough to start with!!

What else is there to do on a dreich February Saturday that really wants to be winter but can't quite get past 'the wet stuff with icy lumps' stage, other than stay inside in the warm and finish off a couple more North Berwick street views - one looking back along East Road towards the War Memorial, and the other a reworking of the first Quality Street drawing I did before Christmas, but at a larger size (so that I managed to fit in one of our tulip planters!). Perhaps one day the wee dug will get his fish supper.

Having so much fun doing these pen and inks that this is another view of the end of Quality Street that I have started. Turns out it is really hard to draw an octagonal object wonky and still have it looking like, well, an octagon. Squares and rectangles are easy!
​It's only when you start to draw things (even in a stylised manner such as this) that you look at them properly - before now i hadn't even noticed that there was a unicorn at the top of the War Memorial.

These monochrome pen & ink drawings are so much fun to do. I have already tackled the view of Quality Street looking towards the harbour, this time we are looking in the opposite direction into the Lodge gardens. It's also a bit bigger than the first one I did. Terrible photo but the light had gone...

Here are two photos of Quality Street in "real life", for those of you who don't know North Berwick. Marred somewhat by wheelie bins and advertising boards, it boasts some fine buildings. The red building with the arched windows is known as The Beehive and until recently was the local council offices; whilst the North Berwick Fry is obviously one of NB's fine dining establishments.

This commission was a Christmas present so I held back posting about it until after the 25th, just in case. The drawing depicts Gullane Golf Clubhouse, the starter's hut and the Pro Shop. These are rather fun to do - no worrying about straight lines! ;)
​Gullane is the next town along from North Berwick, and famous as the home of several golf courses including Gullane Nos. 1, 2 and 3 as well as Muirfield.