I’m trying to do a drawing a week with GIMP and the graphics pad, to try to develop some technique therein. Even if to start it’s just some naff scribbles: the only way is up, .

I’ve got a thing, at the moment, for kind of putting the mythical and romantic (in the romantci movement sense) into civil engineering, and for magic realism, and the like. So expect a few things along those lines. After finishing the Weston Hills Tunnels picture, I’m starting on one where a dragon is hanged on a gibbet at a (slightly modified) Filton Roundabout in Bristol. There are good pictures of Filton on the web, and it’s a reassuringly prosaic roundabout. The dragon is based on the D&D black dragon, except it’s now red and yellow, like fruit salads, . I’ve only done half an hourish of a rough scribble so far, but it’s probably enough to give people the idea. I wish I’d done more roleplay-ey stype stuff as a kid now: I get the impression that most sixteen year old geeks can draw dragons in thirty seconds flat, it’s the first time I’ve tried, and I’m not sure where all the bits go, .

I really do feel like a duck out of water, here, drawing rather than writing. But it’s always good to stretch yourself, I guess.

I should have this one finished by about this time next week, if I want to stick to plan,

Update 1 week later: Okay, so the plan was more, um, aspirational. Last scribble before I draw it proper. I thought the previous one was too much thing in landscape so I’ve added loads of street furniture and stuff going on, also sorted out the perspective (a bit), as well as general tidying. Picture is kind of depressing which I guess is good, because it means it’s at least vaguely engaging.

Update 2: two weeks later, I spend a bit of a day starting the “paint” phase. I need to get quicker at this. I’m hoping practice will help!

Still going, from time to time. Goodness, this is slow!