Bicycle,
line and wash, 3¾x2¾in. (9x6cm). A scene tailor-made for simple representation
Tide Tables Café, Richmond,
graphite, 8x8in. (20x20cm). The café’s features, like the lighting column and striped canopy, add finite, relatable references
I work quicker than most, but there are times when I find myself looking for abbreviated ways of recording. This might be due to a lack of available time, or perhaps a subject needs only a few simple shapes and patterns to achieve a likeness. Bicycle (left) is an example. Wet streets unify the values of reflecting and reflected shapes; the colour palette is narrow and indicative, it’s a simple one-point perspective with some polarised lights and darks, and wet in wet on the street nails the character.