Every day carry

Having seen other every day carry pictures and posts, I thought I'd empty my coat pockets and bag and reveal what lies within.

The folding craft knife takes a Stanley knife blade and will probably get me arrested if I'm ever spotted using it to sharpen a pencil on the open street in the UK.

The black Bic and the propelling pencil are my everyday drawing tools (biro on flimsy sketchbook pages, pencil on heavier paper). The Derwent eraser pen is the best thing since sliced bread. The HB pencil stub is a back up in case of technical difficulties with the propelling pencil. 

The watercolour box came with 24 half pans. I took out 5 I never used, and looking at the 19 half pans left, only 10 are showing signs of wear. A point to consider if you're thinking of buying a watercolour box - fewer colours is generally better. There's a number 6 sable brush in the box. The pens and pencils in the bag are, of course, spares. 

There's also a DSLR stuffed in the rucksack which gets daily use, for shots of potential subjects, reference for paintings, captures of finished works that are too big to fit on the scanner.

Brian Sewell

My favourite art critic just died. When I'm having a good painting day, I find myself commenting on what I'm doing in a poor imitation of his splendidly plummy voice.

It is ridiculous to think you could regret the loss of someone you never actually knew or were ever likely to meet, but he was one of a kind, and his death leaves a noticeable gap. We are a little poorer for his passing.

Here's a link to a YouTube upload of his Grand Tour series.

Oak in a field.

This is a series of paintings of some trees at the side of a cultivated field. I've done one a month for the past year or so, starting in March 2014 and deciding to paint a  series in October of that year.

Actually, it feels a bit cheaty passing them off as a year's paintings. I might do three more so I've got one for every month in 2015.

What has painting a series taught me?

Foliage can last longer than you expect.

Things are beautiful all year round.

The sky is different every day.  Different colour blue, different way it fills with light.

You never find the balance between mass and detail, but you get close enough.

Paint for too long and you're just second guessing yourself.

Colours change with the light in a heartbeat, but if you look long enough you see what repeats.

The smallest brush you use should be a little too big.

If your painting looks right at the viewing distance, don't worry about how it looks close to.