It’s not immediately obvious but these are shells! One would make a passable hedgehog. Trying for clean lines with fineliner but somehow losing perspective along the way. This is dated 14th December, the next two are dated the 22nd, the intervening time being occupied by other activities, it being the season it is, and some rather poorly directed searches for still life images that might help. I’ll come to these later.

Not exactly a bird’s nest but close. I filled a small wicker basket with pebbles, a plant pot, and watercress in a glass then, as a reaction to the fineliner episode no doubt, aimed for something more related to shape and shade than definition. The plant pot has disappeared but I quite like the glass. The medium is black conte crayon, lifted using a battery eraser.

This is one of the pebbles. It’s a strange-shaped thing with pale and deep orange markings, and fine tracery on parts of its surface. I kept thinking of the Mars lander and this prompted the idea of texture. The initial drawing was made with a fineliner brush, and orange/yellow watercolour pencils. But it wasn’t enough, I needed something more three dimensional, a bit pasty, crinkly. I tore up tiny pieces of paper towel roll and stuck these onto the image, then let ink run along the lines of the wet PVA glue. Once dry, I put more pieces into the centre area and dribbled water onto them to render them more transparent. They’re drying now, of course, and lifting, so I’ll probably try this again at some point with a bit more purpose.

Second version, oil crayon pulled over the textured image. I really like this kind of brass rubbing effect but it has another name which I keep thinking is obscene so I hardly dare plug it into Search! Anyway, that!

I’m fancying the idea now of making an image just with thumb prints.

Fingerprints, actually, and oddly using my right hand (I’m a leftie). Something about the primitive nature of the approach? Medium is conte dust sandpapered from a stick, subject is a Christmas Cactus that resolutely refuses to do what it says on its tin.