more sketches from Kerry

During our recent stay in Kerry we spent a lot of time chilling out at our friends' house; eating, drinking, watching TV and enjoying the splendid light in their conservatory.  It was ideal for sketching, and as their home is full of interesting bits and pieces it wasn't long before these two concertinas caught my eye:

concertinas at Kilkeaveragh

 I had to try them out, of course, even though I'd never played one before.  They are intriguing instruments requiring you to use each hand in a different way.  This brought back grim memories of trying (and failing) to learn to play both hands at once on the piano.  I soon abandoned the idea of making a tune and did a little pencil sketch of them instead.

two concertinas

I enjoyed doing this so much that I cast round for something else on which to practice my drawing skills.    Amongst all the tempting items I spotted this stack of lidded baskets:

Another very happy hour soon passed.  It's not often I get the time to concentrate exclusively on drawing something like this;  unless you're in something like a life class there will always be interruptions or distractions.  It did me good to study the baskets and I produced a better drawing than I had managed with the concertinas.

baskets, Kilkeaveragh

It was a very pleasant afternoon sketching;  I must develop the discipline to do more drawing at home.  Practice, as they say, makes perfect - and you can tell I haven't been practising as much as I should!