Author Visits to Schools: I'm Off Again Already!

I'm back on trains again...

Less exotic than Costa Rica, it's true, but I have been travelling around the UK all this week. No time for jet-lag: I was near Lincoln on Monday, in Dronfield on Tuesday, then straight across to Colwyn Bay in Wales for Wednesday, then in Leeds Thursday and Friday.

This is Ian, from the train to Wales - I promised to email him the drawing when I got home.

I have been working with school children, and we've had a great time, as usual. I get a real buzz from the kids' enthusiasm. It's been a bit of a struggle though, dragging myself out of bed for the early starts each morning (6am taxi to the station on Monday...) then every evening having to get myself sorted, ready for the next day.

I only got back from holiday last Saturday, and spent most of the Sunday going through the 200 emails lurking in wait for me!

This coming week will be even busier, as I also have Tuesday until Friday staying away from home. Poor John will think I've left him!

Lots of excellent opportunities for people sketching though. Hasn't this man got a great face? He kept almost perfectly still the whole time.

On the Friday train from Leeds I drew this man. He was very big (not fat, just big) and not only had a wonderfully lived-in face, but home-grown tattoos on his hands (LOVE and HATE fingers etc). I was a bit nervous about showing him, but the old man opposite me, who had been leaning across the table every few seconds to try and see, insisted. And 'Geoff from Hoyland' turned out to be really sweet and loved his portrait.

And who should be sitting opposite Geoff, but the man I painted on a train home from London in January:

So we said hello, and he told Geoff from Hoyland and the old man all about the Bookaboo recording, when we'd met up last (see Recording Studio), and once again I had a lovely, sociable journey, where 4 disparate people, who would normally have just stared blankly through each other, chatted away merrily. Sketching is so brilliant.

And finally, I really wanted to show you this one too, as I was so pleased with the simplicity of it: