This is the final piece for this term's painting class, which finished on Friday. Its rather large, about A1, and our tutor kept pushing us to paint faster. Mine is not complete, the upturned light fitting needs more work and I would have liked to put some glazes on the floor but overall I'm rather please with what I have accomplished in 6 hours. I particularly like the fact that my mortar actually looks like a mortar....I was afraid it was going to be a big blob...so maybe I am not quite so rubbish I always feel I am. The first printmaking lesson last Sunday was somewhat weird. We went to the National Gallery to do some work in sketchbooks. Mine is rather a mess, and I tend to throw anything down....but working in a sketchbook is not the same as actually sketching, of which mine brief at the best of times....I'm not one of nature's precision drawers. We had to choose a theme and although, I had in mind winter scenes, those on offer did not impress me so we have gone with steam trains...I do like to make it hard on myself because I have no idea how I am going to get finished prints out of steam trains. Sketching (or rather working in sketchbooks) in public is very unnerving. Although I have my iShuffle earphones in, I can still hear all the comments around me and whilst the quiet observers are bad enough, its those who mutter that its "nothing like that painting" are the real pains....yes, I know I am not the worlds best draughtsman, but its only meant to be an idea! Anyway, tomorrow is monotypes and collographs, so wish me well!