Lichfield Cathedral, pencil sketch by Alan Bickley

A great sketch of a beautiful building Alan.

Lovely sketch Alan. There are so many different varieties of paper these days, made of everything imaginable!

Beautiful sketch of a wonderful building. Looking forward to seeing which papers come out best!

Good sketch Alan

I do like carbon pencils - an artist told me, donkey's years ago, that she didn't use them because "they flatter your technique". Good!, I thought: that's the medium for me! Fifty odd years on, with experience gained, I think the remark was nonsense; and anyway, the Bickley technique doesn't need any flattering. My only question is: what's the best way to sharpen the softer ones?

Wow, Alan, this is great.

Thanks guys, like most of us, I don’t do enough pencil sketches! Well Robert, I’ve never used a pencil sharpener because I’m after a good long point. Sharpeners don’t give you that. So, I use a scalpel handle with a 10A scalpel blade, better than any craft knife. This will sharpen your 6B Wolff’s carbon pencil perfectly! Care is needed of course on the very soft pencils.

A superb sketch, Alan.

Love the variety and shapes of the buildings Alan. Great, little sketch.

A delightful sketch 🙂

Lovely!

Lovely sketch Alan

A beautiful drawing Alan.

Effective and beautifully drawn Alan. I am really looking forward to your article.

Wish I could sketch like this Alan…..confident and assured drawing.

Great sketch, Alan.

This is beautiful Alan

Wonderful Alan...