Enchanted Forest

Rheumatoid arthritis? I have the other kind - less disabling, but bad enough, so you have my sympathy: I know how hard it is to draw and paint when your limbs and joints are powerfully suggesting you really ought to go to bed with a basket-full of painkillers and preferably a quart of Scotch.... Charcoal on canvas board is an unusual combination - try it as well on good quality cartridge paper, watercolour paper, use water with it and ink.... possibilities endless. Just one point; watch the roots of trees (ie, go out and look) - the one on the left looks a little mangrove-like - most trees send out more lateral roots: given our particular climate, that sort of stilt-like growth wouldn't be long for the world; the other parts of the drawing are fine. Willow charcoal is great fun to use - ever tried varying it with conté crayon, white and black, fixing it in between layers, extending it with water and brushes? Or using oil pastel with it? Or marker pen? For a very modest cost, you can produce a huge array of different drawings and effects. You might also like the softer (rather waxy) Mars Lumograph pencils, and carbon pencils. Looks as though you like the granular effects and texturing, and all of these would be great fun to use.

Thanks so much for your comments & tips, as always they are really helpful! Hehehe, I know that charcoal on canvas is unusual, but it was quite easy and held the charcoal well with the tooth of the board. Will definitely try some of your suggestions, the Mars Lumograph and conte crayon sound good - I've got some of those on order :) Good guess re flare up day, but not quite right, I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, and Recurrent Meningitis (amongst other things). Fun huh!!! You are sooo very right about body suggesting basket of painkillers - and then some. I have great sympathy for you with your arthritis, my mother and sister have that & I know what it can be like! You're inspiring me to keep going though knowing that you can produce your level of work in spite of what your joints are telling you! By the way, just to make you smile, my dad is also called Robert Jones - though he has no ideas about art whatsoever!! Best wishes for gentle days xx

Good little sketch, I like how you have drawn the distant trees fading out, gives depth to your sketch.