Peter Ward

Peter - have I seen this before? It's great to see it again, if so - did you lose your portfolio as so many have done, and re-post? In any event - a beautiful and (yet?) precise work of a subject that deeply appeals to me: and inspired by your criticism, I have repainted one of my own, which I shall post again when I've managed to photograph it - whether it'll be any better is a matter for debate, but many thanks for your honest assessment which I found helpful. I've probably asked you this before, being old and forgetful I can't remember - have you painted the Forbidden City in Beijing - or posted the results here? It's a place which fascinates me and on which I've read at length and depth.

really amazing detail you have here :-)

Robert: Yes, I did post a couple of times and then accidentally deleted the lot. I visited Beijing once on business but did not sketch or paint the Forbidden City at that time. I lived and worked in Japan for over fifteen years and then several years in Hong Kong. Looking forward to seeing your painting soon... BTW Carbon pencil is only a tool, drawing skill is the requirement! I am still a novice but work hard to improve my draughtsmanship.

If you're a novice, I'm going to break all of my pencils one by one.... Agree with you about carbon pencils vs drawing skills - for those not having a clue what we're on about, I think this refers to a comment I made about something that was once said to me, ie that carbon pencil 'flatters your technique': plainly, you have to have a technique to start with, so I think the remark was probably misconceived. Trouble is, I tended to take things a bit literally back in those days, and actually avoided them, thus probably holding myself back.. You live and learn. Will post my reworking shortly.

Robert: succinct and to the point as always - your wry sense of irony a joy to read.