231. A Little Chamber Music at the NPG

Staedtler 0.05 pigment liner and Unipin 0.05 fine line pen

in Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook, 8.5" x 5.5" (x2)

Last Friday evening, I popped into the 'Drop in Drawing' session at the National Portrait Gallery. The subject was supposed to be 'Striking a Pose' but a few of us followed the sound of music to another room and sketched some young and gifted musicians who had put on a little chamber music. We had a great point of view; due to the openings on either side of each gallery, we were able to congregate right behind the musicians and face the audience which (unless you are in a choir or at a bandstand) is an unusual viewpoint.

I love diving straight in with ink as you're then committed to each stroke yet I find that, if I use a fine pen, it's easy to go over it lightly again to correct/straighten if necessary.

I was fascinated by the feet of the people on the front row so started sketching them from the floor upwards but the music came to an end and, after a brief chat with a couple of the musicians, we dispersed, hence the disembodied figures in the audience. A great evening.