Stories from my Sketchbook . . . 
I have heard people say ‘Old houses have soul’ and I am sure they do. They also have squeaky doors, leaky plumbing, no built-in wardrobes and lots and lots of spiders. Having said that, I really do like old houses, although, if renting one, a landlord ready, willing, and able to do a spot of maintenance every now and again might also be in order . . .
I know nothing of the history of the ramshackle house in my sketch below. I don’t know what country it was in, who lived in it, or why it had been abandoned. It was just a photo on the internet that I saw and liked and decided to copy (and I was desperate to try out a new pen).
But, you know, drawing is a funny thing. It also sets you to thinking. While studying the angles and the shapes and the colours (and struggling with the perspective) I also found myself idly pondering on how old the house was, who built it (perhaps whistling whilst doing so), who slept behind that dormer window . . . and who planted that fabulous climbing ivy now growing with wild abandon both inside and out (and probably the only thing still holding the house up).
I’ll never know of course, but I like to think that somebody out there in the world knows—someone who still has memories of the house and the lives that were lived here—someone with some stories to tell . . .
Sally says . . . eat, sleep, work, read, play, draw, bark . . . 