The Showcase - Friday 18th October

The Showcase was the first day of racing at Cheltenham this season and therefore my first visit to the track as artist reporter! I got there early on Friday 18th to absorb some of the atmosphere before the start and scout out some locations for drawing. I was fully equipped with sketchbook, sandwiches and, most importantly, my fantastic fishing vest loaded with pens, pencils, crayons, watercolours, brushes, ink and, crucially, a dedicated pocket for sharpenings. As this was to be my first day of drawing specifically for the project I had few aims other than to see how I got on and learn through mistakes as much as anything else. Luckily, the weather was good and I was able to make plenty of these as well as some drawings that worked. 

I realised fairly quickly that the racecourse is not going to be an easy place to draw at all by any means:

a) people tend not to hang around in any one location for long

b) there are a lot of people! (there will be more)

c) the place is fairly big and the stands are large - scale considerations esp. re. small sketchbooks

d) horses - fast moving horses!

e) lots of lines - buildings, fences, rails, hedges, hurdles, flags, posts, boxes, vehicles etc - visual furniture

However, this is all good and proper - and after some initially fruitless studies I settled into a rhythm drawing quickly and making decisions - here are some of the results:

This was about the first drawing I did with my fantastic double-headed calligraphy felt pen, which has one fat end and one thinner one. I found this generally much better to work with than the various pencils I had brought with me, as you generally work quicker and more decisively. 

A tall, striking chap dressed in black and a couple of more earthbound punters - who stood watching the second race (out of six) long enough for me to capture them. When I was scanning and clearing up marks etc I added a bit of yellow square - for framing purposes or similar. My sketchbook had very white pages which I'm not sure I like entirely:

Following this I had a bash at a view of the Grandstand during the aftermath of the race as the spectators were thinning out a bit, many of whom had moved on to collect their winnings, visit the paddock, drown their sorrows etc.  I quickly found myself running out of time as people migrated back to view the next race - Strategies will have to be decided upon in the future with this in mind: 

I then dropped some photoshop on this - the grass of the club lawn looks like a blob of green ectoplasm but the trees and shade under the stand works OK I think. When I have time over the next few weeks I plan to experiment with watercolour and some print or stencil ideas for adding colour and working up drawings. I do feel colour adds an awful lot but it is very hard to add on the spot as there is simply not enough space or time. I might experiment with brush pens. Anyhow: 

Back to the paddock and some sketches of horses being led around the ring before the start and various connections watching. I actually enjoyed drawing the horses although I have not had a lot of practise - they are so enormous and impressive they really have to be drawn: 

 I used my brush pens here for the first time during the day on this drawing:  

Getting some form study in, and some sit-down, before the next race on the grandstand steps: 

Sedentary punters: 

More watching race-watching, the only time when people stand still (until they get nervous). I don't think these chaps picked the winner on this occasion, although I'm more hopeful for the one on the left: 

This is a survey of the course from up in the grandstand - lots to look at so I had to simplify dramatically, again using the brush pens: 

 I found using colour on the day quite difficult, but managed to add some grass to this one and the red on the posts. The horse looks a little like he's crashing into the turf. Actually, I'm not sure there were many fallers until the amateur race later in the day. It's quite hard to draw and watch the race at the same time:

The only bookmaker I drew was this chap with the unusual moniker of QUANTUM - they are usually called 'Harry Smith' or 'Tony Gubbins' or something similarly 'welcoming'. By contrast, had I wanted to place a bet, Quantum would have been the last bookie I'd go to. Charitably, I'd say he looked like a horn player from a 1980's ska/crossover band. Uncharitably, I'd say he looked like a crook:

I also drew him packing up his kit at the end of the day:

Some winners, finally - here is the winning amateur jockey of the Fine & Country North Cotswolds Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase, Mr J Bargary. It was his first win in seven starts over jumps. His 
horse was Hunters Lodge, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. 

And, at last, someone cheering his horse over the line: