The Open Meeting

Cheltenham's second big race meeting of the season was the Open meeting on 15th, 16th and 17th November:

This was the first drawing I did - using my excellent new marker fluid pen which puts gummy green lines down on the page which take an age to dry BUT which protect the paper from whatever you are drawing with - so has the nice effect of enabling me to 'draw white' in advance, which I used here for the white rails in the background and the bookie's lettering.

Three old boys planning their next move.

I'm quite pleased with these two old girls, drawn in the break between races in the parade ring.

This is actually Mick Fitzgerald waiting to do his piece on camera.

Spectators watching the race on the big screen and with binoculars.

Punters loitering on the lawn in front of the Grandstand in between races.

I drew this more or less during one race again using my marker fluid pen and my brush pens. I used a lot more colour during this meeting with my new tools. I tried to get the bright orange of the bookie's pitches in the dying evening light.

Drinkers loitering at one of the bars under the Grandstand on Saturday evening.

Sunday morning - a group of 'lads' in the Best Mate enclosure.

Guy Fraser - 'bet with the jacket, win a packet!' I did, and I didn't.

Cor blimey - it's David Hockney, at the races.

The criss-cross rails marking out the different courses on the track, and the hills in the background.

Bookies packing up their pitches at the end of Sunday's racing.

Pretty much my entire sketchbook from the three days has gone up here bar a few aborted drawings. I was feeling fairly grotty for the duration with the lurgy so am pleased I managed to get a fair bit done.

I will return and pick some things out to assess and develop over the next few days. But now I need to get the --- away from this computer at which I have been scanning and formatting for an age!