Richard Bell's nature sketchbook since 1998
My thanks to Zach (pictured below busy drawing) who reminded us all that there was a partial eclipse of the sun yesterday morning as we sat in the Coffee Stop at Horbury Junction.
I used my binoculars to project this image onto the wall, covering up one lens so as not to project two images.
As you can see, the excitement was all too much for this black Labrador, patiently waiting as its owner drank her coffee.
Recent sketches from my pocket sketchbook, colour mostly added later. Sometimes I’ll take a photograph for colour reference but with these I’ve added the colour as I remember it.
Harley is the kind of dog, or rather hound, that I’d expect to see in a Breughel painting. If I had a hound like Harley, I’d be regularly pausing to draw him as his wayward curls are the perfect match for my equally wayward drawing.
He’s a labrador/poodle cross whose unusual colouring comes from his chocolate labrador mother and merle poodle dad. Merle refers to the mottled patchwork of his markings. He’s not quite as efficient as a poodle for not shedding hairs but at least they’re not the fine hairs that you’d get from a labrador.
A year old, he would make a good working dog as he can spend the entire day roaming around the Dales without tiring.
