The large cheap sketchpad that will take watercolour and political execution in Canterbury

This Christmas I got a voucher for Chromos the art shop in Canterbury and as we were going there today I decided to try yet another large cheap sketchpad, this time the A3 version of this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SNOWDON-CARTRIDGE-FAT-PADS-62lb-130gm-DRAWING-PAPER-90-Sheets-/291052279199?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&var=&hash=item43c411559f

A3 – know this sounds silly – is the largest size that will go in my pocket, when I go sketching I wear a fly fishing gilet, this one in fact http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STORMKLOTH-MULTIPOCKET-SUMMER-MESH-FISHING-HUNTING-VEST-/280645029958?pt=UK_Men_s_Activewear&var=&hash=item4157bf5046 so the A3 sketchbook goes in the back pocket, which is massive.

Painting watercolour onto paper once the paper is bigger than about A5 you either have to stretch the paper or use very expensive, very thick paper, there is however a sneaky alternative which is to use thin soft paper that is so stretchy that it doesn’t crinkle up much when you wet it and the pad I bought today seems to fit the bill.

The rather bad watercolour A3 sketch of a Ramsgate Fishing Smack is my first attempt using this paper, the sea and the sky being put on with very wet washes painting wet in wet and then the boat was painted on top, using paint so thick that the horizon doesn’t show through.

The pictures below are of the art exhibition of pictures of political execution at The Beaney http://www.canterbury.co.uk/Beaney/Manet.aspx not many as most of the exhibition you are not allowed to photograph, very thought provoking.

After that I went to sung evensong in the cathedral which takes one through a time warp that is beyond any description I could come up with.  

Pigeon problem? Lazy cat? Large building? An illustrated Canterbury tale.

My day off yesterday and Canterbury seemed an appropriate pilgrimage, what with having children in tow due to the half term holiday.
The cathedral’s cat seemed a bit sleepy or possible contemplative, I suppose the position of feline apostolic delegate for the Church of England requires some thought.

The solution to the cathedral’s pigeon problem is regularly fly the type of bird that may give pigeons second thoughts about defecatingly decorating statuary, this is an old but apparently effective solution.

As you see the cathedrals graffiti problem extends back further than most

Although obviously the Dean and Chapter have made the logical assumption that anyone writing graffiti, unlike a pigeon will be able to read as well as write, so they have a sign.

I did take some pictures, most of these were taken without flash and although I tried to hold the camera steady in some places it wasn’t really light enough so excuse the shaky ones, the links take you to the rest of the pictures taken yesterday

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/211/id3.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/211/id4.htm

The children were provided with sheets to help them notice things, tomb spotting being the most important task and that of The Black Price being a priority, they soon acquired a helper in the form of a minor Cannon and set about the task in very thorough fashion.

The tombs of the Knights alerted me to an earlier time politically possibly simpler and I wonder if some of the more pressing political problems locally would be better solved by the simpler expedient of trial by battle.
I will continue this tale if I get time