17: Experiment #10 - Groups

Most people go to the races in groups, indeed this is a large part of the experience. I actually experimented with caricature of groups of racegoers earlier for the FMP, but was not particularly happy with the results: 

I revisited this concept first with drawings similar to those I finished the previous 'ladies' experiment with, using pencil and then pen and ink. The important thing is to get the interaction between the figures. I wasn't happy with the man on the right so drew him twice. He is a little overtly comic, I feel: 

These two are a little better - this is towards the end of a race, and the horse backed is probably falling back up the hill. This drawing has more movement in it and employs some of the techniques used by Steadman; ink splatter and pointy teeth to denote invective: 

I moved away from pencil outlines as I felt they were limiting my capacity for expressiveness with the pen. One of my favourite drawings done during the FMP was done of some punters at the December meeting using a calligraphic felt pen with a thick and thin end: 

This style of loose, expressive figure drawing laced with a degree of caricature owes something to Feliks Topolski, whose drawing I greatly admire: 

One of the key aspects to this approach is that the first lines put down stay there - there is no tracing of pencil lines. The line becomes how you express the character of the figure - internal and external, which brings it to life as representation and as artwork. The drawings below were put down with, respectively, various felt pens and, in the second drawing, dip pen and ink. 

I prefer this way of working which is only possible if you have a good knowledge of what you are to draw and can therefore take risks. One of the more amusing scenes I did manage to draw while I was at the Festival was of a couple of St Patrick's day hatters getting their photo taken with a strange pink-suited creature collecting money for breast cancer (top left): 

I thought this would be worth revisiting; gently anarchic: 

I used hatching and areas of solid tone in this drawing in a manner inspired by the black and white work of the excellent Nicholas de Crecy, fond of drawing slightly surreal scenes:

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