As an artist, I would rather draw a face with character than a mask of perfection.  (The fact that I’m not very good at drawing faces is beside the point – this is a philosophical ramble but don’t worry, I’ll keep it brief!)

There was a piece on the radio recently about a new dating agency for beautiful people only.  In fact there are several – one of them has a long list of banned features, including non-symmetrical faces or bodies, big noses, and wearing out of date fashions. So you can be a cold hearted inarticulate bitch with an ego the size of Milton Keynes as long as you have white even teeth and no centre parting.  Hmmm.  Perhaps the word beauty needs redefining.  A shift of emphasis away from the outer to inner beauty would not go amiss.  Years ago I was told a story of a wise man who asked his student what qualities she would like to see more of in the world.  “Respect, courtesy, humanity, warmth, generosity of spirit, that kind of thing”, she said.  “Well then”, came the reply.  “Put them there!”

Enough rambling, back to wrestling with chapter three – all about coastlines, harbours and rockpools.   I wonder if sea squirts think all other sea squirts are beautiful…… I’m sure they do.

I’m finally getting my teeth into the next  RYA book; it always takes a while to find the way in to a new subject, but once I get my brain engaged it tends to take over.  The studio is filling up with piles of books and notes and I’m starting to think about chapter headings in the shower.  But it’s hard to go for total immersion in a subject at this time of year when there are Christmas exhibitions to get ready for and I should be making stuff.  Half finished projects sit  reproachfully in heaps on my studio table.

So what’s the new book about?  It’s about the oceans, ecology, sailing cleanly, wildlife, geography, beachcombing, not polluting rivers and seas…. presented in a way that will grab children’s attention.  Fascinating but challenging.  It’s taking me a while to get the structure of it sorted out in a logical way, with the encouraging and tactful support of Susie Tomson, my editor and the inspiration behind the Green Blue.  Just don’t ask me what the title is - several suggestions are floating round between all concerned so when the dust has settled I’ll let you know.  I’m on version four of the cover design so far and think I’m getting close!

Meanwhile, did you know that the second largest fish in the world is the basking shark - and it can be seen in UK waters?  Or that over a million birds die every year from entanglement or ingestion of rubbish?  Food for thought.

Oh, and the plankton?  They provide 50% of the world’s oxygen, that’s all…….  something to consider next time you swallow a mouthful of seawater!

I didn’t make my long suffering art students draw without looking this week - I took in a series of objects for them to draw and tried to get to to look, really look hard, before committing to paper.  We were also looking at measured drawing, which means that holding your pencil at arm’s length and squinting at an object is not just an arty pose, you’re actually comparing sizes so you can get the drawing in proportion.  There’s a constant questioning going on in your head while you’re drawing

sketch book front cover

; “this part is longer than this bit, which starts about here…. this section is about a third of the size of that bit, and the width is just a bit less than the height……”, that sort of thing.  It’s surprising how easily your eyes are deceived.  If you get a chance, get hold of a book called Incredible Visual Illusions by Al Seckel, which proves how what we think we see may not be what we actually see……. if you get my drift.

What’s on the drawing board at the moment?  I decided to design a sketchbook with fun hints on how to draw.  Well, everyone needs a sketchbook, don’t they.  (yes!)  Here’s the front cover; there’s more of the same on the back…..

I used to think that being an author was very glamorous, involving signing books for a queue of adoring fans.  For most of us, of course, it’s not quite like that.  You can forget the queues of adoring fans, for a start.  If you’re very lucky,  you look up from reading this month’s Practical Boat Owner to find a nine your old gazing intently at you from in front of your table.  “Read these already”, she announces and moves on.  No, the delight of book signing at the London Boat Show is the chance to chat to the other authors (proper ones like Sam Llewellyn and Tom Cunliffe) and enjoy a first class gin and tonic just at the time of day when spirits are beginning to flag.  Then there’s time to stroll around the show catching up with old friends and filling up on lukewarm fizzy wine drunk out of plastic cups.  Nothing like it….. anyway,  I’ll be on the Kelvin Hughes stand at Excel during the first weekend of the boat show if you’re passing that way, so come and say hello.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on my regular PBO cartoon for the  Dave Selby column which is always hilarious.  This time I’m trying to think of a funny connection between tea drinking and small boat rallies…… storm in a teacup perhaps?  Or more typhoo that typhoon……. you’ll have to buy the next issue (or is the one after next?) to find out.

My son tells me I should be including images in this blog not just words, so I’ll try and do better next time.

On the drawing board at the moment is painting of Francis Drake’s Golden Hind and the beginnings of a map of the world showing Drake’s round the world mission as official pirate and Spanish loot-stealer. This is where I need some help from younger readers; I’ve started to write (and draw) a book about true adventures of the sea. The title will possibly be Tall Tales for Short Sailors or maybe Bunkside Book (what do you think?). It will be for sailors and non sailors, anyone who finds the sea an exciting place!

Stories so far include ancient explorers, ghost pilots, abandoned ships, shipwrecks, pirates, buried treasure, bumbling admirals, sea monsters and a few more modern adventures including racing yachts, dismastings and storms. If anyone knows of any stories that would be good to put in, let me know (as long as they’re true!). Travelling across oceans is a lot safer now than it was in the early days of explorers, but it’s still a place for mysteries and adventures……

It’s giving me a lovely excuse to do plenty of research (another world for curling up by the fire with a cat, a glass of wine and reading books about storms, shipwrecks and other wet stuff!)