Mobile phones have made it so easy to collect zillions of photographs. These can be automatically sent to your computer at home, wherever you are, and the images are so sharp and crisp no matter how poor a photographer you are. So, is there really an argument for sketching any more, or has the humble sketchbook become an obsolete relic?
If you think that the purpose of sketching is simply to record what is in front of you, then maybe, but it's so much more than that. The purpose of a sketch is to record your response to what is in front of you, and that is subtly different. When I see a subject that I like, I immediately ask myself why I like it, and what do I want to say. This then becomes my title, and I sketch towards this title. For example, if my title is 'light roofs', then I shall try to make sure that the finished sketch tells the viewer this. We can do this by manipulating composition, tone and
