The Sound of Drawing

One of the great benefits of observational drawing and painting is to increase our awareness, to immerse ourselves in our perceptions, this awareness doesn’t stop with the visual but extends to the other senses; taste, smell, touch, and hearing.

"As a long-time listener of BBC Radio 3, I have always been drawn to the segments where listeners contribute audio clips from their daily lives. These snippets of nature or routine are montaged with music into wordless sound-poems.

One of the things I loved most about attending life drawing classes was the quiet that 'crackled' with intense concentration. There is something special about being in a group, working in silence toward a shared subject, yet each person remains wrapped in their own private thoughts.

Now that I teach life drawing, that silence is often broken by my own voice as I guide students. However, there are still moments when I can stand back to observe the work in progress and listen to the rhythm of the room—the sound of pencil, graphite, or charcoal meeting paper, sometimes vigorously, sometimes with extreme delicacy.

Inspired by this, I recorded the sound of my students whilst drawing vigorously with graphite sticks, in February 2020 and sent it to the BBC just days before the first lockdown. You can click the 'Sound of Drawing' link opposite to hear the segment from the Breakfast show (broadcast 18 April 2020), presented by Elizabeth Alker. My clip is accompanied by two pieces from Rachel Grimes’ Music for Egon Schiele, composed for Stephan Mazurek’s theatrical production."