Developing an idea....

 Above, is a little sketch I scribbled the other evening....I was musing on the small grouping of clergymen...I quite like my Mad vicar character, so I thought it might be interesting to have a grouping. Once the I'd considered the idea, I sketched another version which is the one below...I quite liked the facial expressions that developed here...

 Another character was needed, so I sketched this rather obese chap holding a communion cup in the air...the combination of all the robes presents an opportunity for lots of flowing drapes. but how to get drapes that look authentic...the next step is to take some photos!

 Thankfully I have a full set of vestments ( don't ask!)....I set up my camera with self timer and posed the various characters I'd sketched...here are three pics I thought you might be amused to see!

This sketch I roughed out once I had the photos to work from...If I do decided to continue with this theme...there'll be many more sketches to do...I usually like to develop these ideas on tracing paper reworking the sketches time and time again. You'll notice a gap between the the group and the standing clergyman...there will be another character to go in that spot...! ;)
  

I'm still unhappy about my pen disaster...my return to full colour will have to wait a little while longer...so the next piece if this is it, will be in black and white again!

I hope you've found this little peek into the process I go through when I have a new idea...to tell the truth I have countless sketchbooks of various compositions which seem like a good idea at the time...the trick is to get them down into an understandable form so that in time, they can be developed further. So whilst this current idea might not  go any further...the idea is there...the photos and sketches are made...all it takes is the special burst of inspirational flame that I experience for the process to progress to full production.