A page from my sketchbook. In 1995 I was living in Sydney where the Botanical Gardens are full of interesting subjects, but this ancient tree was something I couldn't see without wanting to draw. I hope more members are encouraged to upload their drawings, whether finished pieces or preparatory sketches. Everything starts from drawing, and I think that an artist's drawings can often give a greater insight to their work than a whole library of critical assessment.

This is the first watercolour I ever did. Our son was sitting on a step in Cordes, south-west France. The raking early October sunlight gave a dramatic feel to the late afternoon, and made Rory squint - thereby resulting in a characteristic expression that captured his wonderfully benign sense of mischief, aged four.

From a one-hour pose in a London life room. The texture of the graphite seemed appropriate for the model's 'weathered' look...