About

Hello, I’m David and I’ve always loved art, even though it’s only taken forty-five years to finally pick up a pen and brush and start painting again. This return was sparked a few years ago when I saw an instagram video, that popped into my usual feed of beagles stealing food, by Bob Gurney painting an airplane in gouache and, I liked it. I liked it so much I later got Bob’s book. The algorithms then did their thing and creatives started taking over my feed; I never saw again a beagle stealing food. I started to acquire paints and brushes with the good intentions of doing something similar to Bob when I next went to an airport. I never did paint an airplane at an airport and probably never will though I did continue to buy art materials without doing hardly any art!
Then when I effectively retired in 2026, I had no excuse not to do any art, so I started to take my so-called hobby seriously. I was already following Toby at Sketchloose (yep, got his book too!), and I knew he held workshops so I took the plunge and attended his workshop in Grantchester in February 2026. It was good fun in a relaxed environment and I found out that I enjoyed it.
Since this workshop I have attended a few more of the Toby’s workshops and a two-day Alex Hillkurtz watercolour course (yep, got his book as well!). I have also taken several more of Toby’s online classes and a series of courses with Mayad’s Sketch Club – both of which I’ll be sharing in the Online Courses Section, as well as a few other artists’ courses I have taken or started (and maybe not completed!). Both Toby and Mayad have their different styles and ways of teaching and, both are all round good guys. They are probably the two main reasons why I enjoy my sketching and can see progression.

The Loose Nib is a way of recording that return to drawing and my progression — not as the work of an accomplished artist or someone trying to teach others, but simply as an honest record of learning again. There will be sketches that work, plenty that don’t, experiments with different techniques and materials, and probably more pens than any reasonable person needs. Most of my sketching is done from photographs, often at home with an iPad, a cup of coffee and occasionally a piece of cake. I’m learning as I go, and that is really the point of the whole thing.