A little bit of serendipity here. I did a precise drawing of a rose window as a component of an ongoing project and added some watercolour to supplement the pen and ink work.
It simply wasn't going to work so I left it and next morning in a half-hearted effort to salvage it I (almost) threw some ultramarine at it then mist sprayed it with water and went to the studio coffee room. 
On return to my workspace the painting had dried out and actually struck me as not too bad and is now something of a work in its own right rather than a component part.
300 gsm smooth cartridge 35 x 50 cms
Serendipity indeed.

Madonna (1)

Not the famous pop singer but art related to the Virgin Mary, sometimes referred to in Catholic circles as "Our Lady". There has been throughout Christian history many and various interpretations of this.
I have visited several holy sites from wayside shrines to majestic cathedrals on my travels over the years; sometimes stumbling across them by happenstance as well as making journeys to specific sites. I think its safe to say that these visits have become something of a lifelong hobby.
I do have regard for the paintings and drawings of the subject but must admit its the sculpture that usually grabs my attention to the point of photographing and subsequently settling down with sketchbook and pencils. Invariably the subject finishes up being further developed on the drawing board back at the studio. This is not usually done the instant I return to the studio, - sometimes I make further exploratory sketches or just leave it lying about to mature, - like a fine wine. This is one such.

 This large statue stands as a door jamb to the great west door of Lichfield Cathedral  just north of Birmingham. I've seen photographs of similar work at Chartres and other cathedrals in Northern France.  I took this picture on a fine summer's day of clear blue skies last year (2018).

This piece, drawn on my usual 300 gsm smooth cartridge paper, is 50 cms wide by 70 cms tall. Simply called "Lichfield" there are other works in progress in the same genre which could include studies of church architecture and will simply be titled with where it was. Closer examination of this work shows it is primarily line drawing which is done initially as precise measured drawing rather in the style of Euan Uglow whose work I greatly admire but taken a step further using architectural drawing instruments, e.g. Tee-square and set-square. But after that, once I've established where things are on the paper, I take a more painterly approach so here we have a heavy line drawing of the figure set against a fine-line matrix with watercolour and later ink wash applied.

Dream of the Rood update

Detail of the latest development in the right hand panel of Dream of the Rood. Note the vertical ans horizontal cross hatching.

Current Main Project

"German Requiem Part 2" (after Brahms) is progressing, albeit slowly. It is a large-ish work on Fabriano 5 paper, 300 gsm, 70 x 50 cms. and being drawn with micro-pens and several ink glazes being applied means this is not going to be finished in anything like a hurry. Indeed, some thirty or so hours have been spent on it already and there's still a long way to go.

 This is an overall view of the work so far. There are changes and improvements taking place as the thing progresses.

From time to time in all my work where full colour and monochrome are juxtaposed I take a photo (top picture) and desaturate it to check the tone balance. A useful guide for when adjustments need to be made, on paper, not digitally.

.

 Some of the trees are half-hidden in the mists and I show this by cross-hatching. The depth of tone varies according to what the lines are made with and some side-experiments are necessary as shown here on this postcard-sized piece. It is seen better when zoomed in.

Here a detail of the tree roots on the right hand side foreground. Again, zooming in will show how the use of technical drawing methods are being applied. It is a far more time-consuming  than freehand but it serves to show more starkly the  differences between the two techniques.
Although the entire piece is an interpretation of the second stanza of Brahms' German Requiem, while doing the cross hatching shown here I was listening the Bach's Cello Suite Nr. 1 which was ideal for filligree lines drawn with a 0.1 micro pen. For the coloured sections I use diluted FW ink and a ruling pen.
Modern acrylic inks with a good old-fashioned traditional pen. I like that.

Detail from an on-going Project

Detail of top right corner of a piece on the drawing board right now. I'm showing this as it demonstrates how I am trying to incorporate some technical drawing technique alongside a more loose "arty" form, such as the trees on the background skyline. More of this piece anon as the work develops. Albeit somewhat slowly as I'm working on a separate commission at the moment.