Sleep and feathers

Goose feather
graphite 4 x 4
copyright Jeanette Jobson

My sleep patterns are erratic and more so when I have things on my mind or work creates unconscious thoughts. This means that I wake very early in the morning and I find that is probably one of the best times of day for drawing for me. By early I'm taking 5am, sometimes earlier.

I get a cup of coffee, wrap myself up in a soft, warm throw and my mind forgets whatever it was that woke me and concentrates on pencil and paper. I get lost in the process of drawing, so much so that I suddenly realize hours have gone by and I need to rush to get ready for work.

This morning was an early morning and this feather was the result. This is a goose feather and I was trying to capture the downy hairs around the base of the feather. No wonder goose feathers are reknowned for their ability to trap air and heat. They're quite amazing feats of engineering. I didn't exactly manage to make it as fluffy as it looked but I enjoyed the exercise.