It is just a few more days until the twelfth day of Christmas, when decorations are traditionally taken down. That means I’ve still got time to put this sketch up:

This is one of the pillars at St Clement’s, decorated for the Christmas services. I had been pondering drawing one of the pillars for sometime but putting it off. How would I capture it with the tools and time available? The candle holders and star add some interest in the area below the carving but I think the finishing touch were the marks indicating the little divots on the surface from the stone texture and usage over the years.

Rather than getting hung up trying to draw them precisely, I let me eye follow along the pillar. I paused over groups that caught my attention, dropping the pen to the page at the same time and forming some simple marks. The rest is happening in your brain but I think they serve to give the column a sense of solidity that would be lacking if it was just left as a white void.