Sketching while waiting

I don't carry my big A4 Moleskine with me all the time. That would be too exhausting. And my everyday handbag isn't that big. If I'm going anywhere where I might have to wait, I bring a little square Hand.Book with me. It's great for small sketches and it can take a watercolour wash, as long as it's not too wet! Perfect for experimenting, and discreet too if you don't want to attract attention.

On this occasion, I used a fountain pen with black watersoluble ink - that particular ink gives lots of gorgeous reddish and brownish shades when you wet it. If I could only remember where I got those ink cartridges - they probably came with the pen, which I bought in Bruges (I'm not the only person who loves to rummage in art shops when travelling abroad, am I?). For most of the sketches, I added the water after I got home, but for the crazy indoor tree, I actually dipped my finger in my tea and spread the ink digitally. Messy business, but I managed to wash my hands before my appointment!!

(PS: All good with me, this is just my yearly neurology review. I'm just trying to persuade the consultant to take me off a medication which I really believe is not necessary. Something I already asked last year, when I was told to wait until this appointment. But now I'm told I will need an EEG before they make the decision! Things don't move fast in the Irish health system!)

And rather than sketch the people in the waiting room (somehow, it felt like an invasion of their privacy), I sketched the presenters on the TV. (Yes, every waiting room in the hospital has TVs on the walls, and yet every winter we have patients stuck on trolleys in ERs. Priorities anyone?)

Another day, same sketchbook. With pencils instead. I only had two pencils with me (pink/purple and red/yellow).
On this occasion, I was just waiting for my food! It was marginally more efficient than the Irish Health System!