On a dull weekend I made a short trip to the local Oxford canal to do some sketching. Here is my view of one of several narrow boats moored along this particular sketch of the canal on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Choosing a spot tucked in by the reeds, here is my sketch, below.

Looking back at my previous posts I have another sketch (below) from a similar spot but going back a few years – on a day when there was a frost and some ice forming on the canal! So maybe this is something I do each year at the end of winter before Spring gets properly going. There doesn’t seem to be much difference in technique. I do think having a boat closer and more centre-stage helps the composition, as does adding some larger foreground detail from the reeds .

For comparison, here are a couple more of my canal sketches (and links) from previous years…

Sketching by the Oxford canal

The view from Shipton canal bridge

A view of Thrupp Basin