Original artwork description:

This drawing was bigger than I'd been accustomed to drawing recently, much like the characters in the picture. This was a third attempt at this image over a 30-year period, and the one I'm finally happy with. Originally, these old gents posed for a photo for me when I was a teenage street photographer back around 1990. They were sat on a bench in Tenby, Wales, chilling out and telling tall tales when I disturbed them to take the photo.

The idea to use them as the basis for a picture didn't come until my art college days, when I loved working with the theme of giants and Welsh folklore. That first go was ghastly, and ended up in the bin. Then I tried it again when I left college, I made a painting on board that was shown at Bangor Gallery in North Wales, but to be honest, I wasn't really satisfied with it, there was too much of the bad stuff from college still in it. I sold it years ago, I suspect whoever bought it has since put it in the bin.

I parked the idea and forgot about it for 20 years until the urge to do it pencil came to me. It was a struggle, the large scale of the drawing, the details that needed to be rendered, the need to get character into the gents' faces was a real challenge. But I got there finally, and this is one of my favourite pieces. Finally, the old giants can rest...

Made on Bristol Board, the drawing is mounted and framed and ready to hang.

Materials used:

graphite pencils on Bristol Board, matt varnished

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