At college I was always told by the tutors that I must show the process of my work. They insisted that even if it was on a coffee stained napkin it was still to be kept and shown.

I never saw the importance, but used to scrawl out one or two random doodles after completing the piece, making them as rough, but true to the finished piece, as possible.

Much further down the line I find myself perhaps more interested in the journey than the finished product. I have stacks of doodles and some of them I even treasure. Especially if the finished painting sold.

For this reason I hate to part with any originals.

The other reason is they can look utterly dreadful. Crude lines and details that a 5 year old’s effort would put to shame. And then there’s the random notes and moronic statements or song lyrics that all too often find their way on the page.

Below is a prime example of such a sketch…