Here is a sketch I did when leaving Erbil again. My flight was early but at a tolerable time of day. I was intending to spend more time on this but they called us to board the plane. I think the sketch actually looks better because of this.
Sun-13-Sep-2026
Here are some more sketches I did on the way to Erbil in Iraq, after sleeping fitfully on the plane and arriving for a five hour layover with a headache. The first is of a plane in Dubai airport (not my plane and obscured by many things) – where I feel I made my usual mistake of trying to capture too much instead of focussing on one part. The second was done in Terminal 2 (which you have to get to by bus), where I had run out of steam and was just waiting for my flight to be called.
Tue-8-Sep-2026
Here is my first sketch in a newly made sketchbook using Cass Art Cold Pressed Not Paper. Usually I used hot pressed but this has a fairly smooth surface for drawing on and for this sketch it seemed to take the paint well. I did this sketch at the airport in Metro Manila when I was taking a 3:25 am flight to Erbil via Dubai. At this point in the journey I was just trying to stay awake (by sketching) so I could get on the plane and fall asleep.
Tue-8-Sep-2026
On this day we drove to Gatwick airport very early – I barely got any sleep. I sketched this at 4:30 am while we waited for our flight to Montenegro. I never get used to the ideas that some Brits drink alcohol at airports even in the early mornings.
Mon-10-Aug-2026
I didn’t have time to sketch at the airport in Manila before we left for our UK-Montenegro holiday, because a strap on my wife’s backpack snapped at the checkin desk. So we wandered around to find an affordable replacement (definitely not Tumi). After the long flight to Istanbul (12 hours) we had a few hours in the massive airport terminal (which makes NAIA and Heathrow look dreadful), so we found a spot for a coffee. My only grumble about the airport terminal?…nowhere to sit unless you buy coffee or food….which maybe deliberate.
Mon-20-Jul-2026
This is the second sketch I did in Doha at the “Food Park” dining zone (on my way back from Iraq), where I had something to eat. According to Gemini AI (which often gets things wrong), the dining area is designed around the theme pearl diving (which Doha has a history of), and the diver is supposed to look like they are surrounded by a deep blue sea while diving for oysters. I can’t find any pictures of the sculpture online and (as often seems to be the habit) the artist is not credited anywhere I can see.
Fri-10-Jul-2026
Anyone who travels through Doha might recognise this? It’s called ‘Untitled (Lamp/Bear) and is by Swiss artist Urs Fischer. According to the blurb on the notice in front of it, the bear is cast in bronze and rests peacefully against a lamp, “reminding travellers of childhood and precious objects from home”. Hmmm…given that the lamp actually goes through the bears body and intersects with it’s head (kind of like the intersection of Seth Brundle and the teleportation pod in “the fly”)… I am not sure it evokes the same feelings in me!
Tue-7-Jul-2026
I did this sketch at about 3am, having got up at 1am (after a short doze) for my flight leaving at 4:40 am. I was pretty tired but wanted to capture at least one sketch before I left. One person came over and said “nice work” which was very kind of him.
Fri-10-Jul-2026
Here are the sketches I did on the way to Erbil, Iraq for work. The first is at the PAGS (Philippine Airport and Ground Services) lounge. I was surprised to be bumped up to business class – the travel agent had offered an upgrade with a hefty extra cost and I said no thanks, but somehow I ended up in business class anyway. So although I always feel a little uncomfortable with luxury and being waited on, I took advantage of the free coffee and breakfast before leaving Manila.
The second sketch is of the Al-Mourjan business lounge in Doha. The PAGS lounge was much better – here there was only free coffee and no food. This sketch ended up almost abstract. By this point I was pretty tired, so that’s my excuse.
Tue-7-Jul-2026