The one on the left’s a replica black-powder revolver (each of the six chambers has to be hand-loaded), and the one on the right’s a Magnum (as favoured by this chap). I’ve sketched guns a couple of times before, but always deactivated ones through the glass of a museum case. These ones were fully useable (licensed, securely stored etc) and sat on a kitchen table (not mine!), so I was able to set them up for good lighting etc., and this felt very strange; in the UK we’re fortunately unfamiliar with firearms. Like all guns they are provocative, they embody a lot of concentrated power, and carry different cultural associations for different people; liberty, oppression, violence, resistance. Strong stuff…
The brush-pen wasn’t really going to work for these so I used ‘old faithful’, a Lamy Safari, and a ruler for the two barrels. (Is this a sketch? It felt more like a technical drawing, I drew some pencil guide lines, and it took longer than an hour… When is a sketch not a sketch?)
Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, water-colour, and white gel-pen for the highlights, A5 – One hour+
Mostly drawing 
Ed!
1st: Who’s your alter-ego? I get the feeling, I should know him.
2nd: lovely! Strong, violent … (with a very small voice: perhaps missing a little sparkle on the trigger?)
3rd: Ruler? certainly _not_ a sketch … just joking, I’ll still go with “it’s a sketch”
4th: lovely, lovely, lovely
— Stu
Ha! Many thanks Stu. Got an itchy trigger finger? I think the old definition of a sketch was about how it supports a future piece of work, or is somehow speedy, or has a relaxed/casual element? Little of whig applies to my sketching. Hmmmm. Will ponder further! Ed
Sorry, should say ‘little of which’, not ‘little of whig’. Took me back to History A level!
Love this one!
Thanks Sherry. When are we going to see your lovely work on the internet? Fancy a blog?