Here is the second sketch of Cosser St.
From this angle you can see “The Steam Engine” pub, which is the red-roofed building in the picture, fronting onto Cosser St.
The day when I drew this was a surprisingly hot October day. The blue sky is accurate.
I was drawing standing up, with a dull red van behind me and my bicycle in front of me. As I drew, a rubbish truck arrived in front of The Steam Engine, and proceeded to reverse slowly down McAuley Crescent towards me. You can see the curve of the Crescent in the drawing. The driver skilfully negotiated that bend in the road, and kept on coming. I must have looked rather nervous, because the driver grinned at me, wound down his window, and called out, “Are you doin’ alright there?” I said that yes I was doing fine, and was I in his way? No no, he assured me. I told him how much I had admired his skilful driving, backwards down the road. He laughed again, and informed me, “I bin doin’ this since the 1980s. I should be good at it!”. Then he continued his smooth reversing, back beyond the red van and out of my line of sight.
I knew he must come back again, so when I heard the lorry engine I paused my drawing to wave. He waved back and called out a greeting, as he and his lorry hurtled confidently back towards Cosser St and their next collection.
The colours in this picture are: Buff Titanium (DS), Perylene Maroon (DS), Green Gold (DS), Fired Gold Ochre (DS) and Phthalo Turquoise (W&N). I did a preliminary sketch, which you see in these work-in-progress pictures.
Preliminary sketch 
Work area 
The picture is red, because the red van is behind me. 
Pen sketch
This was the second picture done in a set of three for a commission.
The first one is here:
Cosser Street, SE1 – South West
Here is a building in Cosser St, near Lambeth North tube station. This is the first of three drawings in the area, for a commission. Someone who had enjoyed living here was going to be moving to the country, and asked me make some pictures for them, to remember the locality. Ambulances park in this…
Jane Sketching 
I especially like the first sketch, very simple use of colour- I always try too hard!and your story about the dustbin lorry! This s what I love about working in the street! Also a great help that you have listed your colours. I loved your Shetland series too. When I was there Inspent all my time knitting and buying fleece but took a lot of photos at the mills.
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Hello Sue and thank you. Yes, I love working in the street for that reason too. People like to see the picture and are interested, and always have something to say.
Shetland is a totally different experience: there, there’s only me and the birds.
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