Looking at Swans
1953
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1953
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This sketch shows a woman in a wide, old-fashioned skirt and a hat, walking beside a baby carriage. Behind her, a lake reflects light, with two swans floating on the water. The drawing is loose and quick, with lots of scribbly lines and smudged areas. The woman’s dress is made of overlapping black lines, almost like a woven pattern. The swans are simple shapes, barely more than blobs with necks. Try looking up *cross-hatching* to see how artists build up dark areas with lines.
