The First Paid Gig.

Just found my first ever live commission after graduating, while organising some archived work samples for the new plan chest (when it comes). I'd had some paid work while at college, but this was the first where I was out on my own.

I got paid £200 for this A1 pastel pencil piece for Southend School For Boys who were celebrating their bicentenary. I drove down there in my custard yellow Citroen 2CV, took a brief (there was no email of course, this was 1993) and lots of photographs (which needed taking into Boots for developing) and went home to draw this over the next couple of weeks. I had to deliver the piece back the same way - on the motorway, with 602cc and a packet of B&H. I was good at driving one-handed. This time they had me down for lunch, and let me have some of the 200 prints they'd had made - all of which I had to sign.

If you look carefully, you can see that the image can be viewed any way up. They'd spotted my piece in Images 17, which was a delight. (Parental-sounding note to young 'uns: see, it IS worth entering the Images competitions!)

They were really pleased with it, and the original still hangs in the Great Hall in a frame (well, as far as I know). Model was boyfriend at the time - I just gave him three different hairdos and coloured his face a bit. I seem to remember he wasn't the most enthusiastic model, but then again, he wasn't the arty type...

Blimey. Foreshortening eh? Don't know if I could do it now!