It’s become my own personal tradition that each year, I draw my daughter’s Christmas stocking: a record of all those gifts of chocolate, stationery and small toys that Santa brings. He’s a clever man, that Santa: each year, his choices seem to accord directly with my daughter’s changing fads and preferences.
In this, her 13th year, I can’t help noticing that colours are duller and much less exciting to draw: less hot pink, more black.
Click the image if you’d like to see it slightly larger.
In the ultimate mash-up of looking a gift-horse in the mouth and being a bad workman blaming my tools, I might also say that I got the most amazing box of watercolours for Christmas. They’re so good that the colours are deeper and more vibrant than I’m used to, and the whole picture came out a bit darker than I intended.
For comparison’s sake, here are previous years’ paintings:
Myfanwy Tristram 