Sketchbook mark making

During a recent tutorial I was challenged with the idea that the quality of line and variety of mark that I show in my sketchbooks is fresher and more exciting than a fully worked drawing...

On drawings like these ones I can fully appreciate the thinking; many of the marks are quick, expressive and derived from a direct response to the scene in front of me. Its true that often back in the studio the exact shape and form can be over considered.

Anthony Gormley suggests that

"drawing is analytical, but its also expressive in its own right, it as a duty to bear witness not simply by making a representation of something, but taking things apart and reassembling in a way that makes new connections. It is entirely experimental"

This drawing (above) is experimental, its been drawn to take apart the structure of the floor of the path, what angles there are and how they relate to the bank either side. An idea is being taken apart and reassembled.  -But then how to get that quality of mark making and observation into a finished piece of work in the studio without overworking. I've been challenged to photograph a drawing in the making and to see at what point it remains most 'alive'. Hopefully in the next post or so I'll be able to show some results.