Clive Hicks-Jenkins 2004. 'Drawing is the foundation of painting, and I draw constantly. It's the equivalent of barre and class every day for a dancer. But of course there are different types of drawing. Studies made to exercise the eye and hand, which are usually done from life, can include drawings made outdoors, still-life drawings made around the home and studio, and life and portrait drawing for which I have a model from time to time....

The resulting drawings can be densely worked, hastily sketched, or made as scribbles in a sort of shorthand. Often these scribbles are unreadable to most people, but can end up being the things I like most, and are kept for reference in the studio (in polythene wallets to protect them from paint). Favourite scribbles go on feeding my work for years. They become touchstones. I get quite worked up if I can't find the one I want to kick-start a painting.'