Comet

The Comet is an almost forgotten tank which entered service late in the Second World War. Limited numbers were built. I have wondered as to its performance if it had just entered service a year earlier. Would it have been popular with its crews? Would it have been a vehicle that could compete with the M4 series?

For this sketch, I relied on a computer-generated image and a photograph found in a Concord Press book on British tanks. One evening, at a cafe at Selegie Road, I did a pencil sketch that initially went well. However, when I finished it, I compared it with the photo reference and the computer image and I saw that the proportion was slightly off as the vehicle was somewhat too narrow. I erased almost everything. This was unusual for me as I don't erase very much and, often, not at all. I followed the pencil sketch up with a technical pen, inking the lines. Then, I applied colours and shadows after. All in all, this took about three hours total.

On the topic of the forgotten, the Charioteer is a forgotten tank destroyer. I have seen so few references to it over the years. The development of British tanks in the interwar years and the Second World War interests me.

I will be posting a few more sketches of tanks in the near future.

'It's time to let go
Time to spend some time alone
Reconsider what could be done
Unbind the imagination...'
Faith and the Muse 'Shatter in Aspect'