Troughton is picture perfect

Jim Troughton drew pictures for all Warwickshire's 2008 county championship games

An artistic temperament is obviously in the Troughton blood, but for Warwickshire batsman Jim it is drawing, not acting, which gets his juices flowing.

Producing caricatures of his team-mates provided Troughton with something to do when he was injured at the start of last summer, and from there he has been given a regular spot in a cricket magazine and is trying to put together a book.

What started as a way of passing time, has now become something of a second career for the 29-year-old, whose father David and grandfather Patrick are both well-known TV actors.

"I got injured at the beginning of the season and I had absolutely nothing to do so I was going a bit stir crazy," Troughton told ecb.co.uk.

"I started covering the first four games, which I missed, and then carried it on from there, really.

"I decided to cover every championship game that Warwickshire played, for a book. Basically I covered all 16 games with what happened on the field, what went on behind the scenes, in the changing rooms and other funny things that happened.

"I did a sketch for each game. I am in the process of trying to raise funds to get it printed so I can sell it and maybe raise a bit of money for charity.

"I also have a sketch in All Out Cricket every month - a little current affairs cartoon joke. That is something I keep doing and hopefully I'll have a slot in the summer as well."

However, Troughton is modest about his abilities as an artist, seeing it more as a bit of fun than an outpouring of creative talent.

"I did do art at school - I got a B. I'm not a Jack Russell. By no means are my caricatures brilliant," he added.

Troughton is putting together a book of sketches to mark Warwickshire's 2008 promotion-winning LVCC campaign

"I think it is more that you get that behind the scenes thing which not many people probably get.

"I get to know the players a bit more and that starts to have an effect on how you do the caricatures, as opposed to just picking out features."

Troughton is insistent that the Warwickshire players and management take his caricatures in good humour and do not shy away when they see him brandishing his sketchbook.

"They like them," Troughton confirmed. "They are always very interested to see how I've portrayed them.

"Some are more happy with the cartoons than others. I do use a bit of poetic licence.

"But they enjoy it and are looking forward to the book coming out so they can get a copy, I think."

It is lucky for Troughton that his team-mates are happy for him to draw them, as he has aspirations to be published on a much larger scale.

Soon it could be a variety of sportsmen who feel the sharp end of Troughton's pencil.

"I always see current affairs cartoons that they have in newspapers - I could easily do stuff like that outside cricket," he admitted.

"In the long-run, I'd love to put something in a big newspaper every week, or whatever, covering sport.

"Hopefully the AOC thing might get a bit of interest and the book might take off and I can produce other stuff like team prints for the autograph hunters. They love that type of thing."