These drawings are from the flight out to Portland and my first day on the ground. An unqualifiably gorgeous city.
Jeeziss, I freely admit to being the King of Procrastination. I shoulda been outta this damn ledgerbook and well into the next sketchbook months ago but I just couldn’t pull away from the book’s roomy 11″ x 17″ scale. ( Actual page dimensions are 10 3/4″ wide x 16 1/2″ tall. That, and the creamy color of it’s pages that seem to be tarnishing with use and age like an old Meerscham pipe due to the presence of non archival materials. Older ledgerbooks probably have a high rag content but many later books most likely contain pulp that if ithey haven’t been pH nuetralized are slowly burning themselves up. It’s also possible that the act of frequently handling the books may leave salts and acids that can’t be too good for their endurance. The pages have become terribly brittle and ocassionally you may have witnessed loose flakes on the scans of the drawings entered on this website. The old soldier’s really coming apart at the seams and it’s long past due that I file it away but I’ve had a blast working the shit out of it.
I have a page and a half left in my latest ledgerbook that I’ve been drawing in and I can’t seem to finish it off and start up the next one. I keep going to earlier pages in it to find any open space or I just jump right in on top of prior work.
I haven’t been to “life” drawing in some weeks, but thought I’d post some drawings from life aboard the CTA Red Line. I’m often asked if people know if I’m drawing them. Well, I think the bespectacled fellow in the second row of the third column caught my glances, brief though they were. And for sure the young lad in the middle of the bottom row knew something was up, cause every time I shot him a glimpse, I was met with a full stare. Not a sharp or defensive one. But he was drawn to me sketching, and his curiosity was unflagging. Mostly folks are oblivious unless they can actually see the page I’m working on. While I was drawing the woman with the plaid headscarf in the upper right, the couple seated behind me were commenting to each other about my drawing. About 3 times the man even rose out of his seat to lean over my shoulder for a better look. Once, while drawing in the Bargello, in Florence, Italy, I had a French tourist practically rest his chin on my shoulder, ocassionally turning his face towards mine. If I’d waxed the tips of my moustache into little points, he’d have gotten one up his nostril. I focused on drawing and gave him not the slightest indication I was aware he was hovering like a humming bird at a feeder. Since I’m taking note of those around me I feel I’m fair game to watch. I do make an effort to be discreet or sly and try to avoid making someone feel like a field mouse being targeted by a swooping owl.
The dude with the spikey hair and sideburns in the second row of the first column, is a composite figure. I began with the eye and nose of one guy only to have him rise and get off at the very next stop. Another fellow took his seat and I resumed drawing by fusing his hair, ear, and lower facial features to the previous commuter.
In the near future, as soon as I settle on a shipping method and payment or escrow account, I’ll post specific images that will be for sale. That info will most likely be listed at the top after “Contact Don” or “My Work”. Ciao.