Sketch Pages

It's been a while. Here are some pages from my clipboard. A lot of the stuff here is actually character exploration for a short story a read a while back, and a few of these have nothing to do with that story. Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone is doing well!

Watercolor Sketchbook Pages

I'll admit it, some of these do get a little strange. I've been using this sketchbook for over a year now mostly because I had turned to drawing on loose sheets of paper instead. It feels good to be creating nonsense in a sketchbook again... Easier to keep track of drawings in bound form.

Sketchbook Pages

Grandpa Stan

Stan is my wife's grandfather.  He is 87 years old and I've never met a busier person.  Every minute of his day is filled with useful tasks. Stan has done a lot of good in his life and he basically just refuses to stop.  He supported his family as an architectural render and sign painter so maybe that's one reason why I feel a general kinship with him.  In the time that I have been able to get to know him, I have come to love and respect him very much.

Over the holiday break I found a little time to sketch during our large family gatherings. These studies of Stan are some of my favorites.

Selections from my summer sketchbook

Quick Sketches

Just trying to capture life quickly as it flies by. I find this is a great way to record mannerisms, gesture and personality. Sometimes I even like what comes out in these quick studies.

Sketchbook Faces

Here are a couple of pages from my latest sketchbook. I just finished spring term and its nice to sketch more for myself again. A sketchbook can be a really great place to relax.

More Sketchbook Pages

Recent Sketchbook Pages

Sketchbooks

This is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. When I was younger sketchbooks terrified me! I would buy a hard-bound book simply because I have always thought spiral bound ones look and feel cheap (in all honesty it doesn't matter, it's just a preference). The difficult part about liking a hard-bound sketchbook was that I couldn't tear out the pages when I did a bad drawing. If I did there would be evidence. That fear kept me from doing very much sketching.

Years later I still struggle a little with that fear. I am also happy to say that I'm getting better. None of us will ever be able to do our best and most creative work if we are too afraid to make a bad drawing. So I'm still working to get over it, and not care so much what anyone thinks. It's really quite liberating when I do break free.

Ryan Woodward recommended a book to us last semester called An Illustrated Life. It includes sketchbook pages from different artists and designers, along with their personal thoughts on sketchbooks. I usually read one entry a day. I highly recommend checking it out.

Face Doodles

Recent Sketchbook

Sketchbook

The top image is a character painting I did in acrylic last week. Like most things I do, its not finished yet. It was mostly just for fun and I wish I had made it make more sense as a narrative. The second image is from my pocket-sized moleskin.