Sketchbook

Sketchbook

Bought a new sketchbook. New dimensions than my normal 6x8 in. portrait sized sketchbook. Trying to get used to the new size and taking advantage of the landscape orientation.

Sketchbook

The only chance I have to sketch people in public is on my way to work on the transit. The upside is that my “models” are usually sleeping or nose deep in their phones. However I look forward to the day when I could go to a cafe to have a coffee and sketch my fellow cafe goers.

Last batch

The last batch of subway sketches before the holidays. I’m trying to work up the nerve to sketch people head on, when they’re awake. If you follow me, you know most of my subway sketches are of people who are sleeping or deeply immersed in their phones. Hopefully 2021 will give me some courage to sketch people head on.

Subway sketches

I’ve been using the subway a lot more since moving to my new place. It’s given me the chance to sketch my fellow commuters and kill some time while I’m on the transit.

Sketchbook

I've been using the TTC a lot lately and I'm really proud of my fellow commuters who don't view mask wearing as a political issue. It's an easy ask and protects everyone, especially when riding on the subway. However I still see a few who don't. I don't understand their reasoning.

Sketchbook

May 22, 2020. The rear entrance to my apartment.

May 24, 2020

May 24, 2020

May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020. First time on a subway in close to 3 months. A little anxiety ridden.

May 26, 2020. Masks abound on the subway.

Sketchbook Dump

May 18, 2020. I like the idea of using a mirror to reflect part of my body and the space behind me. This might be a painting in the making.

May 19, 2020. After the feet in the mirror drawing, I realized I had to work on depicting my feet accurately. Hence this spread.

May 20, 2020. Getting a little stir crazy in my apartment and craving some fresh air while maintaining self isolation. Fortunately I have a small back porch that looks onto a parking pad area which is quite often used by people late at night as an alternate toilet site. This is my neighbourhood.

May 22, 2020. Inspired by my last drawing of the parking pad, here’s another perspective from the end of the pad looking back tot he rear entry to my unit. All this drawing happened before my morning coffee. I think all this self isolation is affecting me and might happen again tomorrow morning.

Sketchbook

Looking to the ground today for my drawing inspiration. There might be a painting in this!

Ren

A virtual sitting with a friend today who lives in Halifax. Isn’t technology great? I’ll have a second chance next weekend to get her right.

May 15, 2020. Sketch of my rat hole, err… I meant, apartment. With all this self isolation, it’s been a great opportunity to sketch everyday. I don’t know if it feels like a habit though. I read somewhere that doing something for 21 days straight forms a habit. To be quite frank, if i didn’t sketch tomorrow, I’m not too sure i’d have the urge to sketch. It’s more guilt, I suspect, that would drive me to sketch since I want to make art the primary source of income for me. I need to produce art EVERY DAY. It doesn’t have to be great art. It just has to be art.

Sketchbook

Trying to capture space through my drawings instead of just objects.

Pasquale

My talented animator/caricaturist friend.

Sketchbook

By the time isolation is called off, I think I’ll have sketched every inch of my apartment. Here’s the next interesting spot of my rat hole, errr… I meant, apartment.

Sketchbook

An interior sketch and a virtual sketch of a friend. I asked my friend to sit by the window for his sitting and over the course of an hour, the light changed so much. It was a challenge getting this drawing done.

Brian

Sketchbook

Trying to get into a habit of drawing everyday, especially now during the covid self isolation.

Sketchbook Dump

It’s nice to get back to some sketching. I realize I’m the type of artist who tends to have tunnel vision. When I’m painting, I’m painting. When I’m drawing in my sketchbook, I’m drawing. I need to find a balance this year.

Dad

Sketchbook dump…

Getting kinda lazy about my sketchbook uploads. So here’s a few spreads I’ve been saving up.

Victoria, B.C.

I took a small trip to beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. I took some time to sketch a bit and I have to say, I’d like to return there and do more sketching.

Sketching Rick, one of my airBnB roommates.

Some close ups of my other roommates, Chris and Machiko.

Rick up close and personal.

Stan the Man

I don’t know why it’s so hard to sketch my father, but I do it every chance I get. Practice makes perfect. I think all these sketches are preparatory work for a painting of him. A little of him from this past weekend.

Killing time before class…

Weekends are usually the days where I sketch. This past particular weekend, I was on a run. I sketched Friday, Saturday and Monday (this sketch done on a statuary holiday). Leading up to this sketch I was a little angry that I wasted Sunday so when saw Lina, my mission was to sketch her. I wasted no time and just went up her and asked if she would mind. The rest is history. I need to harness that attitude every time I want to sketch someone in public. NO HESITATION!

cold weather+warm cafe= blissful sketching session

I remind myself whenever I sketch for a few days in a row that sketching like any skill deteriorates if not used. It typically starts with the first day feeling a little rusty and getting the cogs working properly and the subsequent days falling into the comfortable groove. It also helps whenever i sketch people in public that they aren’t nervous whenever I look at them AND yes I do ask if I could sketch them, as was the case with Steve and Jason today: very laid back guys.

Delayed Gratification

I started these two sketchbook spreads in December 2018 of my co worker, Lindsay. Every chance I would get when Lindsay and I were taking the same lunch break, I would wolf down lunch to try to get a few minutes of sketch time with Lindsay. After my initial ink sketch of her, I knew the spread was going to be a bit more than just my average sketch. I wanted it to be a full on, jam packed spread, with multiple images on top of each other. After every session, I thought “yeah, this could be good enough to scan and feed the internet beast”, but I kept it going until there was a second spread. The second spread definitely came closer to what I had imaged in my mind’s eye: messy, overlapped, crammed imagery and which was good enough to finally upload to the ever consuming body we know as the internet. It also gave me a chance to practice painting letters.

Sketching LIndsay during lunch breaks has not stopped just because I’ve finished these spreads… I just won’t show all of them.