Sketches

Sad, old man. 
Inspired by the photo "Father" by Lydia Goldblatt, 2013

I've always found people's faces interesting and have long wanted to capture these faces through portraits, paintings, and drawings.  But I've also struggled with this because of the fact that the subject needs to be aware that the artist is creating art from said subject.  In photography, model releases and generally getting permission from a subject are too much of a hassle.  With paintings and drawings, I could never ask a subject to sit still long enough while I attempt to paint or draw him or her, especially when there's a very probable chance the portrait will turn out odd looking. 

I decided to finally tackle these interesting faces by drawing from pictures.  I decided not to commit a significant amount of time per sketch so that I'd feel less pressure about the result and hopefully not become discouraged from trying again later.  I did at least one sketch a day.  Here are a few of my sketches:

Grandma Higa



Prince



Master Yoda Muppet

I found that some turned out surprisingly well (my favorite is the sad, old man).  The one non-human also turned out surprisingly well, although Yoda could pass for a Muppet in my sketch.  I'm not sure whether merely drawing many, many sketches will make me a better artist, but I feel so proud at having created these little gems.  I even shared them on my facebook page as souvenirs of my efforts.  Nothing may ever come of my work, but every time I flip through my sketch book and see this sketches, I can't help but smile.

I think it's true what Liz Gilbert says about the Big Magic finding you if you are open to it and look out for it.  Creating things has only bred a strong desire to create more things and in different ways.  I feel more alive and joyful, even though I don't know where this road will lead or how long I can walk it.  Still, I believe just continuing to walk along this path is what I'm supposed to do at the moment.  Stay tuned for more...



Fun with typography