Thursday, September 25, 2008

quietly in the background

When it comes to drawing in public, I prefer wallflower status: the one where no one notices me...or what I'm doing. However, it is getting more and more difficult to pull this off...especially at school.

10 comments:

Chris said...

I know what you mean. I used to hang out with a friend of mine who worked at Baskin Robbins and who was also a teacher. I remember sitting at a corner table at the ice cream shop one day and drawing for hours, while people stopped by to look at what I was doing. It was fun and flattering, but I was a little embarrassed and shy about the situation, since I wasn't used to the attention.

Later on I did the same thing in her classroom and the kids loved it. Only thing is they kept touching the paper and getting fingerprints all over my work (which was for a student project), and asking me a million questions. It was really cute and I had fun talking to the kids, but I didn't get much drawing done :)

Wallflower drawing is best, I agree!

Anonymous said...

WOW! I cannot believe you visited my page. I have spent the last two days browsing your "sketchbook". I am definitely inspired. Thanks for the visit!

The Jimbonic Inquisition said...

I've caught glimpes of your sketchbook here and there around school. I've yet to see a sketch I didn't think was amazing.

joseph's art and stuff said...

Your work is too good for you to be a wallflower. I can relate though, I find it hard to draw in public, unless it is in an art class type setting. Oh well, we just have to push ourselves.

Christina Jonsson said...

Hi,
I totally recognize the feeling. I also try to be the invisible wallflower but in some places you just have to give in. One such occasion was at the Pantheon in Rome. I really wanted to make something there but the tourist crowds are massive. Especially the groups of japanese girls were very curious about what I was doing. I´m not used to too many people in my comfort zone and since I´m scandinavian that zone is quiet wide. So being photographed and having people more or less leaning over me while drawing was not what I would have preferred. But choosing a spot like that I guess I just had to deal with it. And the urge to draw in the middle of beautiful Rome was definitely worth it.

no way said...

I love your handwriting....and of course, the drawing.

Lynne the Pencil said...

It's so true about the difficulties of remaining secretive. I travelled in China with a sketchbook, and stood no chance: people were so curious, they immediately surrounded me and blotted out what I was drawing!

I sketch people on trains a lot too, especially if they fall asleep. I can get into some very interesting conversations though, when they spot me: once drew a handwriting analyst, who helped determine if wills were forged!

wagonized said...

Oh Suzanne, you've captured these people so well!
The person sitting on the chair, with a hint of crack (!) showing and her foot under her leg -- precious.

andrea joseph's sketchblog said...

I just agree with everything france said. Who'd have thought four backsides could look so good?

Pippa said...

I love these kind of drawings. So free and natural.