Essentially it’s people watching while on the go. Every so often I catch a
glimpse of someone interesting in everyday situations. Typically it’s someone
walking dogs, riding bikes, jogging, shopping – you name it – and naturally
for me I tend to remember the moments when it’s a pretty girl as the subject.
Since 2004 I thought to begin a theme of sketches that differs from
cafe sketching, in which case you are essentially doing a life drawing and the
subject may or may not be aware. Winter Girl sketching is a much more
challenging exercise (at least for me), using imagination and what memories
each individual evoked at the time. I take the memory to the sketchbook long
after the fact — attempting to capture the moment. It makes it more anonymous
for both the subject and myself. Not that I wouldn’t like to meet these pretty ladies.
Anyway, here they are from most recent 2007 and back to when I first started
in 2004.
This young lady I saw leaning against a light post on a cold and misty day in
San Francisco. I couldn’t tell if she was dialing a cell phone or choosing a playlist
on her mp3 player. Her pose kind of described that she might be avoiding glare
on the LCD screen, thus her bent over posture. Not sure if I remebered it clearly
though.
This next girl seemed to have it together in wool fashions of today. She was a girl
I saw shopping in Napa just after the new year, I drew her up from memory but
had a little help from reference for the lighting on her face.
Downtown San Francisco business girl looking happy about her future with a jaunty walk.
Another Napa, CA girl on a sunny, crisp Napa winter’s day.
This memory sketching goes further than the Winter Girl theme. Here are a couple more.
Meet Jennifer. A girl that worked at a local car rental place. She picked me up at the auto
shop and was charming, conversational and quite pretty. A student from the east coast
finishing up at SF State.
And a girl driving a pickup truck that glanced over at a stoplight and offered a nice smile.
nicuuuuu!!!