Friday, January 18, 2008

Sketchbook: Snow Day Self-Portrait

So: I've been trying to make time to sketch one drawing a day with my Rapidograph. You'd think that wouldn't be so hard to do, but for me it is. And I'm learning that the technical pen is hardly the supple instrument that a pencil or a brush is, and it's pretty unforgiving when you draw without preliminary pencil sketches. In other words, my already high admiration for the masters of such sketchwork (Crumb, Ware) has only increased as I've made my own feeble attempts.

Nevertheless, Isaac has suggested that I blog some of these sketches (none of which he has seen), and since I'm overdue for a post I thought I'd share a quick self-portrait from yesterday, when I bundled up to venture out in the snow.

2 comments:

Matt said...

This really is a FABULOUS self-portrait, Mike. Very active! The eyes are shown, focussed and alert, and a hint of a drawn tense jaw "revealed."

Mike said...

Hey, thanks, Matt! With the recent purchase of a new winter hat, this picture enters the realm of the memorial: I don't think I'll be wearing that dumpy old thing any longer, which may help reduce my wonky-looking-ness.