Subway Sketches: METAPOST
First off, a big hello and welcome to everyone who has been found me via Danny Gregory's excellent blog. It was incredibly flattering to have been talked about there, and it certainly has boosted my readership today.
Since some of Danny's readership is interested in technique and materials I have gotten a couple of comments and a couple of e-mails regarding what materials I use for my sketches. Right now I am sketching in a very small Moleskin sketchbook. I think it is 3"x5", a nice size to keep in my pocket or bag and a nice size to unobtrusively sketch on the train with. And, yes, I sketch in ballpoint pen. I like using a Papermate stick pen, (apparently the model is called "Write Bros" which I never knew until looking it up just now). I like this pen because the ink is just a touch on the gummy side, and for some reason it allows for a very wide range of line weights. It makes very fine marks when I barely skim the page, and very dark marks when I need it to. Plus they are very cheap and common, and easy to get a hold of, so when I lose one on the train or in the bottom of my messenger bag I am not lamenting the loss of an expensive pen.
So... there you have it. Nothing very fancy, and certainly nothing not easily obtainable.
I've also been asked about people watching me sketch, or people reacting to being sketched. First, it is a fact of the city that people on the train are going to watch me. I came to accept that a while back. You routinely see people reading the paper or even a book over someone else's shoulder, so watching someone sketch must be almost irresistible. On the other hand living in such crowded conditions has also trained us all to respect other people's privacy, and generally ignore each other. So while I do sometimes get watched, it is very rare that anyone has taken the initiative to speak to me about it. (For you NYC readers, if you ever do see me, feel free to say hi!) As for people reacting to being sketched.... I haven't had a problem yet. In fact I am not sure if anyone has ever realized that it was happening. If they did they didn't acknowledge it. I tend to sketch people that are sort of obliquely seated from where I am, so that I'm not staring directly at them. And, if you'll notice in the sketches I also draw a lot of sleeping or reading people who are oblivious to me anyway.
Hope that helps answer any questions you guys might have! Again, welcome, and I'll see you on the train!
Since some of Danny's readership is interested in technique and materials I have gotten a couple of comments and a couple of e-mails regarding what materials I use for my sketches. Right now I am sketching in a very small Moleskin sketchbook. I think it is 3"x5", a nice size to keep in my pocket or bag and a nice size to unobtrusively sketch on the train with. And, yes, I sketch in ballpoint pen. I like using a Papermate stick pen, (apparently the model is called "Write Bros" which I never knew until looking it up just now). I like this pen because the ink is just a touch on the gummy side, and for some reason it allows for a very wide range of line weights. It makes very fine marks when I barely skim the page, and very dark marks when I need it to. Plus they are very cheap and common, and easy to get a hold of, so when I lose one on the train or in the bottom of my messenger bag I am not lamenting the loss of an expensive pen.
So... there you have it. Nothing very fancy, and certainly nothing not easily obtainable.
I've also been asked about people watching me sketch, or people reacting to being sketched. First, it is a fact of the city that people on the train are going to watch me. I came to accept that a while back. You routinely see people reading the paper or even a book over someone else's shoulder, so watching someone sketch must be almost irresistible. On the other hand living in such crowded conditions has also trained us all to respect other people's privacy, and generally ignore each other. So while I do sometimes get watched, it is very rare that anyone has taken the initiative to speak to me about it. (For you NYC readers, if you ever do see me, feel free to say hi!) As for people reacting to being sketched.... I haven't had a problem yet. In fact I am not sure if anyone has ever realized that it was happening. If they did they didn't acknowledge it. I tend to sketch people that are sort of obliquely seated from where I am, so that I'm not staring directly at them. And, if you'll notice in the sketches I also draw a lot of sleeping or reading people who are oblivious to me anyway.
Hope that helps answer any questions you guys might have! Again, welcome, and I'll see you on the train!
What a compliment to have Danny link you to the rest of the world. I, for one, am glad to have made it here. I like the simple approach to drawing myself.
~Sharon