Doodle

Philosophy Speaker

I went to a philosophy talk in September, in London. This was the speaker. The fact that I ended up drawing rather than listening possibly says a lot.

The philosopher

Quick one of a speaker at a philosophy conference I helped organise. In biro on my notes sheet.

More queuer quickies

Starbucks, Oxford. Done in a few seconds with a fine marker and a brushpen in an A6 pad.

The Queuers

Threw these down in 15-20 seconds or so, while people were in the queue at Starbucks.

Done in sixty seconds or less (or should that be fewer)

The last two were done really quickly. Again I'm trying to emulate some of the bloggers I admire. The portrait took longer, obviously. It went well to begin with and there was a likeness; then I fiddled with it, lost it, then did some reworking from memory. Not what I'd call a success.

The magazine browser

Borders, Starbucks, Oxford. Brushpens in A6 pad. As usual she left. Sometimes I don't plan these right. I start directly with the lightest grey brushpen then lay in darker ones. Often though I get confused about the relative tonal values and keep having to go back and forth between the lighter and darker elements; sometimes it gets muddy

The sketcher

Starbucks, Oxford. Brushpen in an A6 pad. I was looking around for people to sketch and spotted this guy sketching someone else. That's never happened before. He looked as furtive as I probably do when I'm looking at my subject and trying not to be noticed.

The studiers

Starbucks, Borders, Oxford. Brushpens in A6 pad. I start directly with the lightest grey brushpen, and then add darker areas, trying hard to simplify. As usual, not finished (one really not finished).

The reader

Starbucks, Borders, Oxford. Brushpens in A6 pad. The guy left before I could work more on his shirt.

Starbucks, Oxford

Starbucks, Borders. The second drawing wasn't finished, obviously. I was trying to achieve some of the simplicity I see in another talented blogger, Martin: http://martin-dessin.blogspot.com/

A quick sketch

Far From the Madding Crowd pub, Oxford

We're gonna need a bigger brush

Starbucks, Oxford. Brushpens in an A6 pad. I was trying to get looser with this batch, all done very quickly in one sitting. As suggested by a commenter (the author of this splendid blog: http://mattjonezanimation.blogspot.com/), I tried a fatter brushpen tip for some of them, to force me to ignore details.

Biro on the back of a manuscript

Starbucks, Oxford. Biro on the back of a manuscript I was reading. I got bogged down in fiddly details with the face and didn't get a chance to finish it, as usual. I envy some of the bloggers I visit who work fast and have that lovely immediacy to their sketches

Latest sketches

Starbucks, Oxford. Several attempts made at a guy reading a book but he moved a lot. I had the big guy all sketched out, then he left. But he sits here all the time, in the same clothes, in the same position, so I might get to pick it up another day.

Quick sketch on a napkin

Starbucks, Borders, Oxford. Started with biro on a napkin and finished it with brushpens. Probably spent barely 5 minutes.

Unfinished

Starbucks, Borders, Oxford. I was disappointed I didn't get to finish this before the chap shuffled off; he had a great, sad face. A friend persuaded me to upload it anyway.

Brushpens

Starbucks, Borders, Oxford. Another failure with the brushpens. It's never good when you feel you're just trying to save a drawing.

Unfinished failure

Borders Starbucks, Oxford. Pencil and brush-pens. I pretty much aborted it as the work with the brush-pens wasn't going very well; didn't really know what I was doing with them.

Biro on the back of a manuscript

I was reading a book manuscript for a friend in Borders, Oxford and liked the look of the guy at the top, so turned a page over and sketched with a Biro. I was less happy with the young women I attempted afterwards.

Sketch on a napkin

Quickly done with a biro on a napkin. Starbucks, Borders, Oxford

On a Napkin, Starbucks, Oxford

Starbucks, Borders, Oxford. First sketch for a while. Someone made a nice comment on this in passing as I was doing it.