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April 2, 2007

Weekend Sketches

This weekend I made a conscious effort to bring my Moleskine sketchbook with me everywhere, having been challenged by Tommy Kane's Push Yourself post last week.

Below are two pieces I sketched this weekend:

Sketch 1: My son Nathan and I went to his preschool on Saturday for an Easter egg hunt. Part of the afternoon included giving the kids helium-filled balloons to bounce and chase around the church fellowship hall. The kids had such a blast — I had to try and capture Nathan's joy at play. This one was pretty quick and loose, with my focus on capturing the feeling I had, rather than being perfectly proportional.

Sketch 2: The right page was done Saturday night, after seeing the the film Peaceful Warrior. The film was a little cheesy and full of platitudes for dialogue. Still, the phrase "There are no ordinary moments" seemed to bubble up in my mind just before bed. I grabbed my sketchbook and let the idea direct my sketch, trying not to think too much about the technical details. My approach was to look at this phrase as a challenge to sketch those "un-ordinary moments" rather than lose them.

As I prepared the scan today, I realized Nathan's balloon-jumping sketch was one of those "un-ordinary moments" I'd captured Saturday morning, before the words themselves were spoken in the film, later the same evening.

Thanks Tommy for the challenge to sketch, especially when it's hard. If you're reading this post and are thinking about sketching again, or for the first time — do it! :-)

April 2, 2007 1:31 PM | Sketches | add to del.icio.us

Comments

Digging the sketches and the message, thanks for giving me a bit more inspiration in my daily duties :)

Posted by: James Mathias at April 2, 2007 1:59 PM

Glad to be an inspiration James!

Posted by: Mike Rohde at April 2, 2007 2:10 PM

"Life is an adventure, or it is nothing." - Helen Keller

Posted by: Timbo at April 2, 2007 3:37 PM

Any tips for aspiring sketchers? Thanks!

Posted by: Miles at April 2, 2007 10:14 PM

Nice sketches Mike. Makes me want to start carrying around a sketchbook.

Posted by: Jim Eichholz at April 4, 2007 9:12 PM

You got a hell of a blog here. Thanks for the mention, I'm flattered.

Posted by: Tommy Kane at April 6, 2007 11:39 AM

Mike, I'm an out-of-towner who just stumbled in through the MicroISV ==> BarCamp ==> continuum, and I just wanted to tell you how cool I thought the "No Ordinary Moments - Pay Attention To Them All" sketch is. No disrespect to the sketch of you son (because children are such are gift), but the thought behind the "No Ordinary Moments ..." sketch was thought provoking. Very cool stuff. Thanks for the diversion.

Posted by: Todd at April 6, 2007 8:38 PM

Jim — Thanks! WHy not carry a sketchbook? Nobody says your sketches have to be perfect if they're just for you.

Tommy — I'm very honored by your comment here! I think I'm the one who ought to be flattered. :-)

Todd — Welcome! I'm glad you liked the "No Ordinary Moments" sketch, because I felt similarly about that quote. Glad I could provide a positive diversion — stop back anytime. :-)

Posted by: Mike Rohde at April 9, 2007 9:40 AM