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! :-)

Comments

[James Mathias]

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

[Mike Rohde]

Glad to be an inspiration James!

[Timbo]

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

[Miles]

Any tips for aspiring sketchers? Thanks!

[Jim Eichholz]

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

[Tommy Kane]

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

[Todd]

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.

[Mike Rohde]

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. :-)