I was sketching these two on the subway as they shared headphones and stared straight ahead. Then suddenly they hugged to say goodbye. The taller girl left the train and the one that looked like Kirsten Dunst sat down beside me, just as I closed the sketch book. I got up and started for the door. She slide over into my old seat and picked up my red reading glasses that I'd dropped on the floor and handed them to me. Thanks! I should have shown her the sketch.
14 comments:
Sounds like things were happening fast! I guess no much time for showing her the drawing after all...
Well, at the end of the day, cool story and cool sketch!
Yeah they were so caught up in the music, not looking at each other. So at first I didn't think that they knew each other... then I noticed the white headphones. I wonder what they were listening to.
How do people draw on a subway? I hear about this. But trying it in Montreal as the car bounces up and down (most of the trip) makes my drawings look like the graph of a heart attack.
Lovely, lovely, sketch; but you got off lucky in that encounter. Always be ready to run. I've had a woman actually attack me with her handbag in the Peterborough bus terminal, an evil looking bastard grab my drawing and walk around the Gladstone hotel scrunching it into a rapidly diminishing ball and uttering threats against me, and narrowly escaped a mob howling for my blood in Bowmanvile who were convinced I was stealing their souls with my compressed charcoal stick.
Jack,
Toronto subway cars can be a bit 'lurchy' but sketching sure makes the time fly...
Clive,
Ah yes, you do bring that out in people ;)
I can be a bit self-concious when sketching...I don't always feel like doing it. Some people will get that sense that I'm drawing them and start staring at me, not to friendly-like. Of course I'm quickly looking back and forth from them and down at my sketch book (usually a smallish one but it is an unusual action to be doing on the subway)so they get the sense that something is going on...It can spoil my feeling for the process when they start staring back. It's not so 'candid' anymore. Maybe it's time to do a series of sketches of people staring at the artist. You know, really uncomfortable straight-ons... Then the next drawings would be the portrait of the artist with some sort of injury after the subject beat them up. Whaddya think?
There is still some left of "Toronto the Good" I has been a couple years since I've sketched on the subway.
Maybe it's time!
Keep the sketches a comin'!
As for sketching, I'm a very friendly guy. I'll share what I'm doing, which can make a connection with the subject (unless I'm drawing someone as an obscene, soulless monster). People enjoy the process.
Certainly better than the 'stealing your soul' click of a camera, and then scuttling off.
Hey Jack,
Yes, I do think that this was a time that I could have 'safely' shared the image with this girl. She probably would have enjoyed seeing it. I wonder how many artists drawing on the subway, show their quick sketches to the stragers that they're sketching? You may be in the minority.
Enzo! Thanks for the comment. We'd love to see subway sketches from you.
Portrait of the artist with a subjective injury; I love it. Sharing is good too; I must say I've given loads of them away and not always at gun-point.
Clive, you do have a kind and a generous nature. Just saw NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and am wondering if giving the killer a portrait sketch would have made a difference. Doubt it.
Hi Arna, this is so nice and loose. I remember sketching on the GO train on my way to College. Always see a great variety of people. Nice work.
Hiya Doodlers!
It's been a while. Hope you're both doing well. Must get together sometime soon when schedules are lighter to get together for s'more sketching.
Cheers.
Mike
Michelle! Happy New Year and thanks for stopping by. Hope all's good. Thanks for the comment. Glad you like the sketch. High praise coming from you.
Mike! Hello, and yes it has been a while. We'd love to see you. Let's see how things go in February.
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