When an Idea Won't Let You Go

A digital sketch of tourists seated in Times Square, NYC. 11/30/14

Have you ever gotten caught in the tractor beam of an idea that just won't let you go?

I had such an experience at a recent conference I was attending. But more on that in a minute...

It's no secret that I love to draw. I always have. And in recent years, I have been know to carry a sketchbook around with me. Waiting in line at a six flags theme park? No problem. Sketch. Stuck in an airport? Sketch. Out at a museum? Sketch. 

It's more than passing the time. It's capturing it. I can recall ordinary moments with clarity when I've taken the time to look – really see – and sketch. Whether or not the moment may be worthy, isn't the point, but rather to be fully present and find inspiration all around. 

Sketches of my Daughter's cheerleading competition, my other daughter's Tae Kwon Do competition and my mom's belly dancing recital. 

I've even sketched during my mothers belly dancing recital (yes, you read that right…another story for another time.) and my daughters Tae Kwon Do completion. I sketched during a clean water missions trip to Nicaragua. Moments and feelings get interpreted into art made live in the moment. And now I have a visual record that penetrates so much more than snapshot photos.

Ironically, there are times we’re so close to things that we just don't see them. We can't recognize the value in something we “just do" – something that comes naturally to us, but others are amazed at. It's at this intersection that an idea started to beckon.

“We can’t recognize the value in something we “just do” – something that comes naturally to us, but others are amazed at. It’s at this intersection that an idea started to beckon.”

And here is where we come back to that conference I mentioned.  During the conference, someone posed the question to me: "What would it look like to take that thing you "just do" and offer it as a valuable service to others?" The more we spoke, and I spoke with others, the more apparent it became to me that none of us had ever seen anything like this before. 

I started to ask a few questions of my own.

What if there was a unique way to capture the events and special moments of your conference or special event?

A way that made you stand out from other events?

Drumroll please... I'm proud to say that’s exactly what you get when you book me to live sketch your event. As a Visual Artist, I'll create live digital sketches of your conference or event in real time. These are not mass produced images, but rather, Art that is created from carefully curated moments that tell stories from your event in a one-of-a-kind way.

The professional term for this is Reportage Illustration, or sometimes Urban Sketching. Think of it as a form of storytelling and journalism, only with digital sketches (in my case). There’s actually a term for it called “Reportage Art”.  Artist Veronica Lawlor defines it as “..Reportage [art] or documentary drawing… means to go out into the world and carry back what we experience behind our pen or brush.”

Do you host events or know people who would benefit from my service?

Visit my Event Sketches page for more info and examples. 

What's in my Sketch Bag, Part 1

I thought I'd take a few minutes to share a few tools in my sketch bag. When I'm not sketching digitally on my iPad, Here's a few tools I like to keep handy for sketching while I'm out and about. I've provided amazon affiliate links below for easy purchasing as well if you're in the market or want to try some new supplies.

A great little fountain pen that is a no mess solution and has a great feel in drawing is the Lamy Safari pen (Extra Fine Nib). It's a great option if you're looking to get something affordable yet a step up. Be sure to get the Lamy refill converter as well, so you can use the ink you desire (waterproof and your color of choice) or you'll be limited to the available non-waterproof cartridges. 

LAMY Safari Fountain Pen Charcoal Ex-Fine (L17EF)

Lamy Refill Converter (Z24)

Speaking of ink, I have found the Pilot Bamboo Charcoal Black a nice smooth black ink option. It's rich yet over done. You might want to experiment with a few brands of inks, but if you intend to use with watercolor paints, you will want waterproof ink. 

Pilot Iroshizuku Bottled Fountain Pen Ink, Take-Sumi, Bamboo Charcoal, Black (69224)

The TWSBI fountain pen was my first. I was attracted to it because of the ease of use yet versatility. It does require more maintenance than the Lamy, but also has a well (that you can see how much ink is left if you get the clear barrel model) as opposed to a cartridge. It's a bit tricker to use but another great option if a full on fountain pen is intimidating.

TWSBI Diamond 580 Fountain Pen nib EF or F

There are certain moments that you will want to blend ink, so using a water-soluble ink will be your ticket. You can fill one of the pens above with such an ink, or if you'd like a different option check out the Tombow. It had two sides and is a BRUSH pen as opposed the extra fine nibs on the fountain pens. One side is like a brush, the other is like a fine tip marker.

Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers, Black N15, 6-Pack

I live for color, so I always have my Windsor and Newton Watercolor travel kit handy. There are a ew different sizes, depending on how many pans of color you want available. I suggest starting with the one I've listed as it's a little more budget friendly as well as more compact for travel. When the pans of color run down, they are easily replaced. You can even swap out colors if the stock colors aren't your colors of choice. This set is a staple of my travel bag. I never go anywhere without it.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color Compact Set

And if you intend to use watercolors, you'll need a handy option for brushes that travel well. You don't want to be fiddling with brushes and water cans while on the go, so these water brushes are a necessity. This set has 4 size options which is also nice. You just unscrew the cap and fill with tap water at home, or refill on the go. Simple.

Water Brush Pen, Self-moistening, Portable, (Assorted Tips, Set of 4)

And Lastly, there's a myriad of options for your sketchbook, and a lot of it is personal preference. I do suggest however that if you are planning to use watercolors or wet media, get a sketchbook with watercolor paper. I've used the Moleskine Watercolor sketchbook. It's taken some getting used to the size, but it captures my watercolor nicely. I've also used other Moleskine (as well as other brands) that weren't watercolor paper but with varying degrees of success. It might come down to how wet the paint is.

Moleskine Art Plus Watercolor Album, Large, Black, Hard Cover (5 x 8.25)  

The point is to get out there and start sketching! Try different supplies as your budget allows. Go with friends, and swap supplies. Now get out there and sketch!

If opportunity hasn't knocked, start going door to door.

What do you do if you feel like you're doing everything you possibly can to advance in your art and yet there seems a lack of opportunity? You try and try and yet it's like there's no traction. Where is that "lucky break"?

You have two choices:

1. Complain about the lack of opportunity and become jealous of those around you who seem to be succeeding with such ease. I could so do what they're doing, you think. But you're not. To be honest, you're barely doing what YOU are doing. It's not luck. It's hard work on what is before you right now, no matter how small or big.

2. Make opportunities. Yeah I know. I hear the push back. The truth is though, if you are HUNGRY enough you can take advantage of opportunities all around you. They just aren't those sexy opportunities that thrust you into the public eye with accolades and acclaim. And let's be honest. If we're going to bust our butt, we want it to count for something BIG right?

What I have found is that you might have to redefine your idea of what great opportunities look like.

If opportunity hasn't knocked, start going door to door.

Are you doing work you love? (If not - then get to it. Stop waiting for someone to ask or invite you to do it).

Ok. I'll use myself as an example. Would I like to have my art valued, hung in galleries and sold for a lot of dough, and soak in all that goes along with being a "successful" professional artist? Sure. But I'm not waiting for someone to come knocking. I keep taking the right next step. TODAY (That's my mantra, as you know well if you frequent my blog).

Practically here's what that looks like:

- I committed to a drawing or painting a day for an entire year. April 4th will be an entire year. I have held to that. And even done more some days. Did I do this because some one asked me to? No. I did it to kick to the curb the lie I believed for too long that I because I couldn't draw in a photo realistic style my art was no good. This experience is more valuable than your could possibly imagine.

- I have taken advantage of FREE (and cheap) opportunities. Visit the Sketch book project. Sign up to not only do a sketchbook but every so often they have other projects to join in on. Most recently it was The "Dreadful" Project and it was free to enter. Sign up for a class at a local art center. Take a class from Craftsy.com

- A fellow artist i follow on Instagram decided to do a #100dayproject and asked who might want to join in. (see my previous post) So for the past 21 days I've posted an iPhone sketch of someone else's photo in my Instagram feed. This has been great because I get to keep myself sketching and benefit from brightening up someone's day when I tag them in my post. They often are flattered & think it's way cool. And I even won a t-shirt from one post :)

- A few weeks ago I joined up with the NYC Urban Sketchers group. These are people who just love to draw. They meet up every Saturday in NYC and sketch in various places. Urban Sketchers have groups meeting world-wide. And it's F-R-double-E except when there's an admission to a place they are sketching (like the Central Park Zoo, which was $12 admission).

- Make things for other people. Give your art away. Give some to friends and family. Surprise someone with a handwritten letter and draw on the envelope. You'd be surprised how this could make someone's day. I did a watercolor painting of my daughter as a surprise for her 11th birthday. Your art is a gift, and while you need to make money if this is a career, there are also times when you need to gift it.

- Use social media to share your art. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest - you never know who might be exposed to your art, like it or even share it. It's todays networking. And if you're an introvert, this is great news as you don't have to have the personality of a mayor to connect.

- Look for local venues to display your work. In april, I will have one piece in a show at a local library. In August, I'll have my first solo show at another library. While it's not a SOHO gallery in NYC, it's getting your work out there that counts!

I don't say all this to brag. On the contrary, I say it to show that everyone has opportunity. Sometimes you just have to get creative, or change your perspective. And before you tell me it's easy for me because I'm a "creative professional" - all that I mentioned above has nothing to do with my full-time graphic design job. This is extra.

So, still think there's no opportunity? Get to creating...

Sketching with the NYC Urban Sketchers

If you've been traveling with me on this journey for any length of time, you know that I'm constantly looking for ways to "up the ante" so to speak. This past weekend I took yet another step. I joined the NYC Urban Sketchers group at the Central Park Zoo. I found out about the group through a post from someone else on Facebook. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had been emailing the group leader Mark during the week but aside from that I was flying solo and blind.

My experience left me so glad I did indeed join them. It was a small group this time around (about 5-6 of us). It's pretty open, as you just show up and join in. Sometimes there are a lot of people, sometimes few.

As we made our way around the zoo, we'd stop every so often and sketch whatever we saw. But this day ended up being more than 3 hours of sketching. Some great surprises were:

• We got to interact with people visiting the zoo. Children would come up and peer over to our sketchbooks. Parents would point us out and say "see that, They're drawing. Isn't that cool?" It was a great reminder that we all start out loving to color and draw, but most "outgrow" it unfortunately. It was like having a magical connection with the kids. So great!
• There's nothing like drawing from life - what you see in front of you. Even the most challenging, like when the animals would constantly be on the move!
• I got to meet 4 or 5 new people from all walks of life and parts of NY (and NJ) who all love to draw. You can't underestimate the importance of being with with like-minded people, especially for artists who usually are creating in isolation.
• A few of us went to a local pub following our sketch time, where we shared our sketches from the day, as well as pulled out some of our supplies and let each other try them out. We shared techniques and observations. Although I had just met these guys that day, I felt a bond by the time the day was over.

I think about what I would have missed out on had I let myself listen to the introvert side of me. Sometimes you just have to go for it. Experience something new. And depending on how you are wired, that may be a no brainer or it might seem completely impossible. But as I've been saying for some time now - just take the the right next step for you - where you are and who you are!

If you're local to NY and want to join in the Urban Sketching fun (no need to be a professional artist - most are people who just love to draw!) they meet up every Saturday! Go sign up to receive info. Even if you make it once, I think you'll find it well worth your time.

Oh yeah - and I was asked to do a guest blog post on the Urban Sketcher site. Check it out!