Pushing a Sketch

It’s very rare that I don’t finish a sketch.

If something goes awry during the sketching I typically keep pushing just so I can see what’s possible. I learn a lot at moments like that.

On this date I was using a granulating blue on a pen sketch of a little black dog. I usually like the granulating blue on this paper but on this day it wasn’t looking crisp. 

I received a phone call and was going to throw in the towel, but while the call was in progress I picked up my color pencils, just some random colors that were sitting out on the drawing board. I started to go over all the watercolor washes. 

I had a lot of fun. I don’t normally sketch when I’m on the phone, because years ago I promised myself that when I was on the phone I was going to give the caller my complete attention (sales people don’t get that; I’m talking about friends and relatives). I had been losing elderly friends and relatives and wanted to be sure the last time I talked with them, if any call happened to be that final call, that I was fully engaged.

But here I was talking with Dick about some distressing events of the day, and as I built layer after layer of color pencil over those watercolor washes I found that all my frustrations were evaporating. Just one more reason I have kept a journal throughout my life.