Extra Effort: Extending the Comfort Zone

Yesterday's frustration with lack of shape modeling caused me to draw from a photo before I finished on the train home and spend more time working to get away from the flatface. The smudging helped some. Still, perhaps not a young enough likeness.

Daily Sketch: RDGM Shape Modeling - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Brother Journeyman - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Absorbed - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: An Audience of One - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Inner Solace - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Jamming - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Simple Lines- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Restful - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Alewife Serene Grace - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Today was a unplanned prolific day for sketching without really having felt effort. A fellow Journeyman waiting for the commuter rail discussed his life's joys and travails with an Audience of One. The content of his Journey was a shared one with my own profile and I was intrigued to overhear it at the depot. I followed them onto the train and sat not too far away not knowing if I would have a chance to capture the remembrance in a sketch or two. It didn't look like I would gain a vantage point at first.  Journeyman was very animated, always moving, and mostly partially obstructed. To some degree, his likeness is a memory picture from lots of partial glances. I really like his Audience as a delicate fast caricature with wonderful lines and tonal contrast that captured a likeness. She was so polite and courteous as a friend to just listen and not judge.

Numerous other caricatures, some with simple lines.

At the end of the day on the return home on the inbound Alewife line, I noticed Serene Grace beside me out of the corner of my eye on the subway reading a textbook on exceptional children. She had a wonderful plaid scarf as a headpiece and as we were approaching my final stop, she looked up at a poster towards the ceiling to determine the railstop information and in a moment I saw a drawing I would have wanted to capture. I asked her quick permission to take a photo to see if I could recapture the image, explained my amateur artist predeliction, and she granted permission. I snapped a pic, shared the blog address and made an effort on the way home to portray what I saw in that moment. To some degree, I think I captured the feeling for my respect but not the likeness. I did not quite capture her youth or her angelic demeanor that I thought was there. But I thank her for her courtesy. This was the first time I ever asked a non-family member or stranger, in fact, to "model" where I asked permission to record and shared my Endeavor. In just a moment with limited time. It was a split second decision. So I did make extra effort to expand my habitual domain and work to the edge of my artistic comfort zone.

One of Life's Lessons revisited again.