Before I headed into my Sketchbook Studio event at the Portland Museum of Art on Wednesday, I spun through some favorite books about drawing. They always lift my spirits.
In The Undressed Art: why we draw author Peter Steinhart quotes Matisse:
“Drawing is the precision of thought.”
My colleague in illustration, Cat Bennett, who leads a Saturday Morning Drawing group, quotes Picasso in The Confident Creative:
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
John Hendrix claims in Drawing Is Magic, “If you treat your sketchbook like a playground, it will turn into a treasure map.”
Words all good for my sword arm in drawing with anyone I meet. What a wonderful parade of sketchers who turned up!
Louisa Donelson, Associate Educator for Youth Learning at the museum, wheeled in an art cart chock full of supplies. We began by making prototypes as the Masterworks on Paper show beckoned.
We folded papers and snapped on an elastic for handy binding. I also shared one of my sketchbooks, which includes this quick drawing from a ferry ride one early morning.
In my illustration class at Maine College of Art, the junior students and I draw for the first fifteen minutes. Each one brings in an object for observational studies. Cody brought his alarm clock.
Sketchbooks are vessels for noticing and interpreting one’s world, as well as for detailing ideas, like these quick ones for a poster I worked on.
Two sisters made these sketchbooks with collage covers.
This young artist drew several pages in which her toy, Squeeky, had comic adventures.
More lovely collage work here.
Near the end of the day, I met a dad with two eager sons. Cohen and I drew polar bears together.
Thanks to the PMA for hosting a feast of paper possibilities! So many sketchbooks await their magic.
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