Would You Mind?

CAPTION: " Didn't I see those hands on the cover of  Time magazine?"

 

Last semester, my first full light rail semester, I used the travel time to read quite a few books.  The count was thirteen. This semester? I'm drawing instead, and it's getting interesting. Neither a Rembrandt, nor a Piccaso am I. But funny things take place once you've made the commitment to draw..

So what I do is pick some interesting character sitting at least two rows away.  In the times I've tried to draw someone close in? Those subjects tend to get very self conscious and fidgety. It's hard to get a clean perspective when somneone is shuffling. It's tough enough when there is some distance between you. 

At the first recognition the model gets wind of your attention, you can typically see the "who is this creep" antennae go up. The suspicion usually eases up when the model notices people watching me draw over my shoulder.  Then the model faces turn red, and some level of posturing takes place. 

I'm getting much better with hands around the face since the models typically use their appendages to hide some feature they're not proud of.

The next thing I notice is that if you are bold enough to do this thing? Most people THINK you know what you're doing. Between the model's recognition and the kibitzers there is great motivation to excel.

But here is what I would like to leave you with. When you can finish the drawing, and have it at least resemble the model, and you tear it off your sketch pad, and you walk over to the model and hand it to him or her, and you see her or him smile, flushed with pride and shocked that you picked him or her?

That has to be the derivation of the phrase...."warm all over." 

I wonder if there is some way I can write that service off my income tax? I wouldn't have to take all those bags of old clothes down to Goodwill.