The Art of a Sketchbook

When you can't find anything else to sketch ...

Hubby's Shoes as he naps in the recliner, pen & watercolor, 2012 © Nancy Van Blaricom

There are times when I want to sketch but I struggle to find something interesting near-by. More often than not my husband is near-by either reading or napping and that always gives me a perfect subject to sketch.

In the above photo you see my husbands shoes as he naps in his recliner.

 Hubby Reading, PilotP-500 extra fine pen, 2012 © Nancy Van Blaricom

This above sketch was pretty easy because even though he was awake he was so engrossed in his book that he had no idea he was being watched closely.  My model doesn't do much moving around if he has his head in a book.

Nap Taking, ball point pen, 2012 © Nancy Van Blaricom

The above sketch is dated 2010 but I don't remember much about it. It looks as if I had started out with something in mind then changed it and decided to sketch my husband napping instead.  Above the cuff of his sleeve, on the back of his hand, it looks like I was beginning to sketch some eye glasses, then the line comes down and goes back up....   Looking at the sketch I can see I glued the paper into my sketchbook, so I'm guessing that I sketched this on the only piece of paper I had at the time.

Give this a try, sketch your spouse when they have no idea you are stalking them *wink.