57: Processing and Avoiding in a Sketchbook
New drawings, a film recommendation, meetups, and an art talk on youtube!
Lately I’ve been feeling a disconnect between what I draw in my sketchbook and what’s swirling in my head. My pages fill with the usual things—flowers on the table, a dog I met at a café, an intense sunset over Manhattan seen on my walk home. This is what I’ve always done, what my books and my whole mission have been about—celebrating the everyday, finding beauty in the small moments. But sometimes, it’s harder to draw flowers, dogs and sunsets when it feels as if what needs to come out is bigger. I don’t want to ignore the hard things but I also don’t want to be consumed by the news, by the stories meant to stir us up. This week I played with drawing the same sunset three ways in an effort to really appreciate something simple and beautiful—like meditating on a subject.
Maybe the most honest thing to do is to let both exist. To allow space for the beauty of an ordinary day, even when the weight of the news is there too. Below are a few recent pages—typical of me in the way they capture the everyday, but maybe saying more than they let on.
Above are three six-minute portraits I sketched of fellow artists at Julia Rothman’s studio a few nights ago. There’s something incredible about drawing each other—really seeing a stranger in great detail, studying every line and shadow, and capturing a moment of who they are. I really enjoyed the middle drawing, as in order to capture Melanie’s white hair, I filled the negative space with tone.
The next Draw Your World meetup is on the 21st—this coming Friday! This time, we’ll focus on intentionally leaving parts of our work unfinished and exploring negative space. It’s going to be a good one! You can always upgrade your subscription and join us (more information following).
Michelle Allen’s Sketchbook Spread
I don’t know if
intended to create something that was reminiscent of my books, but she created this beautiful sketchbook spread after returning from San Miguel, and I’m in love with it! When people draw their worlds in a way that reflects my teaching and style—yet remains uniquely their own—it’s incredibly inspiring. The overlapping layers featuring color, line, hand lettering and drawings, feel like glimpses of memories woven together on the page.Exhibition Recommendation
I went to MoMA today to see part of the film The Clock by Christian Marclay. Through May 11.
Encapsulating 100 years of moving-image history, Christian Marclay’s The Clock (2010) is a 24-hour montage composed from thousands of film and television clips depicting clocks and other references to time. James Bond checks his watch at 12:20 a.m.; Meryl Streep turns off an alarm clock at 6:30 a.m.; a pocket watch ticks at 11:53 a.m. as the Titanic departs. With each clip synchronized to the local time, The Clock collapses the fictional time presented on screen with the actual time of each passing minute. The work is both a cinematic tour-de-force and a functioning timepiece.
Go when you have some time to sit for a while. We watched from 4:10-4:31pm but my son and I both want to go back to see more!
Workshops and Events:
Draw Your World Meetups
The next two paid-tier subscriber meetups have been scheduled:
• On March 21st we will focus on leaving some parts of our drawings intentionally unfinished and using negative space.
• On March 28th we will be drawing timed portraits of each other (only about 6-7 participants will pose).
The link to register for both is shared in the subscriber chat!
Draw and Paint Brooklyn with Samantha and Ohn Mar
Only two spots left on Thursday, May 8th
One spot just opened on Friday, May 9th
Creatively Wild Art Studios 98 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Click here to learn more!
Draw Your Adventures - A two-day workshop in Apex, NC.
May 30th-31, 2025 Only two spots left! Click here to learn more!
Above is an interview with me and Mónica Linares who runs Painting Miles Art Studio. She will be hosting us in Apex!
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Most of my Skillshare classes feature my favorite Caran d’Ache art supplies. My relationship with the US distributor, Creative Art Materials, started back when I wrote Draw Your Day in 2018, and they saw how heavily I featured their art tools—many that I have been using since I was in grade school. Click here to find some my favorites on the Orange Art website.
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All Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10.
It's a struggle with the news and painting what we do. It's all ok. And I loved the Clock! We couldn't even get a seat, we stood there for an hour. Fascinating!
You are truly a gift to the world my friend. I love how our paths have crossed. You are a constant bright spot in my life. <3