Sunday, December 7, 2008

Things to do with a 3X5 card

How do you carry a drawing pad around with you during the day?

I have been using several different sizes of drawing paper - generally spiral backed - and my favorite size is roughly 10X12. Sometimes that is not practical. Over the years I have used 3X5 cards to carry lists of things to do, or I carry a few 3X5 cards in my pocket to jot down notes as thoughts strike me at the odd moment. It became apparent that I could use that good 110 pound card stock to draw on and it was just the right size to always have "drawing paper" with me.

So, here are some examples of what you can do with a 3X5 card and my favorite pen, the Pilot P-500 in black.


This one is from a visit to Red Lobster. Red Lobster organizes the customer experience so you have to stand around a while drooling on the carpet before they feed you. I took advantage of the wait to draw one of the condemned.













Kurt Vonnegut was a counter-culture writer who connected with many people. For years I had a news clipping about a visit he made to Lancaster PA with the quote on the card.





















This is one my most recent 3X5 adventures. If you like to have stories read to you there is a wonderful writer who reads the most riveting story to you from a video. He was promoting his new book (The Graveyard Book) on a 9 day book trip in early October 2008. At each stop he read one chapter from the book for the crowd, had it all taped and put it on his web site (www.mousecircus.com). This is a great book - bound to be a classic. Neil Gaiman has a British accent and excruciatingly correct diction. It is a pleasure to listen to him read but what do you do while he is reading an hour long chapter? Well, since it presented in a video format you draw a picture of Neil reading.















The drawing below is another chapter of the book. So why do they look like two different persons? Because when you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not you keep drawing anyway.















In one of my future posts I'll put together a posting of houses I've drawn pictures of over the years.