A little over a year ago, I started doing sketches in old New Yorkers. The magazines themselves were gifts, mailed to me from an artist friend in Missouri, Scott Smith. In the ratty old pages of the New Yorkers, Scott’s own sketches were incredible and moving. I was astounded by the generous way in which he shared his art process. His earnest searching and the inevitable struggles of art-making were there in full view, exposed in each sketch.
I felt inspired to be brave and playful in the same way. I started sketching in New Yorkers myself, drawing without any erasers. I used black sharpies, india ink, gouache, oil pastels, and my trusty pilot pen. The “trashy” quality of the old, falling-apart magazines makes it feel less like serious art, and that frees me up to take risks, try new things, and follow my intuition.
Below are some of my sketches.
after Rubens
after Rubens
after Rubens
