“Amy cooking, 1.24.24, eve”, graphite, 9 x 12”, 2024. These drawings of my girlfriend Amy were made while she went about preparing a meal. She was in more constant motion than I expected, but kept returning to the same positions repeatedly. Check the stove… wash a container, back to the stove, check the recipe on her phone, stir the pot, etc. Drawing “unposed portraits” is one of my absolute favorite art activities and massively challenging, every time. I love the challenge. Drawing someone’s portrait is difficult enough - the difficulty is compounded when they are just going about their normal lives, not sitting still or posing. I like the immediacy of portraits made this way because you get a taste of who they are, what they are up to, not just the activity of them sitting still.

“5’ Boboport, 2.20.24, eve”, pen, 9 x 12”, 2024. Bobo the sheepadoodle gets a bit easier to draw the more times I draw him. Or, I should say, I’m able to achieve a better likeness, although it never really gets any easier. I believe he was looking at me eating dinner, wanting some, when I made this five-minute portrait of him. If he would look away, I’d just say his name, and he’d lock eyes with me again. He’s a good model, and a good boy.

“Boo-port, Journaling, 2.23.24, Fri-yé, 7:05-7:15pm”, graphite, 18 x 12”, 2024. The lefthand side of this ten-minute full-spread drawing of Amy (boo) was made on the reverse side of the previous drawing, which is why “5’ Boboport” is written at left. I was proud of this drawing, Amy journaling away contentedly, her nightly practice of reflecting on the day and making plans for the next. Just as drawing Bobo has become a practice of mine where the results have improved over time, so has my practice of drawing Amy many, many times - I can achieve a decent likeness in less time. This was unposed, meaning she was moving a bit, writing, shifting, etc. Amy is a great model.

More sketches tomorrow…