60 Second Sketch, Brought to Life

I enjoy the exercise of creating a 60 second sketch. I travel with a sketch book and when something of interest catches my eye I’ll often quickly render a series of ideas from that subject, whether it be on the subway in New York or from a canoe in the Boundary Waters. It’s a terrific way to familiarize oneself with the most basic structure and detail of a subject; 60 seconds allows time to nail down only the design structure itself with one or two primary details necessary to bring the subject to life. When I’m in the canoe, I look forward to seeking out beds of lily pads and blooms. The canoe perspective is dynamic as a series of 60 second sketches occur from multiple perspectives as the wind and current carry me on the water, producing some interesting results. I rendered one of these sketches in the medium of scratchboard for a traveling gallery show and subsequent publishing in the book “Scratch Art”. Curated by Guy Aitchison, this collection of scratchboard art was created by tattoo artists from around the world. When Jessica requested this particular water lily, it was fun to put these points of reference and experiences together to breathe life into her piece.