"A sketchbook is a secret thing, a collection of unfinished and often times abandoned ideas never intended for public consumption—at least not in their current state. It’s a private space for honing one’s craft and workshopping, separating good ideas from those best left unexplored." -Brian Heater at The Daily Cross Hatch.

30 December 2009

Hong Kong Liberty and The Purpose of Sketchblogging

 

This is a sketch I did a few weeks ago during a particularly slow day at work. My source material came from somewhere on the USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt (CVB-42/CVA-42/CV-42) website which has a great trove of photos. These guys were on liberty in Hong Kong, and must've been posing on Victoria Peak overlooking the harbor, or bay. (Hard to tell from my drawing...). Having visited Hong Kong, I can't imagine it being cold enough there at any time of the year for peacoats and gloves. But, then again, I was only there in the summer.

Anyways. I recently read a review on Peter Kuper's Diario de Oaxaca by Brian Heater on The Daily Cross Hatch and he wrote a pretty good explanation of what a sketchbook is- which also explains my idea behind keeping this blog:

"A sketchbook is a secret thing, a collection of unfinished and often times abandoned ideas never intended for public consumption—at least not in their current state. It’s a private space for honing one’s craft and workshopping, separating good ideas from those best left unexplored"

Obviously, the major difference, is that I'm putting my sketchbook out in "public", because honestly, it makes me more productive knowing that someone, somewhere is cognizant of it. I start to think "What is everyone else seeing in this?" and it helps with my own introspective constructive criticism. So, that's the idea behind this sketch blog. Just FYI.
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3 comments:

  1. My father was an engine room chief in WWII and told me of the amusing sight of the entire black gang piling off the ship in San Diego, wearing racoon coats. Apparently working in the hot engine room had so thinned thier blood that southern California might as well have been Greenland.

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  2. thank you for opening your sketchbook to us! danke schön...ach! that song is now going through my head...!!!

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  3. @MonkeyFist: That must've been quite a sight. The raccoon coat was obviously the "performance fleece" of yesteryear...

    @bowsprite: Thank you for stopping by!

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