The Portrait Party

The Portrait Party is like the sketching equivalent of running a marathon.  I love it and it seemed so did everyone else, but realistically speaking it's exhausting.  It is hours of non-stop sketching.  Each portrait takes 10 minutes and we went from one to the next with practically no pause in between.

Julie

The relentless pace has an interesting effect.  Are you sometimes plagued by an annoying voice that comments in your head about  every line and artistic choice you make?  A critical voice that second guesses what you're doing?  What I've noticed is that the voice can't keep up.  Sketching at the Portrait Party pace you're left alone, free to create what you will.  It's exhilarating!

Eric

And it's not always clear that more time would have made for better pictures.  I was astounded by high quality of our collective work.

Zainab

PICTURE SWAP:  This year something interesting happened.  People started swapping pictures.  I gave away about a third of the drawings I did.  This has me thinking.  I lost a sketch book that day.  I'll probably never see those sketches again.  My sketchbook might have been accidentally thrown in the garbage.  My insight is that the sketches you give away live independently.  You could lose everything you've ever done and the only things that would survive would be the work you created that is in the hands of others.

Mike

Here's what I did that day:

Mary

Barbara

Hugh

Jerry

*  My one wish would be to learn how to create sketches that are as beautiful and handsome as the way I see the people I draw.  Perhaps with more practice.