Tuesday Spill: “We’ll Draw Anything”

We’ll Draw Anything

Two Saturdays ago, Liza Donnelly and I were part of the 50th anniversary celebration for our wonderful local indy bookstore, Oblong Books.

We sat at a table and drew whatever anyone wanted us to draw (except caricatures*). Liza has had a ton of experience drawing out in public (but perhaps not in too many “draw whatever you want” scenarios); I’d never done anything like this before. The best part of our time there was seeing the look of happy anticipation as the folks who came up to us described what they wanted to see develop on paper.

Obviously, cartoonists (at work) rarely interact with people in this way. We’re by ourselves at home working on drawings that are (at least in my case) then put off to the side in a pile. And if one of those drawings is bought and then published the echo from the outside world is usually silent (not counting comments on social media or the occasional pat on the back from friends). The experience of drawing in the company of people reminded me of being in school, sitting in the back of the classroom, and drawing for a few friends in an attempt to make them laugh — a rewarding pressure-packed situation.

*I did attempt a caricature of one fellow. My memory is he had on a straw cowboy hat, sunglasses, and flowered shirt. The drawing was really all about accessories.